diagrams imported to MS Word are "fuzzy"

[M***@adobeforums.com]

I'm using Illustrator to draw some technical diagrams which need to be imported into Microsoft Word documents. I'm experiencing the typical Adobe Mount Everst-like learning curve, and am looking for a sherpa.

My drawings are very simple relative to what the program is capable of producing, which only makes the difficulties I'm having that much more aggravating. They are basically one color (black) diagrams, with a bunch of line segments and some text (at an abstract level.) My issue is that while the line segments are nice and crisp in Illustrator, they are fuzzy when imported into Word. How do I prevent Illustrator from changing my black pixels? Is Illustrator trying to compress my diagrams, and that's what is causing the problem? Please tell me there's an easy answer.

Mark

[J***@adobeforums.com]

Mark,

Be careful with Mount Everest-like learning curves, especially when you have fought your way to the top: the other side is just as steep.

Which format are you saving the artwork in?

If you are working in CMYK, try changing to RGB. Worst does not like CMYK.

[r***@adobeforums.com]

As previously pointed out - make sure Illustrator color mode is RGB.
In Illustrator - make your image the exact size you want it to appear in
Word.
File > Save for Microsoft Office.
In Word - Insert > Picture > From File.
Do not resize the graphic in Word - especially larger. You can get away with
making it smaller without much problem, but not larger.

[M***@adobeforums.com]

The color mode is RGB. I am using the "save for microsoft office" command, which generates a .png file. I have made my illustrator image 6.5 x 2.5", which is the size I want it to be in Word. Is there any way to adjust the compression level for a png file?

[J***@adobeforums.com]

Mark,

PNG is for WWW, so the reolution is 72 ppi; no wonder it gets ragged. You may try exporting as Windows meta file or saving as raster with adequate resolution.

[B***@adobeforums.com]

Why are you making a vector image into a raster for use in WORD? That's why your text is getting fuzzy, I suspect. And don't use EPS unless you are printing to a postscript printer and even then in WORD you'll be seeing it as a poor TIFF raster image. Since your vector image is "simple" and black and white, Export it as a EMF file. PNG is a raster image mainly for WEB use.

Bob

[r***@adobeforums.com]

...Export it as a EMF file.

For me, the EMF (or WMF) produces a significantly LESS crisp and clear image
than the Save for Microsoft Office which appears to produce a 150 dpi image.

[John Mensinger]

Actually, PNG is indeed a very useful raster format for use in MS-Office apps, and is not just for the wwweb...and not automatically 72ppi. In fact, it is a poor choice for wwweb use, as browser support is not universal.

Mark, the responses do rightly question your conversion of AI's vectors to a raster format. Try File > Export > to .EMF. In Word, use Insert > Picture > From file, and your drawings will retain their vector format, with some Postscript-absent compromises.

If you are printing to a Postscript printer, export your drawings to Illustrator Legacy EPS, and choose version 8. Place in Word the same way. This, however may not be the best choice if on-screen appearance is important.

[B***@adobeforums.com]

A vector image (EMF) should not have a PPI situation. No pixels to a vector image, even in WORD. DPI is a print setting and dpi setting should be for printing to a specific paper or print media, not the image. 150ppi is usually the least setting you should use for a raster image to be sent to a printer, but a 150dpi setting would be something perhaps for DRAFT mode printing. Most printers today will use a dpi setting of at least 300dpi even for cheapest, most absorbing paper using an inkjet. But that's for ink printing, not image setting.

Bob

[r***@adobeforums.com]

Post by B***@adobeforums.com
A vector image (EMF) should not have a PPI situation.

Yes. I meant that the Save for Microsoft Office PNG is 150 DPI which prints
nicely on my Canon i9900.

[r***@adobeforums.com]

My "save as" command...

Use Export.

[M***@adobeforums.com]

Bob-

My "save as" command doesn't have .emf as an available option. I'm running Illustrator 11.0.0, if that makes a difference.

Mark

[M***@adobeforums.com]

Ok, thanks.

EMF didn't work. Some of the lines showed up, but none of the text did and there was the "broken image" icon (box with the red X) and "adobe systems" in the upper left hand corner.

WMF was better, but the stroke width became 1 px, making my diagram much less pretty.

Waah! Why is this so difficult?

[B***@adobeforums.com]

Mark,

Try CGM, but otherwise, try for a raster using (EXPORT) TIFF and then in WORD use the color tools and make white transparent. See if that does't look well enough for you.

Bob

[H***@adobeforums.com]

There is a problem with EMF exports out of Illustrator if you've installed a fairly recent Windows security update. See...

<http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;840997&Product=winxp>

Presumably, this has been fixed in XP SP2, but I can't confirm that.

=-= Harron =-=

[John Mensinger]

Post by M***@adobeforums.com
Waah! Why is this so difficult?

Because Postscript vector art created in Illustrator isn't meant for the non-Postscript MS-Office environment. Scientifically speaking, it's a backward step.

Ideally, you would use a Postscript-based page layout application, like InDesign, Pagemaker, or Quark to create your documents.

You mention a change of stroke weight in WMF. How did you measure that? Are we talking about how it looks on-screen, or how it prints, in and from Word? Which is more important to your task?

[M***@adobeforums.com]

I'm not sure what CGM is, but it doesn't seem to be an export or save as option. I did try exporting to TIFF, but that looks exactly the same as the PNG file, even with anti-aliasing turned off.

As for the change in stroke weight- I didn't measure it. I imported the file as a PNG and as a WMF, and the WMF had very skinny lines and text whereas the PNG had lines about the right width but fuzzy looking.

[r***@adobeforums.com]

I'm not sure what CGM is...

Computer Graphics Metafile ... but, according to

http://www.adobe.com/support/salesdocs/109ee.htm

Illustrator can Import CGM but not Export.

[Robert C. Gonzales]

I run into this situation everyday. In the end the solutions depends
on what your are trying to achieve. I import black and white
signatures, logos, clipart, and graphs into word 2000, indesign CS,
and quark 6.0. I then have to rasterize 1 bit .pcx images for for high
speed laser printers. Have you tried printing out what you have on the
screen. You might find that what you see on the screen is only a
preview image. This is utilized to make it easier for your computer to
process your work. I find that for the best quality with black and
white artwork, not photos, you should use a 1 bit bitmap image. This
will do two things for you.

1: It will reduce the problems that occur when WORD tries to rasterize
your GRAYSCALE, RGB, and CMYK images. Basically it sees a soft gray
edge, regardless if the images is totally black or not, and it tries
to calculate what this edge should look like. By making it a 1 bit
image, you're explicitly telling WORD where the image is white and
where it is black. For black and white photos I use PHOTOSHOP.

2: By doing this, the preview images on the screen are awesome
compared to what they would be otherwise.

To do this in illustrator I export a .BMP after you select a name it
will open up a window for RASTERIZE OPTIONS. There is a pull down
window there titled COLOR MODEL that allows you to choose the color
mode. I use BITMAP. I also make sure that the ANTI-ALIAS option is NOT
chosen. The RESOLUTION is more of a discretionary matter. If you are
going to scale this image much then you should use a higher DPI. It
also depends on your output. For my purposes I use 600 DPI, but this
may be extreme if you're just outputting PDF's.

[J***@adobeforums.com]

Mark,

This should not be necessary, but maybe it is worth trying to change your units to pixels and exporting as bitmap with the right size in pixels (300 x size in inches or 12 x size in mm). GIF is limited in colours (a total of 256 which may not be a limitation), but crisp in shapes.

[S***@adobeforums.com]

Have you tried EPS?

I know the conventional wisdom is that this doesn't work with non-Postcript applications, but I'm able to bring EPS clipart into Word and print it without problem.

[M***@adobeforums.com]

EPS is what I tried first, but when imported into Word I got a blank box.

[B***@adobeforums.com]

A vector EPS will only print to a postscript printer as vector otherwise it will print the raster TIFF header of the EPS and also your WORD has to have an EPS option for EPS to work in WORD (and that depends upon your WORD version and if that has been installed).

Bob