Clip Art Sizing Difficulties

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 8, 2022)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


Recently WordTips subscriber Kathleen Winters wrote about a problem she was having with a particular computer in their high school computer lab. It seems that the computer won't allow anyone to enlarge clipart within a Word document, even though it can be done on the other machines.

One reader suggested that the clipart be selected and cut from the document. Then, use the Paste Special option from the Edit menu to reinsert the image as a Picture. ("Picture" is a specific object type that can be selected in the Paste Special dialog box.) Sometimes this can "reset" internal pointers so the image can be resized as expected.

If that doesn't do the trick, the problem can probably be traced to one of two possibilities. First, the machine could have a virus. The only way to correct that is to make sure the virus checker is up to date and remove any viruses detected.

The second potential cause of the problem is that there is some conflict between the various device drivers used by Word. For instance, there could be some problem with the display driver or the printer driver, and the problem is only manifested in Word.

To correct this situation, visit the Web sites for the various manufacturers of the devices in the system. You should be able to find the latest device drivers at the sites, and then update your system. Word is fairly unusual in that it relies on a combination of both display and printer driver information to determine what is shown or can be done on screen. If all the pieces aren't working right, then Word won't work as expected, either.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (675) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Disabled Macros

Did you recently upgrade from Word 97 to a later version of Word, only to find that your macros no longer work? Here's ...

Discover More

Booklet Printing in Word

Need to create a booklet with Word? Depending on your version, it could be as easy as changing how you print your final ...

Discover More

Converting From Numbers to Text

If you have a range of numeric values in your worksheet, you may want to change them from numbers to text values. Here's ...

Discover More

Do More in Less Time! An easy-to-understand guide to the more advanced features available in the Microsoft 365 version of Word. Enhance the quality of your documents and boost productivity in any field with this in-depth resource. Complete your Word-related tasks more efficiently as you unlock lesser-known tools and learn to quickly access the features you need. Check out Microsoft 365 Word For Professionals For Dummies today!

More WordTips (menu)

Vertical Lines in Word

Lines can help to organize the data on a page or make certain points clearer. Word provides several different ways you ...

Discover More

Inserting from the Clip Art Gallery Doesn't Work

Ever insert a picture and it won't display in your document? It could be due to some of the display settings in Word. ...

Discover More

Rotating Fractions in a Text Box

Rotating graphics in Word is not always straight-forward, but it can be done. The tools on the Drawing toolbar allow you ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is six more than 9?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.