Selecting a Chart Pattern

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated November 21, 2019)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

While Microsoft Graph allows you to develop full-color charts, you may want to orient them more toward black-and-white if they will appear in a black-and-white document. Similarly, you may wish to play with patterns and colors to get the most from printing on your color printer. Toward this end, the program allows you to specify patterns to use for different portions of your chart. These patterns are primarily used to differentiate data series (rows in your spreadsheet) from each other. To change the pattern assigned to a data series, follow these steps:

Make sure your chart is visible on the screen and you have selected it. (You do this by clicking on the chart.)
Select a data series by clicking on the graphic representation of that series. For instance, if your data is displayed as a column chart, click on the column that represents the series whose pattern you want to change.
Choose Selected Data Series from the Format menu. Microsoft Graph displays the Format dialog box for the selected item. The Patterns tab should be selected. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. The Patterns tab of the Format Data Series dialog box.

Using the controls in the dialog box, modify the pattern as desired.
Click on OK.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (687) 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. Learn more about Allen...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Unhiding or Listing All Objects

An Excel workbook can contain quite a few different objects. Sometimes those objects can be hidden so that they are not ...

Discover More

Finding the Lowest Numbers

Need to find the lowest numbers in a range of values? It's easy to do using the SMALL worksheet function, or you can use ...

Discover More

Viewing Same Cells on Different Worksheets

When switching from one worksheet to another, you might want to view the same portion of the new worksheet that you were ...

Discover More

The First and Last Word on Word! Bestselling For Dummies author Dan Gookin puts his usual fun and friendly candor back to work to show you how to navigate Word 2019. Spend more time working and less time trying to figure it all out! Check out Word 2019 For Dummies today!

More WordTips (menu)

Adding Data Labels to a Chart

Data labels can help identify data in a chart. Here's how to add data labels.

Discover More

Picking a Chart Type

Microsoft Chart offers several different types of charts you can use to display your data. Here's how to pick the type ...

Discover More

Formatting Datasheet Numbers

Controlling the appearance of numbers in a datasheet.

Discover More

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.

Notify me about new comments ONLY FOR THIS TIP

Notify me about new comments ANYWHERE ON THIS SITE

Hide my email address

What is two minus 0?

2019-10-10 06:08:39

sampada Koli

want to apply pattern to charts in microsoft word 2007. Is any add ins available?

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.