Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Graphics and Line Height.

Graphics and Line Height

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated July 4, 2015)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


1

Have you ever placed a graphic in your document, only to find that you can see only a small portion of the bottom of it? The cause of this problem, believe it or not, lies in your paragraph formatting. When you insert an in-line graphic, it inherits the style of the surrounding text. This can cause problems when the style uses fixed line spacing, (for example, "Exactly 14 pt") because the image is forced to this line height as well.

To fix this problem, follow these steps after you have the graphic inserted in your document:

  1. Either select the graphic (by clicking on it once) or position the insertion point somewhere in the same paragraph that contains the graphic.
  2. Choose the Paragraph option from the Format menu. Word displays the Paragraph dialog box.
  3. Change the Line Spacing type to Single.
  4. Click on OK.

When line spacing is set to Single, Word automatically uses the height of the tallest element in each line as the height of the line. In the case of your graphic, there is a very good chance that it is the tallest item. By changing to single line spacing, the line on which the graphic is located can expand to its full height.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1161) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Graphics and Line Height.

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

Getting Rid of Empty Rows after Importing

Import data into a worksheet (or paste it there) and you may find that you end up with a group of blank cells you need to ...

Discover More

Showing RGB Colors in a Cell

Excel allows you to specify the RGB (red, green, and blue) value for any color used in a cell. Here's a quick way to see ...

Discover More

Deleting a File in a Macro

Macros give you a great deal of control over creating, finding, renaming, and deleting files. This tip focuses on this ...

Discover More

Do More in Less Time! Are you ready to harness the full power of Word 2013 to create professional documents? In this comprehensive guide you'll learn the skills and techniques for efficiently building the documents you need for your professional and your personal life. Check out Word 2013 In Depth today!

More WordTips (menu)

Compound List Formatting

Word can help you do quite a bit of complex formatting to your lists, both bulleted and numbered. Using the steps ...

Discover More

Making All Lines in a Paragraph the Same Height

If the line spacing in a paragraph appears uneven it may result of the combination of a larger character or object pasted ...

Discover More

Preventing Straggling Heads

Undoubtedly you will want to format your document so that headings stay with the paragraph that follows the heading. ...

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 five less than 6?

2015-08-24 13:36:11

David T

Many thanks - downloaded a template to save time and ran into this problem


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.