WD2000: AutoShape with Line Pattern Is Printed Solid If It's Pasted as a Picture (211805)

SYMPTOMS

When you print a Microsoft Word AutoShape that contains a pattern fill of lines, as with the Light downward diagonal option, the AutoShape is printed as a solid color.

CAUSE

This problem occurs when you copy an AutoShape and then paste it as a picture.

The resolution for a picture object is less than that for an AutoShape. Therefore, Word prints it as a solid object without lines.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, use either of the following methods.

Method 1: Paste As an MS Office Drawing Object

To paste the object as an MS Office Drawing Object, follow these steps:

Right-click the AutoShape, click Copy, and then click Paste Special on the Edit menu.
Under As, click MS Office Drawing Object, and then click OK.

Method 2: Change the Printer Resolution

Set the printer resolution to 75 or 150 dots per inch (dpi); to do so, follow these steps:

On the File menu, click Print.
Click Properties, and then change the Resolution setting to either 75 or 150 dpi.

NOTE: This method may cause printing problems with other graphic images.

MORE INFORMATION

In Word, an object that is pasted as a picture or bitmap appears as a black-and-white image. Word sends its fill patterns to the printer as bitmaps (that is, patterns of dots or pixels). Because of this, the patterns are dependent on the printer resolution setting to determine the distance between the individual pixels in the pattern. With a low resolution, the patterns are recognizable. With a high resolution, the width of the lines and the spacing between each line are so narrow that the resulting pattern is printed as a smooth, solid gray color.