OFF97: Embedded Bitmaps May Appear Fuzzy When Scaled (255552)

SYMPTOMS

When you import a raster graphic, (*.jpg, *.gif, etc.), also known as a bitmapped graphic, into Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, or Microsoft Excel, and you scale the graphic to a size other than 100 percent, the graphic becomes fuzzy, indistinct, or blurry in appearance.

CAUSE

Microsoft Office 97 has the ability to smooth the appearance of a raster graphic, giving it a cleaner look, without the so-called "jaggies". However, this ability cannot be turned off. All Office programs do this every time.

This smoothing does not occur with bitmap graphics that are part of a metafile format image, such as a Windows Metafile (WMF) or a Computer Graphics Metafile (CGM). This is because the bitmapped image is in a special layer of the metafile image, which prevents the Office drawing layer from smoothing it.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, you must create a metafile image. To do this, follow these steps:

Click the image that you do not want to be smoothed.
On the Edit menu, click Cut.
On the Edit menu, click Paste Special.
In the Paste Special dialog box, do one of the following:
- For Word 97: Click Picture (Enhanced Metafile).
- For Excel 97: Click Picture (Enhanced Metafile).
- For PowerPoint 97: Click either Picture (Enhanced Metafile) or Picture.
Click OK.