Some examples

The following are examples of types of objects you might want to insert into a Word document.

Using a bitmap

To insert a photo or other pre-existing bitmap image, choose Insert | Picture | From File, and find the file you want. Right-clicking the picture will give you access to the "Format Picture" dialog, where you can control the layout; the "Picture" tab will let you make certain basic image adjustments, such as controlling brightness and contrast.

Taking a screenshot

Windows has a "secret" built-in screenshot capability built into it. You can "capture" the whole computer screen by pressing your "Print Screen" key; or capture the currently active window (generally more useful) by pressing "Alt-PrintScreen". You won't see anything happen, but in fact the image of the screen has been copied to the Windows clipboard. From here you can paste it into a Word document (using Ctrl-V) or into any image editing program; there you can view it and/or print it.

Shareware and commercial screen capture programs, with additional features (such as capturing an arbitrary rectangular or elliptical area), are also available. One is included free with CorelDraw.

Using a Visio drawing

Visio is a vector drawing program which is essentially similar to Word's drawing tools (which were in fact developed by the same company), but it is much richer and more flexible. Word's AutoShapes correspond to "stencils" in Visio - sets of shapes, some with some rather sophisticated behavior - and Visio has a much richer and more useful set of connectors. Visio also lets you create your own shapes and define their behavior. The following diagram was produced in Visio; the jagged lines, branching lines and stacked boxes and ellipses correspond to single Visio shapes which I modified and saved. These stencils could then be reused in a set of related diagrams. The shapes are all connected, so the parts move together.

You can paste a Visio drawing in such a way as to allow in-place editing (choose "Visio Drawing Object" from "Paste Special"), but it's much more efficient in terms of file size and memory to paste a Visio drawing as a "picture" (i.e. a metafile).

Using an Excel graph

Another type of graphic you might frequently find yourself including in a paper is a graph created in a spreadsheet or database program. Pasting a graph is just like pasting a graphic, except that if you embed it (i.e. paste it as an object) you also have access to the associated spreadsheet data without leaving Word. Just as with a vector graphic, however, it is more economical to use "Paste Special" to paste it as a "picture" (metafile).