EMF to Word to PDF does not work?

Office 2007 uses a new graphic engine for handling pictures and we've seen complaints when images were placed and scaled down (which is the opposite of what should happen, scaling down typically improves image quality). I would recommend doing a test using EPS as the file format, instead of EMF. EPS is a standard for the print industry and should maintain the vectors (although it uses a TIFF preview in Word). The preview may look rough, but should print and PDF clearly.

Microsoft has a tech note that may help resolve the issue:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2002066

Quote from the article:

"This issue occurs because PowerPoint, Excel, and Word perform a basic compression of images on save."

"It is not possible to recover pictures that have already been compressed."
"For future saves, compression can be disabled on a per-file basis using the following steps:"

1. Click the Office Button, and then click Save As.
2. Click Tools, and then click Compress Pictures.
3. Click Options.
4. Click to clear the Automatically perform basic compression on save check box.
5. Click OK.
6. In the Compress Pictures dialog box, click Cancel.
Note: Clicking OK on this dialog will not prevent the issue from occurring.

"You can also modify the following registry setting to prevent basic compression from occurring by default."

The problem is not with blurring (compression). The problem is the Acrobat randomly moves pieces of the graphic around. A circle might be deleted or in a different location!
I am well aware of EPS file format, but previously EPS images could not be inserted in Word. I am glad to hear that is okay and that might be great solution for AI graphics, but for those graphics created in Visio, they cannot be saved as EPS (at least I do not see it in my version right now). So I am willing to try to the steps above, but I think unlikely to resolve the issue I am talking about (where graphics are deconstructed when converted to PDF).
BTW, the issue does NOT occur when you Print to PDF--it only occurs when you CREATE a PDF. We have to use CREATE PDF because Print to PDF does keep our links. So perhaps that is another clue, what is different that might cause graphics to deconstruct using CREATE PDF, but not PRINT PDF?

I meant to say that Print to PDF does NOT keep our links.

Although this isn't typically the way I recommend inserting images, I have seen some users have luck with "Paste Special" on EMF images. Can you give that a try for importing?

We can try altho other forums indicated that this did not work for some other issue.

OK, "paste special" does not really apply to our methodology. Our normal MO is to create images, save them in the required format on a network and then "insert" into Word, Robohelp, etc. I think this is a pretty standard procedure.
EPS does have a quality result, but as I said, Visio 2003 does not save images as EPS. For engineering documentation, Visio diagrams are a staple and we cannot turn to Illustrator for everything. We use AI for things like large format signs, logos, not engineering diagrams usually.
Another note: We do create Visio diagrams with layers that we turn on and off when saving images for various projects (for example, one layer might have part numbers which might be needed for some documents but are just clutter for other documents and that layer is turned off and another EMF/GIF version is saved). However, the randomly moved or missing objects may be from a layer where other objects remained just fine.

On behalf of Adobe's print group (and extending the discussion to Office 2010 as well) ...

We most strongly recommend against any use of EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) for graphics – text, vector, raster imagery, or any combination of same – with any recent vintage Microsoft Office products!

Why?

(1) Occasionally, Microsoft's graphic import filter attempts to actually convert the inserted EPS into EMF internally, losing the high quality PostScript commands in the EPS file.

(2) The only situation in which the PostScript commands may be passed through to the output stream is when printing to a PostScript driver recognized by Microsoft Office. If (1) above occurs, this won't happen under any circumstance.

(3) For display purposes while in the Microsoft applications, the EPS import filter uses either the TIFF/WMF preview or attempts to generate its own proxy via crude internal conversion to EMF, often failing in that attempt. All such proxies are rectangular with a white background. And if you are trying to use PowerPoint natively for a slide show, for example, the screen proxy image just won't hack it!

(4) For non-PostScript printing, at best you will get a crude conversion from PostScript to EMF for the output with the same issues as in (3) above.

(5) If you create PDF via Acrobat's PDFMaker capability (“save as Adobe PDF”), the preferred method of PDF creation from Microsoft Office applications (or even via Microsoft's own somewhat dodgy “save as PDF” facilty) which preserves live transparency effects, the EPS is ruined per (3) above.

(6) Of course, you can still create PDF from Microsoft Office applications via distillation of PostScript (printing to the AdobePDF PostScript printer driver instance), but (a) you lose live transparency, often ending up with very nasty flattening artifacts and (b) you still might find some situations in which the PostScript is “converted” and ruined per (3) above.

Bottom line is that for graphics in a Microsoft Office environment, you pretty much need to stick with WMF and EMF for vector graphics and TIFF, JPEG, and PNG for raster image graphics. (See thread at for further discussion of fixups available for Office problems with raster graphics!)If you really need to use graphic arts, high quality graphics including PDF (preferred), PSD, and/or EPS (legacy) file formats or features such as CMYK and/or spot colors, you really need to migrate to software that can handle such content; no Microsoft applications fit into that category (including Microsoft Publisher!).

- Dov

Dov, did you read the initial problem? The problem is that there is a problem with EMF graphics when I convert the Word doc to PDF. If you have any suggestions that might work to keep the EMF graphic from deconstructing that would be helpful. The other formats do not convert to PDF as clearly. Here let me re-state the problem:
Here is what we do NOW:
On WIN7 PC
Create EMF (using either AI CS3 or Visio 2003)
Insert EMF into Word 2007 Doc (using the INSERT menu)
PDF the entire document using CREATE PDF in Acrobat PRO X.
RESULT:
In the new SW, random things happen to the EMF graphic (which looks fine in Word on screen and printed) in the final PDF: Pieces of graphics are split up or disappear.

Here is what worked previously:
On WINXP PC:
Create EMF (using either AI CS3 or Visio 2003)
Insert EMF into Word 2003 Doc (using the INSERT menu)
PDF the entire document using CREATE PDF in Acrobat PRO 9

Also, in case you did not read other parts of the post, note that the EMF does not deconstruct if we use PRINT to PDF, only when we use CREATE PDF. However, that is not a viable option because PRINT to PDF does not create the links we need in the document.

Kathy, my response was strictly about the speculation that EPS would solve problems associated with graphics in Microsoft Office applications.

In terms of what happens with the Acrobat's Office PDF creation capability and EMF files, I honestly have not seen such a problem to date, but on behalf of Adobe, would like to investigate it further for you if you can provide files for me. Could you e-mail me a sample document with the placed EMF graphic as well as the EMF file itself and if that EMF file was generated from Adobe Illustrator, the original Adobe Illustrator file.Thanks!

- Dov

Dov,
I would appreciate your insight, perhaps there is some check box we need to check/uncheck that we are not aware of (that would be a great answer!).
I can send you abridged versions but I am trying to figure out how to do so from here as I cannot seem to get your actual email address?
thanks,
kb

Send to isaacs [at] adobe [dot] com.- Dov

I am sorry but what? .-Dov? I am looking for an email address (e.g., disaacs [at] adobe [dot] com) so that I can send from Outlook with attachments, or a means to post said attachments here, but I do not see means to do either?

sorry about that, but for some reason, your email address did not fully appear? I see it there now tho upon reopening.

Kathy,

Let me apologize for suggesting EPS as a potential fix. I was going on feedback from other users and was clearly mistaken.

Please let me know if you find a format that will keep the Vectors and not drop portions of the EMF image. I realize you use Insert to place your images, but in researching this problem, I did find a few users who copied from Visio and used Paste Special to resolve quality & print issues (with PDFMaker, they did not have the issues with Print to Adobe PDF Printer). I don't currently have your version of Visio on my machine to test, so I wasn't able to replicate the problem.

Dov is one of our (if not THE) technical heavy hitters, so I'm confident he'll find you a solution or hunt down the person who can :)

No one seems to be able to remedy this problem which, for us, is a big one. We need to trust that large docs with many images will convert seamlessly as they did in the past. I have seen several posts on many websites about this dating back at least 3 years and no satisfactory answers.

Has anyone on this thread submitted a bug report:
https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=wishform

This is the most reliable way to identify and fix issues like this.

nrparents,

Did you try the Paste Special suggestion?