Any Microsoft Word experts around?

[Aparecium]

Is there a way I can create a Word template where any picture I paste in will automatically be formatted to particular parameters? Height, position on page, text wrapping, and distance from surrounding text.

Urgh, I don’t think so, no.
Images in word are a nightmare. I can’t think of any way to do this, sorry.

I can tell you I’ll be thinking of this constantly now, so will come back if I think of a way. Hope someone else chips in soon.

If it’s the same format each time, you could make a table with invisible borders and insert a picture into one of the table boxes ?

Could you use a picture placeholder?

Yeah you could use an invisible text box and then maybe you can “fit to size”

Would Publisher do it?

Tables? Probably worth a try. Though I find that pictures in tables randomly go wrong. I don't know why.

?

I’ve not done it recently but this might help.

Depending on how long the document is likely to be, I would consider using PowerPoint and formatting the page size to A4.

If you can get it right with one picture then you can right click and choose 'change picture ' and whatever you put in will be the same size and shape as the original one.

Publisher would do it - I switched to using Publisher for a book I’m currently writing as Word was being an arse.

I’m going to have a play later to see if I can work this out, because it will help me in future, plus I have used Word since it was invented, so this puzzle has got under my skin!

How about using a batch image processor to resize all the images so they are the same size first.

Then perhaps you can use the same word template for them?

OK @Aparecium I think I've got something!

It's called a Quick Part and it's not perfect, but may help - you would need to change picture for each incidence in your document, for example.

So, Insert your image, do the formatting, wrap, layout as you want it. Make sure to select 'Fix Position on Page' and deselect 'Move Object with Text'.

Once it's all where it should be, select the image, and go to the Insert menu bar.
Click 'Save Selection to Quick Part Gallery'

Give it a name. Choose which template it will apply to - important if you want this to be usable everywhere.

Now, this is where I haven't quite worked it all out fully, as there are options called Insert Content Only, Insert Content in Own Paragraph, or on a New Page.

I can't see the difference between 'content only' and 'paragraph'. Perhaps only relevant for text.

Anyway, whenever you want the image on your page, go to Insert, Quick Part, and the new ones are at the top.

If you need to edit the insertion style, it's Insert, Quick Parts, Building Block Organiser.

Personally, I would make several Quick Parts if you want more than one image on a page, because it does literally overlay the original. It's retained every single piece of formatting.

Thank you for the project! Even if it's not helpful to you, it's given me something new to learn.

I'm going to have a play with all these ideas.

I am creating a house style for a set of reports. Most of the images and text will vary between reports, though some things will be consistent. I can't do the replace picture trick, as the images are not always the same proportions. That's why I set one parameter, height, for consistency.

Would it work if you insert images/text in the header or footer and use that as a template document, similar to the letterhead template?