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Subject:RE: Practical Limits of Files Size in MS Word From:Kim Roper <kim -dot- roper -at- vitana -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Thu, 25 Apr 2002 12:34:20 -0400
Keith Cronin offers a rule of thumb:
>
> In my opinion a "typical" Word user can work without too much fear on
> documents up to a couple hundred pages, and with file sizes
> up to 5 Mb,
> give or take a Mb or two. Beyond that, it gets challenging.
>
> Word is like Frame in that it takes some training and or
> study to get GOOD at using it.
>
A few notes and warnings about embedded objects:
-- Embedding objects can blow up your file size beyond belief. I'm talking
about anything other than Word files or vanilla-format pictures.
-- If someone hands you a file with very few pages and many, many megabytes,
with the idea that you can somehow impose sanity on this mess, look for
embedded objects. If you can't spot them on quick inspection, try this:
1) Save a copy of the file.
2) Open the copy and save it as an HTML file. Close the HTML file. (Don't
work from the original file; I've had things blow up in the process of
saving to HTML, corrupting the formatting of the original.)
3) In the same directory as the HTML file, there will be a directory with
the same name. Open it.
4) Look for two things:
* First, you need to check for a file called "oledata.mso". How big is it?
If it's more than a hundred KB, you've probably got an embedded object or
two. That "hundred KB" is a soft benchmark--once you save a few files to
HTML, you'll have a better idea of a reasonable size generated by your docs.
* Next, look at the sizes of graphics files. If you've got a huge source
image, resize it to something more appropriate for the document. This
exercise is left to the reader.
-- Okay, you've got embedded objects. Now what?
1) Isolate them, open the objects in their source applications and see if
you find a suitable graphics export format. Bear in mind that sometimes
embedding objects is preferable to inserting pictures of the same material.
Visio objects come to mind. Sometimes the image quality is far superior in
the native format, and sometimes you need to be able to edit the object on
the fly. That having been said, I strongly suggest checking out the source
application's graphics export filters before deciding to embed an object in
its native format.
2) Can't figure out where the embedded object is? This one happens to me
once in a while, too. Go back and check your embedded graphics, even the
little ones. Yeah, I know, you're absolutely sure you embedded GIFs and
JPEGs. Guess what? Word isn't always sure about it. Sometimes it embeds
the graphics as objects. Hilarity ensues. The easiest way to check for
this is to select a picture, then try to format its properties through the
Format menu (or right click). If "Picture" is an entry in the Format menu
(or "Format Picture" in the right-click shortcut menu), your picture is just
a picture. You might want to resize the original and reinsert it to reduce
the file size, but otherwise, you're fine. On the other hand, if you see
"Object" as an entry in the Format menu (or "Format Object" in the
right-click shortcut menu), your little graphic is masquerading as a much
bigger object. If you have the source graphic handy, delete the object and
insert the source graphic. Sanity is restored and you look like a genius.
If you don't have the source graphic handy, there are a few things you can
try, but that's another topic.
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