Power Tools for Technical Communication:
Importing and Positioning Graphics (Print Documents)


In this lab, you experiment with importing and positioning using any of the techniques discussed in Chapter 11 of Power Tools for Technical Communication:
  1. Start a document that you create in your preferred word-processing software.
  2. Follow the directions below for importing the graphic into that document.
  3. Follow the subsequent directions to experiment with the various ways you can position a graphic within a document.
  4. Each time you format the graphic in relation to the text in a different way, put your name, Importing and Positioning Graphics: Print, insert a brief note on the settings you used, and the date on the document, and print it out for your instructor.


  1. In the document you just created, copy, paste, and format the text in the following. Then copy and paste the graphic below that text:

When you are ready to brew your espresso, carefully follow these steps:
  1. Plug in the espresso machine.
  2. Pour a small amount of cold water (about 30 ml) into the water reservoir. Without inserting the filter basket, attach the filter holder to the machine. Place the carafe or cup under the filter holder, then turn the switch on. Let hot water flow for 20 seconds to pre-heat the brewing head, filter holder, and the carafe or cup.
  3. After all the water is used and all the pressure is released from the reservoir, turn the switch off.
  4. Place the filter basket into the filter holder.

  1. In the same document, move your cursor above the text and press the Enter key to force the text about half-way down the page. Depending on how the graphic is set up and which software application you use, different things may happen:

    • In Word, as you press Enter, the graphic will pop down and remain just below the text. If it does not, right-click the graphic, click Format Picture > Position and then check Move object with text. (These directions are for Word 97; the interface is considerably different in Word 2000, but the functions are the same.)
    • By default, Move object with text is probably checked, so uncheck it, and see what happens when you press Enter to move the text down. To get a good idea, size the graphic so that it take only about half the page space.
    • With Move object with text unchecked, click Format Picture > Wrapping and experiment with None, Top & Bottom, and Through. Make sure you understand the different effect created by each of these three settings.
    • One last area to experiment with is positioning graphics on a page. Right-click the graphic and click Format Picture > Position. Notice that you can lock a graphic into a position on a page: for example, enter 3 (inches) in the Vertical field and select Page in From: field, and then click the Lock anchor box. No matter how much you press Enter, the graphic will stay 3 inches from the top of the page. Experiment with different setting here too: try the Margin, Column, and Paragraph settings to see what their effect is.

Information and programs provided by hcexres@io.com.