How to Create Flowcharts in Excel Series -
Setting Page Margins when Exporting Flowcharts to Word or PowerPoint
By Nicholas Hebb
Mind your Margins
Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint don't have the same page sizes
By default Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word have different page margins. Both have 1" top and bottom margins, but Microsoft Excel has 0.75" left and right margins while Microsoft Word has 1.25" left and right margins. This gives Microsoft Word a 1" less page width. In short, flowcharts that fit on a single page in Excel may not fit on a single page in Word.
To ensure that you are working within Microsoft Word's page margins, change the margins in Microsoft Excel using File > Page Setup > Margins from the menu. This will only effect the current file. After changing the margins, select File > Print Preview from the menu, then close the preview screen. This will make the page break lines visible, providing you with boundaries to work within.
PowerPoint, on the other hand, not only has different page margins, but the page orientation is typically landscape. The largest slide frame size is 6.4" x 9", but you can enlarge that up to 7.5" x 10" and still have a reasonable margin.
Also, it's a good idea to give yourself a little bit of a buffer between the page breaks and the nearest shapes. The drawing canvases in Word and PowerPoint have small internal margins as well, so you should avoid trying to squeeze it too tight.
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Want more useful flowcharting tips? View the list of other flowchart, process map, and process improvement articles here.
About the Author
When he's not writing about flowcharts Nicholas Hebb runs BreezeTree Software, maker of FlowBreeze Flowchart Software - a program that cuts the time to create a flowchart dramatically compared to traditional flowcharting tools. What makes FlowBreeze different?
It converts your text into flowchart symbols based on the words you type, adds a connector from the last shape, and many other time saving features. And, because it's a Microsoft Excel graphics addin, you will create flow charts that are highly portable and integrate directly with Microsoft Office for easy sharing and collaboration.
Click here to view the On-Line FlowBreeze Flowchart Software Demo and see for yourself. (It's a short, 30 second video that loads fast.) You'll be impressed.
