Color Palette change in Word 2003

T

Tony Jollans

Word doesn't have a colour palette. What are you trying to change amd/or
where are you trying to use one or think you see one?
 
G

Guest

Hello.

A way to access (and understand) where the palette is would be by creating a
box (drawing tool must be open) and clicking to choose a color. The entire
palette will show if you click to choose a fill color.

Do you understand what I'm seeking to change?

Thank you.
 
T

Tony Jollans

I don't believe there is any way to change the colours that are initially
shown but you can always select More Fill Colors to get any colour you want.
 
G

Guest

Bummer. I thought that was the case although you can change the palette in
both PPT and Excel.

Maybe you wouldn't mind telling Microsoft to add that ability so that people
can reach up to the colors they want without using styles.

I appreciate your response.
Thank you.
 
T

Tony Jollans

Yes, but in Excel (pre-2007 anyway) you don't have access to more than a
56-colour palette in any one workbook, whereas in Word (post-2000) you have
16 million colours all available at once. I think Powerpoint may be
different again - but don't quote me on that.

--
Enjoy,
Tony

Bettina said:
Bummer. I thought that was the case although you can change the palette in
both PPT and Excel.

Maybe you wouldn't mind telling Microsoft to add that ability so that
people
can reach up to the colors they want without using styles.

I appreciate your response.
Thank you.
 
G

Guest

Hi.

How would a user know that they have more access to colors in word versus
excel.

To me, the palettes look the same (something like 5 shades of 8 different
colors) to choose from.

If you don't mind, please explain.
Thanks.
 
T

Tony Jollans

My apologies - I just checked in Excel (2003) and colours in drawings work
the same way as in Word (PowerPoint is slightly - but only slightly -
different because of themes). The limit to 56 colours - and the changeable
palette - is in a worksheet itself, not in a drawing (superimposed on a
worksheet).

So it seems we are not talking about exactly the same thing so could you
give precise detail of what you are doing and the differences you are seeing
in Word and in Excel.
 
G

Guest

Sure. Thank you for responding Tony.

In excel, under tools, options, color, you can literally change the existing
palette colors. This is the same palette that appears in word. Standard
colors: 5 in each column, 8 rows across.

My question is: why can't I do the same in word?

Please let me know if you need any more info.
Thanks again.
 
T

Tony Jollans

Very interesting - I had not realised that.

Excel workbooks (up to and including Excel 2003) have a palette of 56
colours that can be used in the workbook. They have defaults but they can be
changed to any 56 colours you want - but a maximum of 56 different colours
can be used in any single workbook.

Drawings in Excel have a basic palette of 40 colours which defaults to the
first 40 of the 56-colour workbook palette. If you use one of the palette
colours in a drawing it retains a link to the workbook palette and the
colours in the drawing will change to reflect colours in the palette if the
palette is changed. You have the option, however, to use any one of the full
range of 16 million colours and if you do so, the link to the palette will
be broken and the absolute colour will remain with the shape regardless of
workbook palette changes.

Word documents (Word 2000 and later) can use all 16 million different
colours in a single document and do not have a palette.

Drawings in Word have a basic palette of 40 colours just as Excel drawings
do. The default palette is the same as the default Excel palette but there
is no mechanism to change it or to attach it to a document palette because
there is no such thing as a document palette. Whatever colours are used,
whether directly from the drawing palette or from the full range of colours,
they will act as those in Excel which are not attached to the workbook
palette do.

Powerpoint drawings (up to and including Powerpoint 2003) do not have a
colour palette in the same way - the default colours available are related
to the presentation colour scheme and will change if the colour scheme is
changed, but you have the same option as in Word or Excel to explicitly use
any of the full range of 16 million colours if you want to.

Stating the bare facts more plainly:
* Excel has a workbook palette you can change
* Drawings in Excel default to using the workbook palette
* Word is not restricted to a palette
* Drawings in Word default to a fixed built-in palette
* Powerpoint has colour schemes which you can select
* Drawings in Powerpoint do not have a palette
* Drawings in all applications can use the full range of 16M colours

So the answer to your original question (which you suspected anyway) is that
you can't change the palette in Word.

Just so that you know, drawings in all three applications behave
differently, with regard to colour, in Office 2007 with the introduction of
Themes.
 

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