Problem sizing charts and graphs

[J Newell]

I have several client generated presentations that include many pie
charts and bar graphs. I assume they were orginally generated in Excel.

I'm hired by clients to go in and pretty up their presentations and I
have a pretty good grasp of PowerPoint and have been using it for about
six years on a regular basis. I know how to go into a chart and change
fonts, sizes, colors, and data information but the following has me
stumped.

My problem:
When I want to work on a bar chart or pie graph (or any other chart
type) I'm limited by a bounding box within the chart program. This is
the frame that comes up when you double click on any chart in PPT. More
times than not, the chart itself is only taking up about 1/3 or 1/2 of
the frame area. I can't seem to ever resize so that the chart fills the
area...hence, the bounding box (frame) is considerably larger than the
actual chart. So much so, that resizing my charts sometimes requires me
to use a 25% slide view just so I can see the chart handles way out in
the slide margins. I believe this has been the case in every version of
PPT I've used. It's a confusing mess of overlapping charts when more
than one is used on a slide.

Also, even though I have Auto Scale selected in the font format window,
they don't seem to resize with the chart... (i.e., if I make the chart
smaller, the text stays the same size.)

One last thing, is it possible to adjust line space within a chart so
that a multi-line label looks asthetically pleasing?

Thank you.
Jodi- WinXP - PPT 2002

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

It's an ugly problem indeed. It might help to select the Plot Area and resize
that to match the overall chart area. Usually you can select the Plot Area by
clicking a bit to the left of the vertical axis. Or you can choose Plot Area
from the list box on the Chart toolbar that appears when you activate the
chart.

I have several client generated presentations that include many pie charts
and bar graphs. I assume they were orginally generated in Excel.
I'm hired
by clients to go in and pretty up their presentations and I have a pretty
good grasp of PowerPoint and have been using it for about six years on a
regular basis. I know how to go into a chart and change fonts, sizes,
colors, and data information but the following has me stumped.
My problem:

When I want to work on a bar chart or pie graph (or any other chart type)
I'm limited by a bounding box within the chart program. This is the frame
that comes up when you double click on any chart in PPT. More times than
not, the chart itself is only taking up about 1/3 or 1/2 of the frame area.
I can't seem to ever resize so that the chart fills the area...hence, the
bounding box (frame) is considerably larger than the actual chart. So much
so, that resizing my charts sometimes requires me to use a 25% slide view
just so I can see the chart handles way out in the slide margins. I believe
this has been the case in every version of PPT I've used. It's a confusing
mess of overlapping charts when more than one is used on a slide.
Also,
even though I have Auto Scale selected in the font format window, they don't
seem to resize with the chart... (i.e., if I make the chart smaller, the
text stays the same size.)
One last thing, is it possible to adjust line
space within a chart so that a multi-line label looks asthetically pleasing?

Thank you.
Jodi- WinXP - PPT 2002

--
Steve Rindsberg, PPT MVP
PPT FAQ: www.pptfaq.com
PPTools: www.pptools.com
================================================
Featured Presenter, PowerPoint Live 2004
October 10-13, San Diego, CA www.PowerPointLive.com
================================================

 

[J Newell]

Steve,

Thank you for the great tip! I have been trying to resize the "chart area" and the
outside bounding box but never even knew about the Plot Area.

I think this will solve a lot of problems hopefully including some font issues
I've been dealing with. I can have two pie charts side by side that look like they
are physically the same size but when I go to match up the font sizes to look the
same, one will end up using 12pt Arial and the other 20pt Arial! I find that a bit
odd. Maybe that too has something to do with the Plot Area size. I've played with
Auto Scale thinking that is the culprit but doesn't seem to make a difference.

Now if I could only figure out how to reduce the spacing between text lines...

Jodi-

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

Thank you for the great tip! I have been trying to resize the "chart area" and the

outside bounding box but never even knew about the Plot Area.

Any time. Keep asking 'em, it's how we all learn.

I think this will solve a lot of problems hopefully including some font issues
I've been dealing with. I can have two pie charts side by side that look like they
are physically the same size but when I go to match up the font sizes to look the
same, one will end up using 12pt Arial and the other 20pt Arial! I find that a bit
odd. Maybe that too has something to do with the Plot Area size. I've played with
Auto Scale thinking that is the culprit but doesn't seem to make a difference.

This can happen very easily when the chart gets scaled. The font appears to get
bigger but within MSGraph's odd, slightly twisted little world, it's still the same
size as it was originally. Or it's grown to a larger point size but appears
smaller because the overall chart's been shrunk.

It's maddening, that much I can promise!

Now if I could only figure out how to reduce the spacing between text lines...

Which text lines? Maybe this'll be easier than fonts. I hope, I hope.

Jodi-

--
Steve Rindsberg, PPT MVP
PPT FAQ: www.pptfaq.com
PPTools: www.pptools.com
================================================
Featured Presenter, PowerPoint Live 2004
October 10-13, San Diego, CA www.PowerPointLive.com
================================================

 

[J Newell]

Jodi wrote: Now if I could only figure out how to reduce the spacing between text
lines...

Steve asked: Which text lines? Maybe this'll be easier than fonts. I hope, I hope.

Text lines in charts and graphs.

I have a pie chart for example and it says on one slice "Number of new applicants 20%".
It wraps so the text is on two or three lines but the kerning (the space between lines)
is too big...not pleasing to the eye. I'd like to be able to adjust the line spacing
like you can do in a PPT text block by going to Format>Line Spacing.

Jodi-

 

[Sonia]

You can't do it in the Chart application, but you can choose not to show Data Series Label, close the app. and then add text boxes of your own and position them over the chart wherever you like.
--

Sonia Coleman
Microsoft PowerPoint MVP Team
Autorun Software, Templates and Tutorials

Jodi wrote: Now if I could only figure out how to reduce the spacing between text lines...
Steve asked: Which text lines? Maybe this'll be easier than fonts. I hope, I hope.

Text lines in charts and graphs.

I have a pie chart for example and it says on one slice "Number of new applicants 20%". It wraps so the text is on two or three lines but the kerning (the space between lines) is too big...not pleasing to the eye. I'd like to be able to adjust the line spacing like you can do in a PPT text block by going to Format>Line Spacing.

Jodi-


Steve Rindsberg wrote:

Thank you for the great tip! I have been trying to resize the "chart area" and the
outside bounding box but never even knew about the Plot Area.

Any time. Keep asking 'em, it's how we all learn.

I think this will solve a lot of problems hopefully including some font issues
I've been dealing with. I can have two pie charts side by side that look like they
are physically the same size but when I go to match up the font sizes to look the
same, one will end up using 12pt Arial and the other 20pt Arial! I find that a bit
odd. Maybe that too has something to do with the Plot Area size. I've played with
Auto Scale thinking that is the culprit but doesn't seem to make a difference.

This can happen very easily when the chart gets scaled. The font appears to get
bigger but within MSGraph's odd, slightly twisted little world, it's still the same
size as it was originally. Or it's grown to a larger point size but appears
smaller because the overall chart's been shrunk.

It's maddening, that much I can promise!

Now if I could only figure out how to reduce the spacing between text lines...

Which text lines? Maybe this'll be easier than fonts. I hope, I hope.

Jodi-

Steve Rindsberg wrote:

--
Steve Rindsberg, PPT MVP
PPT FAQ: www.pptfaq.com
PPTools: www.pptools.com
================================================
Featured Presenter, PowerPoint Live 2004
October 10-13, San Diego, CA www.PowerPointLive.com
================================================

 

[J Newell]

That's what I was afraid of Sonia. I've been adding my own text up to
now but thought (hoped) that I could find a little simpler idea since I
often work on projects in excess of 2,000 slides. Not every slide of
course has charts and graphs but by about slide 500, I'm not feeling so
charitable.

Jodi-

You can't do it in the Chart application, but you can choose not to
show Data Series Label, close the app. and then add text boxes of your
own and position them over the chart wherever you like.
--

Sonia Coleman
Microsoft PowerPoint MVP Team
Autorun Software, Templates and Tutorials


wrote: Now if I
could only figure out how to reduce the spacing between text
lines...

Steve asked: Which text lines? Maybe this'll be easier than
fonts. I hope, I hope.

Text lines in charts and graphs.

I have a pie chart for example and it says on one slice
"Number of new applicants 20%". It wraps so the text is on
two or three lines but the kerning (the space between lines)
is too big...not pleasing to the eye. I'd like to be able to
adjust the line spacing like you can do in a PPT text block
by going to Format>Line Spacing.

Jodi-