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University of Wyoming

Working with Clip Art in Word

Word provides an extensive set of clip art pictures for use in newsletters and document.  There are several ways to insert and format these pictures and move text around them.  A newsletter is used to illustrate how clip art is used.

Clip Art Pictures

Add a Picture

Text Alignment & Graphics

Clip Art Pictures

First, be sure the Drawing toolbar displays at the bottom of the Word window.  See Figure 1.  Click the image to enlarge it.

Figure 1. Word Window Click the image to enlarge it.
Figure 1.  Word Window
  1. Click View > Toolbars > Drawing.
  2. Type and format the newsletter.
  3. It can be helpful to display the paragraph marks while working with graphics.  Click the Show/Hide Show/Hide paragraph icon icon on the standard toolbar to display the marks.

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Add a Picture

  1. Press Enter to add a blank line where the picture is to be inserted.  Be sure the cursor is at that blank line.
  2. Click the Insert Clip Art Insert Clip Art icon icon on the Drawing toolbar.  The Insert Clip Art task pane displays.

Note:  An alternative method is to click Insert > Picture > Clip Art or Insert > Picture > From File.  Use the From File option when using a picture saved outside of the Clip Art Gallery.

  1. Type a word in the Search Text field describing the type of picture wanted.
  2. Click Search.
  3. Under Results, a small representation of each picture matching the description displays.  Scroll down to the desired picture.
  4. Click the picture, and it is added to the newsletter at the insertion point.  See Figure 2.  Click the image to enlarge it.
Figure 2. Insert Clip Art Click the image to enlarge it.
Figure 2.  Insert Clip Art
  1. Close the task pane by clicking the X in the upper right-hand corner.
  2. Click the picture so the sizing handles display.  Sizing handles are the black squares in the four corners and each side of the picture.
  3. Move the cursor over the lower right-hand sizing handle.
  4. Click and drag the picture to the desired size.  See Figure 3.  Click the image to enlarge it.
Figure 3. Sizing handles Clik the image to enlarge it.
Figure 3.  Sizing handles
  1. Click the Center icon Center icon on the Formatting toolbar to center the picture.  Be sure the picture is still selected.
  2. Click the Right Align icon Right-align icon on the Formatting toolbar to move the picture to the right-hand side of the column or document.
  3. Click anywhere in the document to deselect the picture.

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Text Alignment and Graphics

The default layout for graphics and text is for the picture to be in line with the text.  This means it is on the same line as the text.  Word provides several options to wrap text around the picture.  So, instead of moving the picture, the text is moved around the picture.  The following steps describe adding a picture in front of the first paragraph of the newsletter.

  1. Place the cursor in front of the first word of the first paragraph.  This is the picture's insertion point.
  2. Click the Insert Clip Art icon on the Drawing toolbar.  The Insert Clip Art task pane displays.
  3. Type a word in the Search Text field describing the type of picture desired.
  4. Click Search.
  5. Under Results, a small representation of each picture matching the description displays.  Scroll down to the desired picture.
  6. Click the picture.  It is added to the newsletter at the insertion point.
  7. Close the task pane by clicking the X in the upper right-hand corner.
  8. Click the picture to select it.  The Picture toolbar displays.  See Figure 4.  Click the image to enlarge it.
Figure 4. Picture toolbar Click the image to enlarge it.
Figure 4.  Picture toolbar
  1. Change the size of the picture by dragging the sizing handles.
  2. Click the Text Wrapping icon Text-wrapping icon on the Picture toolbar.
  3. Click Square.  This moves the text around the picture.  See Figure 5.  Click the image to enlarge it.
Figure 5. Square text wrapping Click the image to enlarge it.
Figure 5.  Square text wrapping
  1. The picture can be moved to the right-hand side of the column.  Click the picture to select it.
  2. Click and drag it to the right-hand side of the column.  The text moves to the left-hand side of the column.  See Figure 6.  Click the image to enlarge it.

Figure 6. Left-hand text wrapping Click the image to enlarge it.

Figure 6.  Left-hand text wrapping

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Updated 09/15/2006