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J
Joshua24495573e5k8
Participant
May 17, 2022
Question

excel shapes

  • May 17, 2022
  • 4 replies
  • 319 views

Hi guys, I'm trying to export a gantt chart from excel to indesign and it works great except that I have excel shapes (circles and lines) that don't want to export over along with the chart even when I check 'include inline graphics'. Is there any workaround to this?

 

Thanks,

 

Josh 

This topic has been closed for replies.

4 replies

Robert at ID-Tasker
Robert at ID-Tasker
Legend
September 23, 2023

Mentioned already PDF way is mych better than doing screenshots.

 

Willi Adelberger
Community Expert
Willi AdelbergerCommunity Expert
Community Expert
May 18, 2022

When you want to get some graphics from Excel to InDesign I would recommend the following steps:

  1. In Excel change the font to something else than Cambria or Calibri as those fonts cause problems in further steps. If you are unsure, use Myriad Pro or Minion Pro. Those fonts do not cause any harm and are available with all computers where Adobe Apps are installed. You can change them later in Illustrator.
  2. Remove all 3d effects and shadings in Exel. If they are used you get a rasterized image with low qualiity.
  3. Copy in Excel.
  4. Paste in Illustrator, make all shading and 3d how you like it.
  5. Save as AI.
  6. In InDesign place this AI file.
    Dave Creamer of IDEAS
    Community Expert
    Dave Creamer of IDEASCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    May 18, 2022

    Depending on output method, I would modify @Willi Adelberger info a little...

    Rather than copy into Illustrator, I would:

    1. move the chart to its own sheet.
    2. PDF the chart and name appropriately
    3. If the data updates, re-PDF the chart and replace the old PDF.
    4. Update link in InDesign.

     

    If you are distributing the InDesign PDF, the RGB colors, including black won't be an issue. If you are commercially printing the PDF, Acrobat Pro can convert the RGB black to 100K (among other color fixes).

     

    David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)
      BobLevine
      Community Expert
      BobLevineCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      May 18, 2022

      We need screenshots to know what you're talking about as well as answering James' questions. BTW, for the simplest of charts from Excel I've found copy/paste to yield very good results.

        James Gifford—NitroPress
        James Gifford—NitroPress
        Legend
        May 17, 2022

        What process are you using to get the Excel material to ID?

         

        Unless you need a live link — which is always a bit of a PITA — print/export to PDF and place that in ID is going to be  much more reliable, especially with oddities like Office shapes etc. I'm not sure the place/import supports the MS 'art' features; from Excel, it's looking for something it can turn into a table.

         

        —

          J
          Joshua24495573e5k8Author
          Participant
          May 18, 2022

          Hey James, thanks for the quick response. Yes, I was attempting to do a PITA live link, as the excel sheet is quite complicated and large, so wanted to see if I could set it up so I would only have to renew the link once each time instead of relinking multiple pdfs. However, yes, there are lots of ms shapes in it so probably the best course of action is probably to just do the latter. Thanks for the advice!

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