Troubleshoot working with frames and pictures
Pictures
I can't see the background behind the picture
You might be trying to change the shading of a picture that was imported from another program. Publisher cannot do this.
You can, however, adjust the shape of the picture frame so that it wraps more tightly around the picture itself. This way you can see more of the objects beneath the picture.
How?
Do one or more of the following:
Switch from wrapping text around the picture frame to wrapping it around the picture's outline
- Select the picture frame.
- On the Picture toolbar, click Text Wrapping
.
- Click Square.
Change the shape of the picture's outline
- Select the picture frame.
- On the Arrange menu, click Text Wrapping
and make sure that the Square option is not selected.
- On the Arrange menu, click Edit Wrap Points
.
- If necessary, zoom in to see the adjust handles.
How?
Do one of the following:
- To zoom in or out, click Zoom In (+) or Zoom Out (-) next to the Zoom box.

- To switch between the current view and the actual size, press F9.
- To fill the workspace with only objects that you select, click the Zoom box, and then click Selected Objects.
- To fill the workspace with the width of your publication, click the Zoom box, and then click Page Width.
- To fill the workspace with the entire page, click the Zoom box, and then click Whole Page.
- Position the mouse pointer over the handle that you want to move until you see the Adjust pointer .
- Drag the pointer to change the outline of the picture.
Note The text in a table cannot be wrapped around a picture.
Change how tightly the text wraps around a picture
Try one of the following:
- Print the publication. The text wrap might appear tighter on the printed page.
- Reduce the font size.
- Enlarge the picture.
- Reduce the text box margins.
How?
- Right-click the text box.
- On the shortcut menu, click Format Text Box.
- In the Format Text Box dialog box, click the Text Box tab.
- Under Margins, enter the settings for the left, right, top and bottom margins.
My shape doesn't print
If you remove the border from a transparent shape, it won’t appear on the printed page. Add a pattern or color to make it visible again.
How?
You can use the Fill Color tool to add a fill to any picture except an animated GIF picture. Make these changes in an animated GIF editing program, and then insert the picture file again.
- Select the picture, AutoShape, text box, or WordArt you want to change.
- On the Drawing toolbar, click the arrow next to Fill Color
.
- Do one or more of the following:
Add or change a fill color
Do one of the following:
- To change the fill color back to its default, click Automatic.
- To change to a color in the color scheme, click one of the colors below Automatic.
- To change to a color that isn't in the color scheme, click More Fill Colors. On the Standard tab, click the color you want, or click the Custom tab to create your own color.
Add or change a gradient, patterned, textured, or picture fill
- Click Fill Effects, and then click the Gradient, Texture, Picture or Pattern tab.
- Select the options you want.
Remove a fill
Note You can also set the fill to match the background. On the Format menu, click Colors and Lines. Under Fill, click the Color box, and then click Background.
I tried to move a picture and other pictures moved with it
- The picture might be grouped. To ungroup the pictures, click Ungroup
in the bottom right corner of the frame.
- The picture might be on a Microsoft Drawing canvas. Click the picture. If the Drawing Canvas toolbar appears, the picture is on the canvas. You can drag the picture off the canvas and onto your page.
Text and pictures
My text moved when I added a picture
When you place a picture, WordArt, a table, a shape with shading, or another text box on top of a text box, the underlying text wraps around the object. To keep the text from moving, you can prevent the text from wrapping around an object.
How?
- Click the picture.
- On the Picture toolbar, point to Text Wrapping
, and then click None.
My picture is moving as I type
The Move picture with text option is on. To stop the picture from moving with the text, turn it off.
How?
- Right-click the object.
- On the shortcut menu, point to Format Item.
- In the dialog box, click the Layout tab.
- In the Object Position list, select Exact.
Text in a text box appears on top of my picture or WordArt, or in its margins
- The Wrap Text Around option in the Picture Frame Properties dialog box might be set to Picture Only. If so, change it to Entire Frame.
How?
- On the Formatting toolbar, click Wrap Text to Frame ("A" below).

- If a transparent text frame is on top of the picture or WordArt frame, remove the transparent formatting and send the text frame to the back.
How?
- Click the text frame to select it.
- On the Formatting toolbar, click Fill Color
.
- Click the color white.
- On the Arrange menu, click Send Backward repeatedly until the text wraps around the picture or WordArt frame.