Drawing Object Does Not Appear on the Page

• Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 6.0, 6.0a

SYMPTOMS

If you create a drawing object in Word for Windows, sometimes it does not appear on the screen or printed page. This may happens under the following circumstances:

• If you drag the drawing object off the page.
• if you change the page size or orientation so the drawing object position is no longer on the page.
• If you insert a drawing object well below the paragraph it is anchored to, and then insert paragraphs above the anchored paragraph.

WORKAROUND

From the Tools menu select Options and choose the View tab. Be sure that Show Object Anchors is checked. Draw a new drawing object (like a box) on the page that the object disappeared from. Select the new drawing object and press the TAB key. This will cycle Word through all of the drawing objects on the page. When Word has found the paragraph that the missing drawing object is anchored to, from the Format menu select Drawing Object. Choose the Size and Position tab and type 0" in the Vertical Position text box and select Paragraph from the From drop-down box and choose OK. The Drawing Object will return to the location of the anchored paragraph.

CAUSE

This behavior is a design feature of Word. You can use this functionality to position a drawing object at the edge of a page, with part of the object on the page and part of it off the page.

MORE INFORMATION

To select a drawing object that occurs off the page, modify the Page Setup settings so the object becomes visible, then select it.

You cannot use the Go To command on the Edit menu to select a drawing object that occurs off the page.

No error message appears to notify you that some objects are located outside the page boundaries.