I'm just starting out on my first project here. So far, I have wrestled with Word 2010 to create my document laid out exactly as I want it, and have stopped Word from automatically compressing the pictures down to 220dpi.
That is not compressing, that is just changing the resolution, but I was not aware that Word did that.
However, when I uploaded the .docx, the auto-conversion messed up the layout (not that surprising - Word seems keen to shift the pictures round itself at the slightest provocation).
In what way did it mess up? Often it is not the fault of the convert to PDF tool, but of how you have laid your book's file of pages out. How the text is formatted etc etc. and if you are using the 'right' fonts.
If I Save As->PDF in Word, the layout is perfect, but the file size goes from 70Mb down to about 5, so I guess the images are being resampled.
But it does not sound perfect ... resampled? from where? they should be emedded on your Word pages.
Can anyone recommend a way round this? Or perhaps a tool that will be able to convert from docx to pdf without losing image quality? I noticed in the Knowledge Base a couple of tools are mentioned, but they seem to convert print files, which I suspect would suffer from the same problem.
To be honest I think you need to look more closely at your docx file because if it does not look right after Lulu's tool has worked on it, then it is not right, and you changing it to a PDF will not fix it.
Alternatively, should I just put up with 220dpi? I see that 300 is thought to be ideal..
220 is not far removed from 300, but are they the exact size/shape of your pages or image frames? They should be. When creating the images are they Layered? They should be Merged.
Many thanks for taking the time to read this.
Not for replying to it? 
Hi Kevin.
Thanks for your reply.
I'm just starting out on my first project here. So far, I have wrestled with Word 2010 to create my document laid out exactly as I want it, and have stopped Word from automatically compressing the pictures down to 220dpi.
That is not compressing, that is just changing the resolution, but I was not aware that Word did that.
Yes, in Options->Advanced->Image Size and Quality, the default behaviour is to 'Compress' [sic] images, with a 'default target output' of 220dpi. The only dpi options are 220, 150 and 96.You can test it by opening a new document, inserting a large image and saving the document. Then open a 2nd new document, tick the 'Do not compress images in file' option and then insert the same image and save. Compare the file sizes, and you'll see the 2nd is a lot bigger.
However, when I uploaded the .docx, the auto-conversion messed up the layout (not that surprising - Word seems keen to shift the pictures round itself at the slightest provocation).
In what way did it mess up? Often it is not the fault of the convert to PDF tool, but of how you have laid your book's file of pages out. How the text is formatted etc etc. and if you are using the 'right' fonts.
On the very first page, the lines of text should have been centred, but weren't. This:
Became this:
(BTW, this is hopefully going to be a Birthday present for my Girlfriend. I'm not going to put it up for sale, hence the lame title and apparently boring subject material!!)
And then throughout the rest of the document, images weren't in the correct place, paragraphs spilled over onto the next page and so on. I used Calibri thoughout, which is Word 2010's default font, all my images were placed with text wrapped either 'Top and Bottom' or 'Square', and they all used one of Word's preset 'Picture Styles' to add a frame (which the converter lost, although I can live without them if neccesary).
Is there a 'safe' font, which is better than Calibri? It seems the initial layout change is that more lines of text fit on each page, which in turn might be what is causing the images to be in the wrong place.
If I Save As->PDF in Word, the layout is perfect, but the file size goes from 70Mb down to about 5, so I guess the images are being resampled.
But it does not sound perfect ... resampled? from where? they should be emedded on your Word pages.
Um, resampled, compressed, shrunk, not sure what the correct terminology is, but I'm sure Word is saving fewer pixels-worth of image in the pdf.
Can anyone recommend a way round this? Or perhaps a tool that will be able to convert from docx to pdf without losing image quality? I noticed in the Knowledge Base a couple of tools are mentioned, but they seem to convert print files, which I suspect would suffer from the same problem.
To be honest I think you need to look more closely at your docx file because if it does not look right after Lulu's tool has worked on it, then it is not right, and you changing it to a PDF will not fix it.
OK. This sort of links with one of the previous paragraphs, but is there anything in particular I should be looking for, or avoiding? The document looks exactly the way I want it to in Word, so I'm not sure what might need to be changed.
Of course, the problem might ultimately be that Word is (and always has been) a good word processor, but not really a DTP program..
Alternatively, should I just put up with 220dpi? I see that 300 is thought to be ideal..
220 is not far removed from 300, but are they the exact size/shape of your pages or image frames? They should be. When creating the images are they Layered? They should be Merged.
They are digital camera jpgs, without any post processing (bar some cropping in Word). They are inserted in amongst the text on the page (mainly).
Many thanks for taking the time to read this.
Not for replying to it?
Ahh, well that was just for those who took the time to read to the bottom of the post. Those who reply get a personal thanks!
Nick
OK this is getting long now!
Yes, in Options->Advanced->Image Size and Quality, the default behaviour is to 'Compress' [sic] images, with a 'default target output' of 220dpi. The only dpi options are 220, 150 and 96.
Ah yes, but if you do not select any of those options surely it does not change? Although, as I said 220 is not bad. What is means by Compress though I have no idea. That is not compressing!
In what way did it mess up? Often it is not the fault of the convert to PDF tool, but of how you have laid your book's file of pages out. How the text is formatted etc etc. and if you are using the 'right' fonts.
On the very first page, the lines of text should have been centred, but weren't. This:
Became this:
That may just mean you did not use a Carraige Return after Nick, Instead you just used a lot of spaces to create a new line.
And then throughout the rest of the document, images weren't in the correct place, paragraphs spilled over onto the next page and so on.
It sounds as if the image frames are being controlled by the paragraph defaults. Perhaps! Or you have the wrong Wordwrap set up. In fact your paragraph settings may not be correct, you may be using Return to create new pages, your image frames my not be locked to the text they belong to. So many things. Also mahe sure the images are embeded to the pages and not 'collected' on viewing.
I used Calibri thoughout, which is Word 2010's default font,
It Is?! I can't remember! Mine is now set to Garamond which looks fine and it also a Lulu 'default'.
all my images were placed with text wrapped either 'Top and Bottom' or 'Square', and they all used one of Word's preset 'Picture Styles' to add a frame (which the converter lost, although I can live without them if neccesary).
So the images are not all the same size then? That can complicate matters, as can an image splitting a paragraph. I think I would stick with Top & bottom with centralised pictures.
Is there a 'safe' font, which is better than Calibri?
Yes, see above. Lulu allow a few default texts that all look more or less the same and are good on the eye.
It seems the initial layout change is that more lines of text fit on each page, which in turn might be what is causing the images to be in the wrong place.
That would do it yes and try Page Breaks instead of returns to create new pages.
Um, resampled, compressed, shrunk, not sure what the correct terminology is, but I'm sure Word is saving fewer pixels-worth of image in the pdf.
Possibly! I don't use PDFs. But I do not see why it should do that. Just take into account that photos do not look as good in a book as they do in a Photobook. Different paper. Have you thought of useing the photobook tool?
OK. This sort of links with one of the previous paragraphs, but is there anything in particular I should be looking for, or avoiding? The document looks exactly the way I want it to in Word, so I'm not sure what might need to be changed.
It may look OK in Word but you may not have made it look OK in a way that Lulu's PDF convertor likes. See above.
Of course, the problem might ultimately be that Word is (and always has been) a good word processor, but not really a DTP program..
Well no, but you are not DTP you are just creating a file to turn in to a book via another tool, not a magazine etc
Alternatively, should I just put up with 220dpi? I see that 300 is thought to be ideal..
There is not a lot of difference, but turn off those 'compression' options if you want, but as I say, it may be the paper that makes the images not look like photos.
They are digital camera jpgs, without any post processing (bar some cropping in Word). They are inserted in amongst the text on the page (mainly).
Do not use cropping or anything else in word. It may still hold the original file anyway even if you cannot see it. Crop resize and reshape in some art/photo prog first.
