Large EPS graphics take longer than you expect to import in Publisher 2003

When you insert a large graphic in the Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) file format in a publication in Microsoft Office Publisher 2003, that graphic may take longer than you expect to import. During this time, you may experience one or more of the following symptoms:

• The Insert Picture dialog box remains on the screen.
• The progress bar remains on the screen without moving.
• The Publisher window title bar may change to read: “Publication Name – Microsoft Publisher – Print Publication (Not Responding)”.

When you insert an EPS graphic into a publication, the EPS graphic import filter parses the EPS file to create a preview image. This preview image is what you see on the screen and prints if you print the publication to a non-PostScript printer.

Most large EPS files are large because they contain raster (pixel-based) data. EPS files from Adobe Photoshop, EPS files that contain embedded Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) images, and EPS files that contain vector shapes with special effects (such as blurs and drop shadows) all contain raster data.

It can take the EPS graphic filter a long time to parse the raster-based data in a large EPS file.

To work around this problem, use one of the following methods.

Method 1: Wait Until the Image Imports

The EPS file will import eventually, even if Publisher behaves as if it has stopped responding.

Method 2: Convert the File to a Different Format

Open the EPS file in a drawing or in a photo editing program and save it in a different format. To do this, use a drawing or photo editing program and then convert the EPS into one of the following formats:

• TIFF: If the file does not contain spot colors or clipping paths, you can convert the file to a TIFF file.
• EMF: If the file contains clipping paths but not spot colors, you can convert the file to an Enhanced Windows Metafile (EMF) file. Although the EMF format is Red-Green-Blue (RGB), Publisher can separate RGB graphics.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

Earlier versions of Publisher cannot import an EPS file that is larger than 16 megabytes (MB). This limit has been removed for Publisher 2003, but large EPS files can take a long time to import.