Logos and Graphics into headers/footers

Location:   http://www.mvps.org/dmcritchie/excel/logoshd.htm
Home page: http://www.mvps.org/dmcritchie/excel/excel.htm
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Excel does not provide for including graphics directly into the headers and footers.  You have a couple of alternatives though.

Please note that Excel does not work the same as Word.  Word allows you to have a separate header for the first page, and subsequent even and odd pages.  You cannot do this in Excel.  In Excel if only the first page is to have Logos at the top utilizing Row 1, then you should start the repeated header with Row 2 (e.g. $2:$2).

Getting Started

You can use a font character   (#wingdings)

For headings and footings, you can use a font character and make it larger by selecting the font with the large A in file --> setup --> headers/footers.  I use webdings a lot which can be downloaded from http://www.microsoft.com/typography/fontpack/default.htm or you can use zapfdingbats, wingdings or various other fonts in your header or footer characters.  You can select a very large font, use superscript, or subscript to get more variation.  Fonts are available only in one color in headings and footings-- black.

There is much more flexibility in HEADINGS where you can incorporate your column headings rows as replacements for your header.

Test Logo
      If you want to simulate a logo you can make one right on your spreadsheet.
  • Create a cell with a colored background, and a font size of 36
  • Resize the cell by clicking on the gridlines between the column heading letters and the line between the row heading numbers.
  • With the cell still selected, create a picture using: Shift+Edit-->Copy Picture
    Note “Copy Picture” is not a normal item on the Edit menu, but by using Shift and Edit together you will get this additional choice.
  • Select a cell approximately where you want the logo.
  • Paste it    [Ctrl+V or Edit --> Paste]
  • You can resize it and move it to exactly where you want it.  It is generally independent of cell borders and cell sizes.
  • You can change this independence using Format --> Object --> Properties
  • If you have an object in front of or behind something and want to change that you can using: Format --> Preferences --> Move to Top/Bottom

If you have Excel 2007 then you have no Edit menu and to create a shape you have to do something like Copy the cell(s) with Ctrl+C then click on Home on the Ribbon, then on Paste (on the dropdown) choose Paste as Picture.  This was done to make it more "obvious" to users.

You can dedicate the first row(s) to your header   (#toprows)

Make first row available for logos

You can dedicate the first rows(s) of the spreadsheet to your header.

Modify the column heading rows

Column headers should be placed in Row 2 when the first row is reserved for logos.

Insert the logo onto the spreadsheet

You do not place a logo (bitmap), picture, graphic, or textbox into a cell though it may look like you have.  These objects can be moved independent of cell boundaries.  if an obscured object should be on top you can modify by selecting the object and then using Format --> Placement --  Bring to top/bottom

Insert your logo using:

Select a cell near where the logo is to be placed and then Insert --> Picture

Where you will see that you can insert such files as .BMP, .GIF, .TIF, .CGM, .EMF, .EPS, .HGF, HPGL, .JPG, .PIC, .DRW, .DXF, .WPG, .PCD, .PCX, .PNG, .CDR, .PCT, .TGA, .WMF

For more information see Help --> Index --> Graphic Filters --> Graphic file types Microsoft Excel can use

Inserting a logo (bitmap) is very similar to inserting a textbox.  Each can appear to be within a cell or extend over several cells.  In reality each can be moved around independent of cell boundaries and can be resized.  A textbox can obscure cells and is useful in effectiving blanking out cells and gridlines.  A bitmap can obscure both cells and textboxs.  It is frequently useful to have a textbox behind a bitmap when doing a logo.

Once you have placed a logo into the heading rows, you probably want to remove the headings that Excel provides by deleting them.
File --> Sheet --> Heading/Footing

Fitting Logo to a Cell   (#resize)

Size the cell to approximately the size of your image or

size the image to cell the while holding the Alt key to attach boundaries to exact cell boundaries for exact cell sizes.

Now right-click on the image and select   Format Picture --> Properties Tab --> Move and size with cells

Hiding gridlines with borders or white pattern fill Gridlines may be visible for viewing and printing.
Tools --> Options --> View --> Gridlines (also choose color)
File --> Page Setup --> Sheet --> Print: Gridlines
If you have a logo in your heading rows, you probably don't want to see gridlines around it so you may hide gridlines by filling the cell with white or using white borders
Format --> Cells --> Patterns --> Color: White
Format --> Cells --> Borders --> Color: White AND select outline or each boundary
Select White as the Pattern Fill.  Another choice is to create individual white borders around the cell. 

You can place a textbox between the cells and the logo.

You can alternatively not include gridlines and do the whole thing with borders but that is a pain in the neck not in doing it but in maintaining it.

Coloring etc.   (#color)

Since column headings are regular spreadsheet cell entries you may COLOR them add borders, use formulas, whatever.  You can further modify your column headings by increasing the height of the cell, and by aligning text at top or bottom of cell.

Print Preview

Use Print Preview before printing, of course.  It saves paper and it's faster than printing.  Be sure to check the second page, making sure that the logo is not truncated at the bottom.  If the logo is truncated, you need to make the heading row that includes the logo deeper.  Keep in mind that a logo is not part of the heading but lies on a row that part of the heading.  Only the parts of the logo that are within heading rows will appear with heading rows.  There will not be a problem with the first page, it will print as you see it regardless of what you choose for column heading rows.

Viewing (split frames, freeze panes)   (#viewing)

If you want to see the column headings while you scroll down the spreadsheet you can use Freeze Panes, or you can do something similar by using the SPLIT box.  You cannot use both methods at the same time.  You can convert a split screen to a freeze pane.  Both Split and Freeze also work to split vertically.

To use Freeze Panes, first select the row below the row(s) to be frozen.  Use unfreeze to remove.

Windows --> Freeze Panes
The split box (for vertical) is the small horizontal rectangle above the vertical scroll bar.  Grab it with the cursor and drag it down.  To remove move the split box back up above the scroll bar.

Alternatives when the above suggestion just won't work   (#alternatives)

  Preprinted letterheads would probably provide you with a cheaper solution than trying to get a font created so that you can print everything in one shot in Excel.  Certainly a preprinted letterhead would present the most professional appearance.

Print your letterheads on a separate run through the printer using MS Word or other software.

Actually if you can create your own font or have one created for you from your graphic you could then use the standard Header under setup and use the separate page margins available to you there.

Typography sites on the web allow you to create your own logo as a font character.

http://www.pyrus.com/
http://www.microsoft.com/truetype/content.htm
FontLab's Scanfont   http://www.fontlab.com/
CorelDraw evidently can create a TrueType font
http://www.high-logic.com/
http://www.fontlab.com/
http://groups.google.com/groups?oi=djq&ic=1&selm=an_357327503
It looks like you have viable alternatives to having a professional graphics designer creating a font with your logo, but you might check out this route especially if it is a one-time thing.
 

More on Bitmaps

The following has no relationship to headers and footers, but you may want to create an external bitmap (.BMP) file from something in Excel.

As a free solution, you can create a .gif file which can be used in HTML, MS Word among others.  You can paste the bitmap extracted from Excel to the clip board to MS Word then convert the MS Word document to HTML (Save As).  There will be a generated img00001.gif and higher numbers for additional bit maps converted.

You can use MS Paint (mspaint.exe)  select the rectangle with dotted lines and paste. When you use save as it will be a  .BMP  of the type you selected.

In MS Word check  Insert --> Object, see if you can paste into anything presented there, you may already have something you are familiar with.

Any package that edits bit maps will let you paste directly into them.  Those include PaintShop Pro, CoralDraw, HiJaak, PhotoShop.

You can create a bit map in the clipboard by selecting a chart a map etc.  But you can also place a range of cells as a bitmap into the clipboard using
      SHIFT+EDIT --> Copy Picture


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