WD2002: Excel Worksheet Object with Color Text Is Printed Black (331492)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Excel 2002 Service Pack 1 (SP-1)
  • Microsoft Excel 2002 Service Pack 2 (SP-2)
  • Microsoft Word 2002 Service Pack 1 (SP-1)
  • Microsoft Word 2002 Service Pack 2 (SP-2)
This article was previously published under Q331492

SYMPTOMS

When you copy text that has been formatted to a color other than black from a Microsoft Excel 2002 document, and then paste the text into a Microsoft Word document as an Excel Worksheet object, the text prints as black. This problem also occurs if you insert a worksheet into a Word document through the Insert menu as an object, and then print the resulting Word document.

RESOLUTION

Service Pack Information

This problem is corrected in Office XP Service Pack 3.To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Microsoft Office XP. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

307841 How to obtain the latest Office XP Service Pack

Hotfix Information

A supported fix is now available from Microsoft, but it is only intended to correct the problem described in this article. Only apply it to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This fix may receive additional testing to further ensure product quality. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, Microsoft recommends that you wait for the next Microsoft Office XP service pack that contains this hotfix.

To resolve this problem immediately, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the fix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services phone numbers and information about support costs, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;EN-US;CNTACTMS

Note In special cases, charges that are ordinarily incurred for support calls may be canceled if a Microsoft Support Professional determines that a specific update will resolve your problem. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for the specific update in question.

The English version of this fix should have the following file attributes or later: 
   Date           Time  Version    Size       File name     
   -------------------------------------------------------
   21-Feb-2003   20:57             5,681,184  Winword.msp
   21-Feb-2003   21:40             6,637,612  Winwordff.msp
After the hotfix is installed, the English version of this fix will have the file attributes (or later) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in coordinated universal time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel. 
   Date           Time  Version    Size       File name     
   -------------------------------------------------------
   21-Feb-2003  01:20  10.0.5018.0    10,603,080  Winword.exe
Note This fix does not resolve the issue of the text printing in black instead of printing in the text color that it was formatted to. This fix only fixes the appearance of the text color as it appears in the document.

This fix is a post-Office XP Service Pack 2 (SP-2) fix. To install the fix, you must have Office XP SP-2 installed. For additional information about Office XP SP-2, click the following article number to see the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

325671 OFFXP: Overview of the Office XP Service Pack 2

Additionally, you may have to install Windows Installer 2.0 to install this fix. For additional information about the Windows Installer requirement for post-Office XP SP-2 fixes, click the following article number to see the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

330537 OFFXP: Office XP Updates and Patches Released After September 2002 May Require Windows Installer 2.0


WORKAROUND

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

Method 1: Set Your Color Printer as Your Default Printer

For Microsoft Windows 98 or Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me)

Make your color printer the default printer before you start Word. To do so, follow these steps:
  1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Printers.
  2. Right-click your installed color printer, and then click Set as default printer.

    Note A check mark appears on your printer icon when your printer is set as the default printer.
  3. Close the Printers dialog box.

For Microsoft Windows XP

  1. Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Printers and Faxes.
  2. Right-click your installed color printer, and then click Set as default printer.

    Note A check mark appears on your printer icon when your printer is set as the default printer.
  3. Close the Printers and Faxes window.

Method 2: Paste the Excel Worksheet Object as Formatted Text (RTF)

Paste your Excel Worksheet object as Formatted Text (RTF). To do so, follow these steps:

Note These steps assume that you are working with a Word document that has an Excel Worksheet object already inserted in the document.
  1. Click to select your Microsoft Excel Worksheet object.
  2. On the Edit menu, click Cut.
  3. On the Edit menu, click Paste Special.
  4. In the Paste Special dialog box, click to select Formatted Text (RTF), and then click OK.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was first corrected in Office XP Service Pack 3.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:4/7/2006
Keywords:kbQFE KBHotfixServer kbofficexppresp3fix kbbug kbfix KB331492
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