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I have plot figures generated using matplotlib saved as .EPS files. I want to inset these into MS Word Document. Unfortunately, MS Word only accepts EMF files as vector inputs, so I need to convert these files into .EMF format.

  • I used IrFanView to do this but the EMF produced was really blurry.
  • I have used https://cloudconvert.com/eps-to-emf and it gives me the perfect result. But this is a paid as well as online tool.
  • I also tried reaConvertor and this also gave me a very good output but is also a paid software.
  • I have also used Inskape but the EMF produced have the plotlines extending all along the width of the figure rather than just inside the axes, as is the case in the original EPS file.

Can anyone suggest a free alternative on Windows which can be used to converting EPS to EMF files correctly, such that they can be embedded in MS Word.

Suggestions for any other vector format in MS Word are also welcome.

Shubhanshu Mishra
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2 Answers2

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EPS may contain raster data as well as vector data. If you resize an eps, it may have to resample any raster data and this may lead to what you might describe as "blurry."

Note that if the blurry output is after export to PDF from Word, you might examine your resampling settings for export to ensure you are not downsampling to 72dpi (aka For Screen)

For good looking printed images, you want to make sure the density of any converted image is 300 pixels per printed inch. This means a 6 x 4 inch image should be 1800 x 1200 pixels.

As far as I know IrFanview uses Ghostscript (gpl) for reading eps. You can try GIMP which is open source (but may use the same plugin) or possibly try Imagemagick with something like: convert -density 300 "C:\testfile.eps" -resize 1800x1200 "C:\outputfile.foo ( http://www.imagemagick.org/script/command-line-options.php )

You can choose to export to a regular raster image, but if you know the size and placement already, there is no harm in committing to the print size. A PDF export of a Word document with default settings will wind up resampling high density images anyway.

For plots and line art, don't use JPG, use e.g. PNG or TIFF.

Yorik
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MS Word also accepts embedded vector drawings from MS Visio (for example, copying and pasting via clipboard), and MS Visio can open/convert SVG files. I guess SVG way should be better than EMF way. EMF is actually a binary low-level script for Windows GDI subsystem, which is quite old and must maintain its quirks for compatibility.

Mikhail Kupchik
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