Why I can't up-size to maximum pasted images in Writer depending of Anchor type?

I can’t resize pasted images (directly pasting with Ctrl + v) freely depending on the anchor type of the pasted image.

  1. Anchor as Character: I can resize the image dragung from the corner with the mouse, but there is a limit in which I can’t continue to make it bigger.
  2. Anchor type to Character: The same image in 1 it is possible to resize it upto the maximum borders of the document.

Link to example Writer file

I’m using Libreoffice under Windows 10 and Ubuntu 24.04.2.

Version: 25.2.4.3 (X86_64) / LibreOffice Community
Build ID: 33e196637044ead23f5c3226cde09b47731f7e27
CPU threads: 8; OS: Windows 10 X86_64 (10.0 build 19045); UI render: Skia/Raster; VCL: win
Locale: it-IT (it_IT); UI: en-US
Calc: threaded

Anchoring As character makes your image a “character”, i.e. it is now manage by the text flow algorithm. Its horizontal size is capped by the remaining distance from the starting position to the right edge of the page. There is also a limit on the vertical size but it is not s easy to describe it.

If you change the anchor to To paragraph (or To character), you can increase a bit the size. When re-anchoring As character, the size does not change but now you image overflows on the right size and is clipped.

Usually it is not a good idea to manipulate images inside Writer (size, rotation, clipping, …) because this impacts performance (and stability!). It is much better to prepare your images in a dedicated graphics program so that Writer uses them “as is”.

Tell us what you want to achieve (the general usage of images in your document) so that we can suggest an alternate approach.

Thank you for your quick response.
I do understand what you are explaining me, but, I think that this shoudn’t explain the behaiviour I’m experiencing.
Returning to my example (see my attached Writer file), I can’t get wider the first image, even if there is more space available to make it wider. I can’t understand neither workaround this problem as, by default, my images have “as character” anchoring; I usually have several images, not just a few.

My personal general usage is as follows
I like to print ‘text and images’ from the web to read it aftwerwards, trying to use wisely the resourses (printer ink and paper).
I cut and paste what I want (choosing font type and size) from different sources to a Writer document, I edit the content there and then, I print it in my job/home printer.
Sometimes I manipulate image colours by an external image editor to save printer ink, but I always resize the images inside Writer because it is much faster and easy.
For me, it is very frustrating not been able to resize the images (inside Writer) as easy as I can do it in other application such as “Google Docs” (docs.google.com). I have been trying hard to find a better/easiesr/faster way to do it with Writer without success.
It is a pity to find myself frequently turning back to Google Docs because there I can’t do it simpler/faster. I also want to contribute to LibreOffice to make it better/easier-to-use.

Thank you very much
Hernan

Playing with your sample file through right-clicking on an image and Properties:

  • As character: maximum width is limited by available text area size, i.e. page width minus margins
    This seems logical as “characters” are rendered inside text area. The expansion limit is first reached on width; height is less critical considering the width/height ratio of the image.
  • To character: the image is now in a frame of its own and is no longer subject to text limitations; the criterion is now page limit
    The image can be resized to full A4 but not larger.

If your images are usually large images like those in the sample, As character anchor is not the best one as it does not offer all position possibilities. For such quasi-page-sized pictures, To paragraph anchor is better fit.

I notice your paragraph are Default Paragraph Style with a lot of direct formatting. This may be a quick’n’dirty sample file. But, if this is representative of your documents, it is faulty as you won’t benefit of all the comfort of styles. I recommend also you study frame styles as they will automate a lot positioning your images (and many other properties).

I found Not easy to resize those images in Google Docs. I found also more troubles.
Some considerations:

  • The proportions of the image are not exactly as a DinA4

If you want the image to cover all the page you must anchor it To Paragraph or To Character.
and change the Relative Size and Position to adjus to Entire page in the dialogbox of Image properties

Note that Position Left or Top relative to Entire Page is an “absolute” equivalent to your “relative” From left/top without the risk of offsetting “by accident” the frame.

Thank you [ajlittoz]
I’ll try to do as you suggest and remember it.

Hernan

Thank you [bantoniof]
I’ll try these settings too.

Hernan

It looks like bug tdf#132087

Workaround:

  1. Right click the image and select Properties > Crop
  2. Under Scale set Width and Height to 37% (or desired size). OK