Word isn't world's best desktop publishing software, but if you are careful, you can still get vector images into Word, and then make that document into a PDF.
What is a vector image?
Why do I need vector images in Word?
In my case, I'm making diagrams and graphs for scientific grant proposals written by university professors. So we need to stick with Microsoft Word (as compared to Adobe InDesign), because the document is mainly being prepared by Scientists (not graphic designers). And, vector images have a lot of benefits for this use case: Graphs and Diagrams always look best crisp, and because there is usually a hard page limit on these proposals, the PIs are cramming every last word in there, and there is a tendency to make the images as small as possible. I'm not condoning small fonts in figures, but IF you are going to do it, then at least a reader using a screen to view the PDF has the option of zooming in to still see the figure clearly. If it's pixel based, then the small text will just be unreadable no matter what.
Why do we have to use SVG format?
Word doesn't let you insert very many image formats. You could do EMF, but SVG is probably a better choice. In an ideal world, you could insert a PDF image, but for now we are stuck with SVGs. These limitations will probably only be an issue for advanced Adobe Illustrator users. Simple images work just fine!
The SVGs are being exported from Adobe InDesign thusly.
| Adobe Illustrator feature | Why it doesn't work well in SVGs for Word | Work-around solution |
| Gradients | Don't use at all! Even one gradient rasterizes the whole image. | You can 'expand' the gradient into an ombre of discrete colors. |
| Opacity Masks | Any image with an opacity mask will be pixelated. | Clipping masks work. |
| Drop shadow | A drop shadow will cause just that object to be pixelated. | Duplicate the vector object so that the main object can be a perfect vector object, and then the drop shadow behind it can be pixelated (but that's OK). |
| Different opacity for strokes and fills | I am normally a big user of the appearance panel in Adobe Illustrator. But using different opacity for a stroke and a fill won't work in an SVG for Word for PDF. | Duplicate the object and one object be the fill and a separate one be the stroke. The set the opacity of the objects as you want. |
| Transparency of a group | The group will show up as 100% Opacity, no matter what other value you tried to use. | Set individual objects as transparent instead of groups. |
| Text boxes with background color | If you use the direct-select method of changing the background color of a text box, it will show up clear in the SVG. | Using the appearance panel to add another fill and then using effects, convert to shape, rectangle does work. If your text box is a tat too small, this outline will be larger than your box, so watch out for that. |
| Area text with outilne | Using the SVG export settings described here, you will get an outline around the area text box in addition to the text it's self. | You could use point type instead of area type. But if you need to use area type: Temporarily outline all text (Type -> Create Outlines), then change the SVG export settings to Font: SVG. Export the SVG, and then (for the sake of your AI file) undo the outlining of your text. |
| Stroke not centered on the path | All strokes will be centered on the stroke in the SVG no matter what you have your settings set to in AI. | Either expand your strokes, or use careful clipping masks. |
The moral of the story is, check over your SVGs in Word carefully because they might be missing features that you saw in Illustrator. And if that happens, try simplifying the technical features of your AI file so that it will still work while staying vector.