Correct layout of large pictures / tables

Hello,

my question regards the correct layout of large picutres (or tables). I
am using Word v9.

Say I want to include a large picture into my Word document - the
picture's height is almost equal to the page height.
I want the picture to stay "close" to a certain paragraph, but the
picture needs not immediately follow that paragraph.


When I try to do so, I encounter the following troubles:

1) if I insert the picture as inline object, the page is wrapped before
the picture. So, the space between the insertion point and the end of
the page remains blank. Depending on where the insertion point is
situated on the page, in the worst case almost the whole page may remain
white paper... Inacceptable as good document formatting.

2) the other possibility is to insert the picture somehow as a floating
object, and anchor it to the paragraph. However, in this way I have not
found out how to accomplish what I want to do...


As this happens *every time* that somebody wants to insert a large
picture / table into a Word document and have it correctly formatted!
So, I suppose that some of you have got a solution on this.

Any help is appreciated!
Jens