Callout text reversed on XLSX to PDF conversion

Aspose.Cells Product Family
1

Hello,
Please take a look at the attached archive. The xlsx file has normal callout text and it was reversed in pdf. We are not able to reproduce if we create new Thought Bubble: Cloud callout, but our customer is using Microsoft® Excel® for Microsoft 365 MSO (Version 2510 Build 16.0.19328.20190) 64-bit which we don’t have.
Tested with Aspose.Cells for .NET9 version 25.8.0.0
BadCalloutConversion.zip (410.7 KB)
Thank you,
Sergey

2

@sergtey.kogan

Summary
We could not locate any documentation or known issue in the Aspose.Cells for .NET release notes that specifically describes a reversal of Thought Bubble/Cloud callout text when converting an Excel workbook (created with Microsoft 365 Build 2510) to PDF.

Why it happens
The evidence available (Aspose.Cells documentation, error logs for unrelated components, and GroupDocs Annotation APIs) does not mention the <flipH>, <flipV> or transformation‑matrix attributes that could cause a horizontal flip of callout text. Consequently, we cannot confirm the exact root cause of the mirroring effect you are seeing.

What to do next

  1. Collect more diagnostic data – open the problematic .xlsx file with a zip tool, extract the drawing XML (e.g., xl/drawings/drawing1.xml), and look for any <flipH>, <flipV> or <a:off>/<a:ext> elements that differ from a newly created callout.
  2. Test with the latest Aspose.Cells version – even though the current release notes do not list this problem, newer builds often contain fixes for newer Office drawing schemas. Upgrade to the most recent NuGet package and re‑run the conversion.
  3. Create a minimal reproducible sample – if the issue persists, create a small workbook that contains only the problematic callout and share it with Aspose support. This helps the engineering team isolate whether the problem is due to a specific XML attribute or a bug in the rendering engine.
  4. Work‑around via shape properties – if you can load the workbook with Aspose.Cells, iterate through Worksheet.Shapes, identify the callout (Shape.Type == ShapeType.Callout), and explicitly set shape.FlipHorizontal = false and shape.FlipVertical = false before saving to PDF.
  5. Contact Aspose Support – provide the original workbook, the extracted drawing XML, the Aspose.Cells version (25.8.0.0), .NET runtime details, and any custom PdfSaveOptions you use. The support team can confirm whether this is a known limitation or a bug that needs a patch.

If you gather the XML snippet or a minimal file and share it, we can give a more precise recommendation.

Note: The current evidence does not contain a direct reference to the callout‑text‑reversal issue, so the above steps are based on general troubleshooting practices for shape rendering in Aspose.Cells.

SDK version unclear — refer to the official release notes before applying this guidance.

3

@sergtey.kogan,

Thanks for the template Excel file and details.

I reproduced the issue as you mentioned by converting your template XLSX file to PDF. I found Callout text is reversed in XLSX to PDF conversion.

Workbook workbook = new Workbook("e:\\test2\\1385145a-1e80-4305-84d0-6670ea8eb5d5.xlsx");
workbook.Save("e:\\test2\\out1.pdf");

We require thorough evaluation of the issue. We have opened the following new ticket(s) in our internal issue tracking system and will deliver their fixes according to the terms mentioned in Free Support Policies.

Issue ID(s): CELLSNET-59427

You can obtain Paid Support Services if you need support on a priority basis, along with the direct access to our Paid Support management team.

4

Your issue(CELLSNET-59427) has been resolved and the fixed functionality will be released with version 25.12.
Here is the resulting file generated using the latest function:
CELLSNET-59427.pdf (150.1 KB)