# Excel chart question: is there an easy way to make a trend line fatter to reflect a range of data? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 19, 2011, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-chart-question-is-there-an-easy-way-to-make-a-trend-line-fatter-to-reflect-a-range-of-data/606702 "2011-12-19T02:57:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-chart-question-is-there-an-easy-way-to-make-a-trend-line-fatter-to-reflect-a-range-of-data/606702/1 "2011-12-19T02:57:35Z")
Picture this: I’d like to plot the trendline of (say) an election poll result over time. Aside from that one narrow line, I’d also like to plot a fat line in the background that shows how the range of the margin of error fluctuates over time, so I can point to instances where the thin line breaks out of the fat line’s range. There are ways I can jury rig a solution, but they’re all frankly a PITA to work around. Is there a simple way, preferably in Excel? Taking some inspiration from [Edward Tufte’s favorite chart](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Minard.png), if it means anything to you . . . ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-chart-question-is-there-an-easy-way-to-make-a-trend-line-fatter-to-reflect-a-range-of-data/606702/2 "2011-12-19T04:14:40Z")
It looks like ggplot2’s [ribbon plots](http://had.co.nz/ggplot2/geom_ribbon.html) will do exactly what you want. Excel really shouldn’t be considered statistical software at all given the alternatives that are out there. ETA: There’s a better example about halfway down [this page](http://www.ling.upenn.edu/~joseff/rstudy/summer2010_ggplot2_intro.html). ---
**Author:** ![nivlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3bc359/32.png) [@nivlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nivlac)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-chart-question-is-there-an-easy-way-to-make-a-trend-line-fatter-to-reflect-a-range-of-data/606702/3 "2011-12-19T09:11:14Z")
One way to do this in Excel comes to mind. Try using two area charts, with one chart covering the top end of the range, and another (with color matching the picture’s background) for the lower end of the range. That should work. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-chart-question-is-there-an-easy-way-to-make-a-trend-line-fatter-to-reflect-a-range-of-data/606702/5 "2011-12-19T10:52:28Z")
Repoated.