Multicol tables with images

Question

I would like to create a sheet with the packet with pictures multicol. Unfortunately I do not know how to do it. I tried inserting tables that have the image on the right and left text. But there is something that does not work. To make it clear I did a test with MS Word. Where mistake? Thank you.

\documentclass[a4paper,10pt]{report}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{multicol}
\usepackage{lipsum}
\usepackage[margin=1cm]{geometry}

\begin{document}
\setlength\columnsep{1cm}
\begin{multicols}{2}
\lipsum[1-3]
\begin{tabular}{l r}
\includegraphics[width=3cm]{figure.pdf}
&
\lipsum[1-3]
\end{tabular}
\end{multicols}
\end{document}

Answer 1

As Torbjørn T. pointed, l, c and r options for tabular columns definitions consider cell contents as a single line. If you want to define paragraphs option p{par width} should be used. It creates top aligned paragraphs. And if you load package array m{par width} for vertically centered paragraphs and b{par width} for bottom aligned ones can be used.

\documentclass[a4paper,10pt]{report}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{multicol}
\usepackage{lipsum}
\usepackage[margin=1cm]{geometry}
\usepackage{array}

\begin{document}
\setlength\columnsep{1cm}
\begin{multicols}{2}
\lipsum[1-3]
\begin{tabular}{m{3.5cm}m{.5\columnwidth}}
\includegraphics[width=3cm]{example-image.pdf}
&
\lipsum[2]
\end{tabular}
\end{multicols}
\end{document}

Answer 2

This question was ask man, many times ... Problem is in type of last column, r (as was assumed in comments) assume that contents will be in one line and it adopt its width to the line. You need to change r to p{<width>} or (better} to m{<width>}:

\documentclass[a4paper,10pt]{report}
    \usepackage[margin=1cm]{geometry}
\setlength\columnsep{1cm}
    \usepackage{graphicx}
    \usepackage{multicol}
    \usepackage{lipsum}

    \usepackage{calc}
    \usepackage{array}

    \begin{document}
\begin{multicols}{2}
\lipsum[1-3]

\noindent
\begin{tabular}{@{}m{0.4\linewidth-2\tabcolsep-2\arrayrulewidth}
                   m{0.6\linewidth}@{}}
\includegraphics[width=\hsize]{example-image-a}
&
\lipsum[2]
\end{tabular}

\noindent
\begin{tabular}{@{}m{0.6\linewidth}
                   m{0.4\linewidth-2\tabcolsep-2\arrayrulewidth}@{}}
\lipsum[2]
&
\includegraphics[width=\hsize,height=17\baselineskip]{example-image-b}
\end{tabular}

\end{multicols}
    \end{document}

For determination of column type and width I use packages array (for m) and calc (for calculation).

which gives:

Edit: For exploit full width of column I add \noindent before table and erase -2\tabcolsep-2\arrayrulewidth from determination of the second column width.

Edit: The change order of columns with text and image is simple, in first table column you put a text and in second your image. To fit image ov table cell height, you need add option height into \includegraphics. But note: this will destroy original aspect ratio of image. To show this, I replace existed MWE with new one, which show this (see corrected MWE and above picture).