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Microsoft PowerPoint 2008

Printing Your Presentation

When you are giving a PowerPoint presentation, you may wish to print your slides, outlines, or lecture notes. PowerPoint offers many format options for printing.

Return to TopExploring Printing Options

With PowerPoint, you can produce a variety of presentation media. The simplest way, requiring no special equipment other than your printer, is to print your slides on paper. You can also print your outline, speaker’s notes, and audience handouts on paper.

Presentation Options

Before you print your slides, you need to prepare them. You can prepare your slides by using the Page Setup option from the File menu. The Page Setup option is discussed in Setting up Slides to Print. Other presentation options include the following:

Overheads
If you have a laser or inkjet printer, you can load it with transparencies that are specially made for these printers. The results are high-quality transparencies you can project by using an overhead projector. Black and White is the recommended choice when printing slides for overhead transparencies and even handouts.

Slide Show
A slide show is an electronic presentation that uses your computer. Your slides fill the screen, and you can use a variety of special effects, such as timing, transitions, and animations. To display your slide show, you can use a desktop computer or screen show.

Gray Scale vs. Pure Black and White

You can print your slides quickly by using one of the black and white options.

Grayscale
This option allows you to print your slides quickly by displaying your text in black and white, and your images in shades of gray. The Grayscale option can be selected within the Print dialog box from the Output pull-down menu.

Black and White
This option also allows for rapid printing and may help your images to become clearer. Colors do not always translate well into grayscale, so the Pure black and white option will display them, and all other components of your slides, in black and white. The Pure black and white option can be selected within the Print dialog box from the Output pull-down menu.

Return to TopSetting Up Slides to Print

Before you print your slides, you need to set them up. You can identify your output medium (e.g., A4 Paper, On-screen Slide Show, 35mm Slides ) as well as the orientation (e.g., Portrait, Landscape ) of slides, notes, handouts, and outlines.

  1. Open the presentation you want to set up

  2. From the File menu, select Page Setup...
    The Page Setup dialog box appears.
    Page Setup dialog box

  3. From the Size section, from the Slides sized for pull-down menu, select the output medium you plan to use
    Each choice comes with a default width, height, and orientation:

    Option
    Width
    Height
    Orientation
    On-screen Show 10 in 7.5 in Landscape
    US Letter Paper (8.5 x 11 in) 10 in 7.5 in Landscape
    US Ledger Paper (11x17 in) 13.32 9.99 Landscape
    A3 Paper (297x420 mm) 14 10.5 Landscape
    A4 Paper (210x297 mm) 10.83 in 7.5 in Landscape
    B4 (ISO) Paper (250x353 mm) 11.84 8.88 Landscape
    B5 (ISO) Paper (176x250 mm) 7.84 5.88 Landscape
    35mm Slides 11.25 in 7.5 in Landscape
    Overhead 10 in 7.5 in Landscape
    Web Banner 8 in 1 in Landscape
    Custom 10.67 in 8.17 in Landscape

  4. If necessary, change the orientation
    HINTS:
    In Landscape orientation, the slide is wider than it is tall. In Portrait orientation, the slide is taller than it is wide.
    Notice that you can choose one orientation for slides and another for notes, handouts, and outlines. The default settings—Landscape for slides and Portrait for notes, handouts, and outlines—are good choices, with one exception: overhead transparencies. For transparencies, select Letter or A4 Paper and Portrait orientation.

  5. If you want to change the width and height, in the Width and Height text boxes, type a specific number, or use the nudge buttons to select a number
    HINT: If you make a change here, the Slides sized for text box automatically changes to the Custom option.

  6. Click OK

Return to TopPrinting Your Presentation

When printing with PowerPoint, you can choose the format of your printed page. PowerPoint offers eight formats:

Setting a Default Printer

Before you begin printing, it is often best to set a default printer so that your presentation will automatically be sent to the printer you want.

Printing Slides, Outlines, Notes, or Handouts

  1. Open your presentation

  2. From the File menu, select Print...
         The Print dialog box appears.
    Print dialog box

  3. To print more than one copy, in the Copies text box, type the number of copies

  4. Select the slides you want printed

  5. To print multiple slides per sheet,
    1. From the Print Options pull-down list, select Layout
      The dialog box refreshes with options corresponding to Layout.
    2. From the Pages per Sheet pull-down menu, select the number of pages you want printed on each sheet of paper
    3. In the Layout Direction section, choose a layout for the slides

    4. In the Border pull-down list, choose a border for the slides

  6. To select the desired output option,
    1. From the Print Options pull-down list, select Copies & Pages

    2. From the Output pull-down list, select Color, Grayscale or Black and White

  7. Click PRINT

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