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Presentations are printed more often than we realize, but
we rarely design for printing in mind. Although, I've had
two clients who created presentations only for print: one
was creating a brochure for sales reps and the other was presenting
to potential investors at a meeting around a table. Even if
you don't plan to print the presentation, you may send it
to others who will print it. You certainly want to make sure
that the results will be satisfactory.
* Grayscale printing
Often, the presentation is printed in grayscale, not in color.
You presentation may look entirely different when printed
in grayscale. To test out the result, click the Color/Grayscale
button on the Standard toolbar. In 2007, go to View tab> Color/Grayscale
group> Grayscale. You may be surprised at the results! To
return to color, click the button again; it changes based
on the color state you're viewing.
* Converting to PDF
One of the important considerations is that many people convert
a presentation to Adobe PDF format before printing. For example,
conference organizers do this for the book they give attendees.
Therefore you need to consider how the presentation will translate
to PDF format. And not all PDF converters get the same results.
If your presentation may end up as a PDF file, you should
test the results. The PDF format especially has problems with
semi-transparent objects, which may become solid or hatched.
* Embed fonts
If you use fonts that are not universally available, you should
embed them. If you send the presentation to someone else for
printing, your fonts will not appear properly. To embed fonts,
choose Tools> Options and click the Save tab. (In 2007, choose
Office button> PowerPoint Options and click the Save category.)
Check the Embed TrueType Fonts check box. Then choose the
first option, which embeds only characters in use. This options
reduces the size of the file.
* Printing
If you'll be printing, the procedure is simple. Choose File>
Print. (In 2007, choose Office button> Print.) The display
in the Print What drop-down list determines what will print;
the default is Slides. For handouts, better options are Handouts
and Notes Pages. You can also choose File>Send To >Microsoft
Office Word to import the presentation into Word. (In 2007,
choose Office button> Publish> Create Handouts in Microsoft
Office Word.) This gives you more flexibility with your format.
Ellen Finkelstein is the best-selling author of How to Do
Everything with PowerPoint 2007 (and previous editions for
PowerPoint 2002 and PowerPoint 2003). Other books include
PowerPoint for Teachers: Dynamic Presentations and Interactive
Classroom Projects and 101 Tips Every PowerPoint User Should
Know.
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