Absolute Beginners Guide to Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003

PowerPoint slide shows are cool, but sometimes reality steps between you and what you'd like to do. Laptop computers and data projectors are fairly expensive. Sometimes you're forced to consider less expensive alternatives, but that doesn't mean you have to abandon PowerPoint altogether.

A simple and inexpensive alternative is to create a slide show and print it on overhead transparencies. The advantages are obvious: Overhead projectors are cheap and usually readily available. The disadvantages are also clear: Images on transparencies are static, and transitions between slides are more clumsy. In the end, however, audiences appreciate the professional look of overheads created using PowerPoint.

You print overhead transparencies the same way you create paper printouts of slides. Use the Print dialog box to select the printer, print quality, color or grayscale, frame, and so on. However, consider the following:

• Preview slides before printing or print a draft paper copy. Paper is usually much cheaper than overhead transparencies. Also, print one test transparency before printing your entire slide show.

• Decide whether you need all the slides you would have used in an electronic format. If you have slides that don't add significantly to the presentation, consider not printing them.

• If a slide contains animations, such as progressive bullets, that clearly add to the slide's effectiveness, consider preparing several transparencies to simulate an animation sequence. For example, the first transparency shows the title and the first bullet, the second shows the title and the first two bullets, and so on. If the animations can be eliminated, print a static picture of the slide as it appears after the animations are completed.

• If you use color on slides to distinguish meaning for example, segments of a diagram (refer to Figure 17.3) or bars of a data chart and you plan to print in black and white, consider changing color fills to pattern fills (see Figure 17.13) to make the distinctions clearer.

Besides the preceding, one of the most important considerations is to make sure you print on the proper medium. Overhead transparency film comes in a variety of types. The kind you buy to use with transparency markers does not work with printers.

For laser printing, purchase transparencies clearly designated for use with laser printers. If you're not sure about your particular printer, consult your owner's manual to determine exactly what you need. Transparencies designated for use with laser printers can withstand the heat generated by laser printers, whereas traditional film melts and sticks to the inside of a laser printer. Having been forewarned, you can purchase the right kind of transparency and avoid this costly mistake.

For inkjet printing, an even more expensive, specially coated film is used that dries quickly and evenly. Printing to normal transparency film won't damage your printer, but the ink never dries and will smear even days later. However, printed correctly, color transparencies are often worth the extra cost because of the professional look they provide.

Back in the day, we judged a presentation's professionalism by whether the speaker brought a slide show. You remember, the kind with 35mm slides and a carousel slide projector? Even today, slide projectors are relatively easy to borrow or rent, and they certainly cost less than a computer and projector.

Fortunately, you can easily convert a PowerPoint slide show into 35mm slides by contracting with any of a number of professional slide bureaus. Prices can range from $2 a slide to $5 or more. But if your professional reputation rests on making a quality presentation, creating a slide show in PowerPoint and purchasing slides could well be worth a $50 investment. Besides, just think of all the graphic artist time you don't have to pay for! However, if you make lots of different presentations, it might be more cost-effective to purchase your own data projector.

Some of the same considerations apply to slide conversion as to printed overhead transparencies. In particular, you need to consider which slides are most important and how to work around animation sequences. Then, simply save your slide show and send it to the company that is doing the slide conversion work. Depending on the company's procedures, you could have your slides back within a day.