PowerPoint 2007 for Starters: The Missing Manual

8. Printing Presentations

• Printing Slides (One Slide per Page)

• Handouts (Multiple Slides per Page)

• Overhead Transparencies

• Speaker Notes

• Presentation Outline

Most of the time , you'll deliver your PowerPoint presentations electronically , on a computer or digital projector. So with all these high-tech bits-and-bytes options, why on earth would you print your slides?

Here are three cool things you can do with printed slides:

• Create a foolproof, fail-safe backup . Printouts may not look as glamorous as full- color , widescreen slideshows, but they're invaluable when you have a technology meltdown. So when you reach your client's office with three minutes to spare and discover that your preschooler poured maple syrup into your laptop when you weren't looking, you at least have hard copies to work from.

• Run off quick-and-dirty handouts . For really useful audience handouts, you'll probably want to create separate supporting materials, as described in Section 8.2. But to give your boss a quick outline of your presentation, printouts are the way to go.

• Deliver your presentation in low-tech but effective ways like overhead transparencies . You can't always control your presentation environment. For example, if you're in a location where an old overhead projector is all that's available, you can turn your presentation into overheads.

In addition to printing your slides, for some presentations you may want to print related materials like speaker notes for moral support behind the podium; a presentation outline, for double-checking that you've included all your important points; and even tent cards, for making your audience feel welcome. Another reason you might want to print a slide is because you've created a layout meant to be printed, such as an award certificate or a calendar. (See Section 5.4 for the scoop on using Microsoft's own slide designs to create these and more printable layouts.)