Introduction

Even though PowerPoint presentations are designed to be viewed on a computer, there may be times when you want to print them. You can even print custom versions of a presentation, which can be especially helpful when presenting your slide show. The Print pane makes it easy to preview and print your presentation.

Optional: Download our practice presentation .

Print layouts

PowerPoint includes several layouts when printing a presentation. The layout you choose will mostly depend on why you're printing the slide show. There are four different print layouts:

• Full-page slides: This prints a full page for each slide in your presentation. This layout would be most useful if you needed to review or edit a printed copy of your presentation.
  Full page slide layout
  
• Notes: This prints each slide, along with any speaker notes for the slide. If you've included a lot of notes for each slide, you could keep a printed copy of the notes with you while presenting.

  
  

  Notes layout
  
• Outline: This prints an overall outline of the slide show. You could use this layout to review the organization of your slide show and prepare to deliver your presentation.

  
  

  Outline layout
• Handouts: This prints thumbnail versions of each slide, with optional space for notes . This layout is especially useful if you want to give your audience a physical copy of the presentation. The optional space allows them to take notes on each slide.
  Handouts layout
  

To access the Print pane:

1. Select the File tab. Backstage view will appear.
   Clicking the File tab
2. Select Print . The Print pane will appear.
   Clicking Print

Click the buttons in the interactive below to learn more about using the Print pane.

Print Slides

Here, you can choose to print all slides , the current slide , or a specific range of slides .

Printer

You may need to select the printer you want to use if your computer is connected to multiple printers .

Print Button

When you are ready to print the presentation, click the Print button.

Copies

Here, you can choose how many copies of the presentation you want to print.

If you're planning to print multiple copies, it's a good idea to print a test copy first.

Preview Pane

Here, you can see a preview of how your presentation will look when printed.

Slide Selection

You can click the arrows to view a different slide in the Preview pane.

Zoom Control/Zoom to Page

You can click the Zoom to Page button on the right to zoom in and out of the Preview pane.

Click and drag the slider to use the zoom control. The number to the left of the slider bar reflects the zoom percentage.

Color Settings

Here, you can choose whether to print in color or grayscale .

We recommend printing in grayscale most of the time to save on color ink.

Collation Settings

If you are printing multiple copies, you can choose whether you want the copies collated or uncollated .

Collation refers to how the slides are sorted in the printed copies. In most situations, collated is the best option because it sorts each copy for you.

Print Layout

Here, you can choose between one of four print layouts :

• Full Page Slides: Prints a full page for each slide in your presentation

• Notes Page: Prints each slide along with any speaker's notes for the slide

• Outline: Prints an overall outline of the slide show, much like a multilevel list

• Handouts: Prints the selected number of slides on each page; especially helpful if you want to give your audience a physical copy of a presentation

You can also access the Print pane by pressing Ctrl+P on your keyboard.

To print a presentation:

1. Select the File tab. Backstage view will appear.
   Clicking the File tab
2. Select Print . The Print pane will appear.
   Clicking Print
3. Choose the desired printer and print range .
4. Chose the desired print layout and color settings.
   Choosing a printer and color settings
5. When you're done modifying the settings, click Print .
   Clicking Print

Challenge!

1. Open an existing PowerPoint presentation . If you want, you can use our practice presentation .
2. Preview the presentation in the Print pane.
3. Print a Handout version of the presentation with three slides per page.