PowerPoint Tip: Going green with your presentation handouts
In this issue of the newsletter and the next issue, I'll be sharing some ideas on how we can all be more environmentally responsible when it comes to preparing and delivering our presentations. Today I'll cover what I consider to be the biggest area of potential savings - handouts. Next time I'll cover some tips on creating our presentations. Here are some tips to help you be more environmentally sensitive when using handouts - and they will probably save you money as well.
1. Print four slides per page
Too often presenters print handouts using the three slides per page format with lines beside each slide. In addition to being less visually dense and easier for audience members to take notes on, the four per page option can use up to 25% fewer pages.
2. Print using Pure Black & White
The default when printing slides with a colored background on a black and white laser printer is "Grayscale", which converts each color to a shade of gray and uses a lot of toner to print the background of each slide. By using the "Black & White" option, you use much less toner because all backgrounds are converted to white.
3. Print on both sides of the sheet
By printing your handouts on both sides of the sheet of paper, you can cut your number of sheets used by up to half.
4. Eliminate a contact information sheet
By adding your contact information in the footer of each handout page, you eliminate the need for a separate sheet in the handout listing your contact information.
5. Print only the slides the audience needs
Go through your slides and determine what slides the audience really needs to have in the handout. It is probably not every slide, so use the options when printing to select only those slides that are truly necessary.
6. Check before you print
Use the Print Preview feature to check to see if the last page of the handout has only one slide on it. If it does, see if there is a way you can cut one of the slides from the handout to save a page.
You may know some of the ideas above and may be using some already. They may sound like small things, but consider a 45 slide presentation that prints handouts using the usual 3 slides per page format on one side of the paper. By implementing the ideas above, you can go from using 16 sheets of paper (15 for slides + 1 for contact information) to using 6 sheets of paper (12 sides printing on both sides of the sheet of paper) - that is a reduction of over 62%! Every little effort counts.
If you want to try some of these ideas but don't know how to select some of the different handouts options, you can check out the two short "how-to" videos I have on handouts at http://www.PPtHowToVideos.com .
1. Print four slides per page
Too often presenters print handouts using the three slides per page format with lines beside each slide. In addition to being less visually dense and easier for audience members to take notes on, the four per page option can use up to 25% fewer pages.
2. Print using Pure Black & White
The default when printing slides with a colored background on a black and white laser printer is "Grayscale", which converts each color to a shade of gray and uses a lot of toner to print the background of each slide. By using the "Black & White" option, you use much less toner because all backgrounds are converted to white.
3. Print on both sides of the sheet
By printing your handouts on both sides of the sheet of paper, you can cut your number of sheets used by up to half.
4. Eliminate a contact information sheet
By adding your contact information in the footer of each handout page, you eliminate the need for a separate sheet in the handout listing your contact information.
5. Print only the slides the audience needs
Go through your slides and determine what slides the audience really needs to have in the handout. It is probably not every slide, so use the options when printing to select only those slides that are truly necessary.
6. Check before you print
Use the Print Preview feature to check to see if the last page of the handout has only one slide on it. If it does, see if there is a way you can cut one of the slides from the handout to save a page.
You may know some of the ideas above and may be using some already. They may sound like small things, but consider a 45 slide presentation that prints handouts using the usual 3 slides per page format on one side of the paper. By implementing the ideas above, you can go from using 16 sheets of paper (15 for slides + 1 for contact information) to using 6 sheets of paper (12 sides printing on both sides of the sheet of paper) - that is a reduction of over 62%! Every little effort counts.
If you want to try some of these ideas but don't know how to select some of the different handouts options, you can check out the two short "how-to" videos I have on handouts at http://www.PPtHowToVideos.com .
posted by Unknown at 9:53 AM
2 Comments:
Re point 2, it's worth clarifying that the text will all print out black, even if it was white on a black background in the slide.
You can export the slides to Word too (File > Send to > Microsoft Word) which lets you edit your Notes text or remove it, and lay out your slides any way you like.
However, I don't think it's a good idea to print out slides to use as a handout! Instead, create a separate handout. See what Garr Reynolds has to say about this over at www.presentationzen.com
This blog is great for me. PowerPoint is my weak spot. I’ll definitely be back.
Thank you!
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