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 .

Watch the video below to learn more about printing in PowerPoint.

Print layouts

PowerPoint offers several layouts to choose from when printing a presentation. The layout you choose will mostly depend on why you're printing the slide show. There are four types of print layouts.

• Full Page Slides : This prints a full page for each slide in your presentation. This layout is most useful if you need to review or edit a printed copy of your presentation.
  
• Notes Pages : 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.
  
• Outline : This prints an overall outline of the slide show. You could use this to review the organization of your slide show and prepare to deliver your presentation.
  
• 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.
  

To access the Print pane:

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

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

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.
   
2. Select Print . The Print pane will appear.
   
3. Choose the desired printer and print range .
4. Chose the desired print layout and color settings.

   

5. When you're done modifying the settings, click Print .
   

Challenge!

1. Open our practice presentation .
2. In the Print pane , change the number of copies to 2 .
3. Choose a Handout version of the presentation with 6 Slides Horizontal per page.
4. When you're finished, your print pane should look like this:
   
5. Optional : If you have a printer and would like to practice printing, print your presentation.