Create a Powerpoint Handout

Creating a PowerPoint handout can be a valuable way to provide your audience with a tangible reference of your presentation. A handout can include key points, visuals, and space for notes, enhancing the overall learning experience.

Printing Handouts the Quick Way

1. Open your presentation in PowerPoint. You can do this by double-clicking your .PPTX, .PPTM, or .PPT file. Alternatively, open PowerPoint first (available in the Start menu on Windows and in the Applications folder on macOS), then navigate to File > Open > Browse, select your file, and click Open.

2. Click the File menu. It’s located in the upper-left corner of the window.

3. Click Print on the menu. This option is located in the left panel.

4. Choose which slides to include in your handout. By default, the Print All Slides option is selected, meaning all slides will be included in the handout. If you want to select specific slides, choose Custom range and enter the desired slide numbers, such as 2-10 or 1, 2, 4.

5. Click the Full Page Slides menu. This is the second drop-down menu under “Settings.” A variety of print layouts will appear.

6. Click a handout layout. The options in the “Handouts” section display how many slides will be included on each sheet and their alignment.

   • Keep in mind that printing more slides on one page will result in smaller text. If your slides contain a lot of text, limit it to 6 slides per page.
   • If you wish to facilitate note-taking, consider the “3 slide” option, which includes three slides per page with ruled areas for notes.

7. Click the Edit header and footer link to edit your header and footer (optional). This option is located below the print option menus. You can add or remove page numbering, date formatting, and custom text for the header and footer.

   • To add the date and time, check the box next to “Date and time” and specify if you want it to update automatically or remain fixed.
   • To add custom text in the header or footer, check the respective boxes and enter your desired text.
   • Remember to click Apply to All to save your changes.

8. Choose the rest of your printing options. After setting up your handout, select your printer, number of copies, page orientation, and color options.

   • If printing multiple sets, ensure Collated is selected.

9. Click Print to print your handouts. If you want to learn how to further customize and save your handouts for future printing, refer to the Creating a Custom Handout Master section below.

Creating a Custom Handout Master

1. Open your presentation in PowerPoint. To create a handout with more customization options than a quick printout, start by opening your .PPTX, .PPTM, or .PPT file.

2. Click the View tab. This is located at the top of PowerPoint.

3. Click the Handout Master icon. This icon is found in the “Master Views” section at the top of the screen, and a preview of your handout will appear.

4. Choose how many slides to display on each handout. Click the Slides Per Page menu in the upper-left area of the toolbar and select from 1 to 9 slides.

5. Click Handout Orientation to choose an orientation. Select either Portrait (vertical) or Landscape (horizontal).

6. Choose which placeholders to keep on the handout. You can check or uncheck placeholders for the header, footer, date, and page number in the “Placeholders” panel on the toolbar.

7. Click Fonts to choose fonts for the handouts. This option is in the “Background” panel. Ensure you use royalty-free fonts if you do not have a license.

8. Click the Colors menu to choose a color scheme. This option provides a list of background colors to choose from.

9. Click Background Styles to select a background color. You can choose from the available colors based on your selected color scheme. For more options, click Format Background to expand the options for textures and gradients.

10. Click Effects to choose an Effects theme. This includes options like 3-D objects, gradients, and background styles.

11. Insert other objects into your handouts. You can include images, shapes, or custom headers and footers by clicking the Insert tab.

12. View a preview of your handouts. Click the File menu and select Print to see a preview of your handouts.

13. Click Close Master View. This will exit the handout master editor. Your customized settings will now be ready for printing. To print, go to File > Print, select your printer and color options, and click Print.