PowerPoint slides often use solid color backgrounds, which can produce unsatisfactory results on the plotters. It is safer to change to a white or multi-colored background before sending a slide to the plotter! See Use of Background Colors for more information.
Before printing, first select "Page Setup..." from the File menu. In the dialog box that appears, under "Slides sized for:", pull down the list and choose "custom" and type the width and height you want. The width should be no greater than 34 inches. Choose an appropriate height, such as 46 inches, but not bigger than 54 inches. Although 56 inches is the maximum allowed by PP, many slides that use the full 56 inches do not plot correctly-- often the right hand side is compressed or cut off. It appears the effective maximum dimension is 54 inches. Select the appropriate orientation (most PP slides are landscape) and then click OK in the Page Setup box.
From the File menu, now select "Print..." In the Print window that appears, pull down the list under "Name" and select vcplt, vcpltg, or vcpltcf. For Print range select "Current slide". Click on the "Properties" button and select the Paper tab. (If you don't see a Paper tab, click on Advanced....) Choose a paper size that is about 2 inches bigger than your PowerPoint page size, such as Arch E (36" x 48"). To choose a custom size, click on one the of custom paper types, then click the "Custom ..." button near the bottom of the window. Fill in 36 for the width and an appropriate number for the length. Select the orientation that matches your slide. Click OK in the Properties window, and then click OK in the main Print window to send the slide to the plotter.
Note: If you want a plot longer than 54 inches, you can design it in PowerPoint at half size and, when printing, choose an appropriate paper size and change the "scaling" to 200%. Alternatively, just make your slide at a convenient size in PowerPoint, leaving about a 3/4 inch margin. Then, after choosing an appropriate paper size in the printer driver, select the "scale to fit paper" option in the Print window before printing.Return to ARC home page.
Please send comments and suggestions to consult@rpi.edu.