We’ve had a number of students ask us lately if there’s a way to print multiple PowerPoint slides on a single page. The default print option in PowerPoint prints one slide per page. If the presentation has a lot of slides, the print job (@ $0.05/pg) can get costly… esp. since the students typically have many lectures/presentations to print over the course of a semester. It’s no wonder they’re looking for a little relief. So, to answer the big question: Yes, there is a way — an easy way, no less! — to print multiple slides on a single page and save some money (and save some paper!). Here’s how:

First, 2 things to note:

1. The presentations are usually found in BlackBoard, so we’ll work from there.
2. The browser that a student uses also plays a role.

We’ll start with Firefox.

If you click the filename.ppt link in BlackBoard (Horace.ppt in the example below), Firefox will ask you whether you want to open the file or save it. If you click “Open,” PowerPoint will launch and open the file.

With the file open in PowerPoint, either type CTRL+P or click File –> Print in the toolbar at the top of the window. Then, in the lower left of the printer options box that opens, change the “Print What” option from “Slides” to “Handouts” using the dropdown menu.

The process is just a little different in Internet Explorer:

If you click the filename.ppt link in BlackBoard (Horace.ppt in the example below), Internet Explorer will ask you whether you want to open the file or save it. If you click “Open,” PowerPoint will launch inside Blackboard and open the file.

With the file open in BlackBoard, right-click anywhere in the presentation window and select “Print” from the list of options. Then, in the lower left of the printer options box that opens, change the “Print What” option from “Slides” to “Handouts” using the dropdown menu.