PPT2000: Commercial Printing of PowerPoint Slides (258716)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft PowerPoint 2000
  • Microsoft Publisher 2000
This article was previously published under Q258716

SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to print a Microsoft PowerPoint 2000 presentation to an image setter or other commercial printing device, you may experience the following symptoms:
  • Missing text
  • Poor color matching
  • PostScript printing error messages
  • Reflowing text
  • Other printing issues

CAUSE

These problems occur because PowerPoint 2000 does not contain color separation technology.

NOTE: PowerPoint uses an RGB color model.

WORKAROUND

To work around these problems, embed your slides within Microsoft Publisher, and then set up your Microsoft Publisher publication to print separations to a commercial printing device.

NOTE: Microsoft Publisher 2000 is not specifically designed to print Microsoft PowerPoint slides. The following method may generate better results on a commercial printing device; however, the following limitations apply:
  • Publisher 2000 treats the PowerPoint slide objects as Windows metafiles. Therefore, you cannot assign spot colors to individual elements within the PowerPoint slide object. If you attempt to assign a spot color to a slide object, the entire slide object is tinted with the spot color.
  • Trapping is not applied to elements within the PowerPoint slide object.
  • Specific CMYK color specification is not possible within the PowerPoint slide object.

How to Print PowerPoint Slides from Publisher

  1. Adjust your slide in PowerPoint so that it will be printed well when separated in Publisher:
    1. If possible, avoid the use of transparent colors. It is very hard to translate transparency onto paper.
    2. Avoid any colors that are outside the range of colors defined by the CMYK color model. Commercial printing services can work with you and help you to avoid some of the richer RGB colors that don't print well in CMYK.
    3. If your slide contains animations, you may want to move the animated objects into the position they would occupy after animation.
  2. Bring the slide into Publisher 2000:
    1. Open Microsoft PowerPoint.
    2. On the View menu, click Slide Sorter.
    3. Click the slide that you want to copy into Publisher, and then click Copy on the Edit menu.
    4. Open Microsoft Publisher.
    5. On the Edit menu, click Paste Special.
    6. In the Paste Special dialog box, click Paste as Microsoft PowerPoint Slide Object and be sure that Paste as Icon is not selected.
    7. On the Tools menu, point to Commercial Printing Tools, and then click Color Printing.
    8. Click Process Colors (CMYK), and then click OK.
You can now print separations of your PowerPoint slide from Publisher 2000.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:11/30/2000
Keywords:kbinterop kbprb kbprepress KB258716
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