How to print a PowerPoint presentation with notes

How many times have you walked away from a great presentation wishing you had the notes from the slide deck? Or are you a presenter who wants to provide slides and notes in a handout format for the audience or for you to use as a reference while speaking?

Printing a PowerPoint presentation with notes attached can be a valuable tool for presenters at all levels. You can physically print and distribute presentations with notes or “print” them to a PDF for easy digital sharing.

Here’s how you do it.

Create notes in your PowerPoint

The first step to printing notes from a PowerPoint presentation is to embed notes in the right place.

Do not post anything in the notes that should not be public information.

Open your file and click the Notes button in the bottom toolbar to show the notes field if it is not open. Then just type your notes in the area provided. Click and drag the line above the notes area to expand or collapse the amount of available space.

If you plan to print notes and distribute them, be careful with the information you type. Make sure you use proper spelling, grammar and citations. Do not post anything in the notes that should not be public information.

You can use formatting in the notes area just like any other part of the slide. This includes bulleted and numbered lists or formatting such as bold or italics.

Save your presentation before printing.

Print the presentation with notes

There are two view options for printing PowerPoint presentations...