MS PowerPoint FAQ
by Susan Delap

Q. My pictures turned to Big Red X's--what happened?
A. You are not alone; this is a serious problem that many people are running into. It is due to a file size bug; when PowerPoint doesn't have enough memory to deal with the size of your file, the graphics get forever replaced with big red X images. If you can insert the pictures directly from PowerPoint (using Insert/Picture) as opposed to using copy/paste, the file size sometimes turns out to be much smaller (some applications create links and other exciting remnants when doing a paste operation). When saving and reopening these files, people find fewer problems. As for opening files which already have red crosses, Microsoft suggests closing the file WITHOUT saving (as saving would also save the red crosses), close all other programs to free up as much memory as possible, restart your computer, and finally reopen your file. We have tested this workaround and it seems to work; problem is that almost everybody closes the file and saves it. In this case, you must manually reinsert the picture from its original source. (Downloaded from A Bit Better Corp's PowerPoint FAQ on Sept 1, 2005.) Note from Susan: I've only seen this problem in PowerPoint 2000. Also see Microsoft's support pages for Word 2000 and Word 2002 for similar problems and solutions.

Q. Can I use PowerPoint to make posters?
A. The EES department discourages the use of PowerPoint in making posters. Susan and Buddy, as well as Mark Mansell at the Bureau, have found that during printing, you may have problems with mysterious dropouts that can't be fixed. If you still use this program, you are ON YOUR OWN to troubleshoot printing problems. You will have to PAY for all wasted paper during troubleshooting. You can try converting the file into a PDF, but our RIP software sometimes fails to process the file correctly. If this happens, you will have to take the file to the Bureau for printing.

Q. I DON'T CARE. I still want to create my poster with PowerPoint.
A. YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN so far as troubleshooting any problems you may have. I researched the web to see how other colleges and printing bureaus deal with PowerPoint poster printing problems and gleaned the following:

Using graphics from Word or Excel. Copy the graphic, but then use PASTE SPECIAL->Picture (enhanced metafile). This supposedly pastes the graphic as a metafile that you can adjust. Other sources said not to paste stuff directly from these programs, and to create a TIF file first and then insert the file.

Using graphics from other programs. Do not cut and paste graphics directly from other programs. Save the graphics as a TIF file or high-quality JPG file and then import that file into PowerPoint.

Arrows created in PowerPoint. This is a problem I've noticed myself lately. If you use arrows in your poster, they may not print.

Links for more info:

• duramecho (I have no idea who this is)
• Learning Technology Group, Lancaster University, UK
• Institute of Neuroscience Bio-optics Lab, Univ of Oregon
• Biomedical Image Processing Lab, Univ of Minnesota
• Agriculture and Natural Resources, Univ of Calif
• Imaging Technology Group, Univ of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Medical Illustration Unit, Univ New South Wales, Sydney
• Nutrition Dept, Univ of California-Davis

Q. How do I print posters longer than 56 inches?
A. Although PowerPoint (PP) will not let you define a paper size longer than 56 inches, the printer driver can render your poster at a larger scale. I have successfully printed posters up to 128% without any noticeable degradation in quality. (You can probably go higher--I just haven't tried it.)

The basic procedure is to determine the size of poster you want (with the plotter limitation of 36" wide), and then calculate what the scaled down dimensions are to fit PP's 56" wide limitation. Use the smaller dimensions to define your page size in PP. Then check SCALE TO FIT when printing.

The following detailed example walks you through this procedure based on a final poster size of 36" x 72".

• Calculate scaled-down dimensions of your document to fit the software limit of 56". (A 36" x 72" poster scales down to 28" x 56". When printed at 128% scale, the size will be 35.85" x 71.68". This example will be used throughout in italics.)
• In PowerPoint, open a New Slide.
• Under File select Page Setup.
• Set width and height to scaled-down dimensions (56"width, 28" height).
• Select landscape.

• Under File select Print.
• Select the printer (\\129\138.15.104\plotter).
• Check Scale to fit paper.
• Click Properties.
• Select Landscape.
• Click Advanced.
• Under Paper Size dropdown menu,
• select PostScript Custom Page Size
• enter in your FINAL poster size (36" width, 72" height)
• select Roll Feed
• set Paper Feed Direction to Long Edge First
• Click OK to send print job to Staff Engineer.
• Load the type of paper you want to use on the plotter. WEAR GLOVES!
• See Staff Engineer to preview poster and set the job to the type of paper you are using. Then he will send job to the plotter.
• Watch poster begin to print and verify that all the ink cartridges are flowing. If not, press CANCEL on the plotter's front panel to kill your job and seek help from SE.
• When poster finishes printing, press Form Feed and Cut on the plotter's front panel.

Q. Is there a quick way to reduce the file size of my PowerPoint presentation?
A. If you are using PowerPoint XP or Office 2003, there is a quick way to do this. Use Image Compression. This link to Microsoft's site describes how to do it. Thanks to Enrique Vivoni for this tip.