PowerPoint handouts are a useful way to provide your audience with a copy of your presentation slides during a talk or meeting. However, sometimes issues can arise that prevent PowerPoint 2003 handouts from printing properly. Here is a comprehensive troubleshooting guide to help resolve problems printing handouts in PowerPoint 2003.
Common Handout Printing Issues
Some common issues when trying to print PowerPoint 2003 handouts include:
- Blank handouts – The handout pages print completely blank even though content displays properly in Print Preview
- Missing content – Parts of slides, images, or other content do not print even though they display in Print Preview
- Formatting problems – Fonts, images, alignment, or other formatting appears incorrectly when printed
- Error messages – Errors like “PowerPoint found a problem with content” appear when trying to print
Troubleshooting Steps
Try the following troubleshooting steps to resolve problems printing PowerPoint 2003 handouts:
Step 1: Check Printer Connectivity
Verify the printer is on, connected properly via cables, loaded with paper, and set as the default Windows printer. Printing issues can occur if the printer is not properly set up.
Step 2: Print a Test Page
Print a test page from the Printers control panel in Windows. If the test page prints correctly, the issue lies within PowerPoint rather than the printer itself.
Step 3: Check Print Settings
Carefully review all settings in the PowerPoint Print dialog box such as printer selected, print range, number of copies, color/grayscale, paper size, orientation, and scaling. Incorrect print settings can lead to unexpected printing results.
Step 4: Reset the Printer
Reset or restart the printer. This clears any stalled print jobs or glitches in the print queue.
Step 5: Print to PDF
Print the presentation to PDF rather than directly to the printer. If the PDF prints properly, the issue is likely with the printer driver rather than PowerPoint itself.
Step 6: Use Compatibility Mode
Switch to compatibility mode in PowerPoint’s print settings. This renders content differently and may resolve formatting issues when printing handouts.
Step 7: Update Drivers
Update printer drivers and the PowerPoint version. Old, corrupt, or incompatible drivers can lead to printing glitches.
Step 8: Contact Support
If the above steps do not resolve handout printing problems, contact Microsoft Support for personalized troubleshooting assistance.
Tips for Printing Handouts
Here are some useful tips for ensuring PowerPoint 2003 handouts print smoothly:
- Simplify formatting – Limit special fonts, intricate alignment, layered objects that may not render properly in print
- Check margins – Ensure content does not extend into non-printable margin areas on pages
- Print one slide per page – Troubleshoot single slide per page printing before multiple slides per page
- Review on multiple printers – Issues may appear on some printers but not others depending on printer/driver capabilities
- Print early and often – Test printing periodically rather than waiting until delivering presentation
- Bring backup plan – Have a PDF version or printed slides ready as backup in case handout printing fails
Following detailed troubleshooting steps and best practices when creating and printing handouts can help resolve or prevent issues with PowerPoint 2003 handouts failing to print.
