>Handouts 

Last Edit: Oct. 25, 2010, 3:13 p.m.

Printing handouts in powerpoint by default.

Any place with public computer access such as a library or computer lab at a school knows all too well the cost of users accidentally printing off powerpoint slides one per page. Looking around in the settings of powerpoint gives no solution to this, as the print settings are tied to the actual powerpoint file.

Luckily, macros come to the rescue. The following code is all it takes to set the print type to six per page handouts for all opened and created documents.

Public WithEvents PPTEvent As Application


Private Sub PPTEvent_PresentationOpen(ByVal Pres As Presentation)
    Pres.PrintOptions.OutputType = ppPrintOutputSixSlideHandouts
    Pres.PrintOptions.PrintColorType = ppPrintPureBlackAndWhite
End Sub


Private Sub PPTEvent_NewPresentation(ByVal Pres As Presentation)
    Pres.PrintOptions.OutputType = ppPrintOutputSixSlideHandouts
    Pres.PrintOptions.PrintColorType = ppPrintPureBlackAndWhite
End Sub

and

Dim cPPTObject As New Class1


Sub Auto_Open()
    Set cPPTObject.PPTEvent = Application
End Sub

The first goes in a class module, and the second in a regular module.

Save the file as a power point addin (.ppam), then restart powerpoint, close the default blank file, and add the .ppam file as an addin (Menu->Powerpoint options->Add-ins-> change the drop down box labeled Manage: to Powerpoint Add-ins -> Go -> Add new -> Bingo!)

You'll probably want to put the .ppam file in the powerpoint directory just so it doesn't get deleted by accident.

Download the finished .ppam Here