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      How to resize your slide for optimal printing

      Overview

      Printing a timeline as a poster or on other paper formats different from the default may require a bit of tweaking to get optimal results. More precisely, the slide’s size must match or be proportional to the final output size for the graphic to be displayed properly. The following guide will explain how to customize your PowerPoint slides for printing on the desired paper format.

      Steps

      1. Start a blank presentation in PowerPoint and, in the main menu bar, select the Design tab. 

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      2. Here, click on the Slide Size button on the right and then select Custom Slide Size.

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        Note: Some versions of PowerPoint may have a Page Setup option instead of the Slide Size button.

      3. The Slide Size dialog box that will pop on your screen provides you with multiple options: you can select your preferred paper format from the “Slides sized for” menu, type in your desired height and width into the fields provided, and choose the slide’s orientation too. In our example, we will set the slide to 24” x 36”, Portrait, as we want to create a large timeline with 50+ tasks.

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      4. After you choose your preferred format and click OK, you may be prompted with two scaling options: Maximize or Ensure Fit. Since there is no content on your slide yet, choosing one or the other will not make any difference.

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      5. Now you can add or import your project data into Office Timeline as usual, and the plug-in will generate your graphic to fit the new page format as well as possible.

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      6. Style your timeline and print when ready.

        Important:

      • Please avoid changing the proportions of the slide after you’ve created the timeline, as PowerPoint may distort the graphics and you may also experience issues when editing or updating the visual. If your graphic is already done and you need to resize the slide, you can start a new presentation, change its page proportions to the desired format, and then copy-paste your timeline as a picture into the new presentation.
      • Before printing, don’t forget to check if the printer’s paper size is set to the right format. This can be done from PowerPoint’s Print menu, in Printer Properties.

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