Printing in Greyscale and B&W: Text does not convert to black

[butterworthj]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel

This was an issue for me in PP 2004, and continues in 2008. When I try to print handouts (full size slides or handout format) any text that is white in the slide (to show up against my standard blue background) does not convert to Black as indicated in the rules as provided by Microsoft. Any ideas about how to resolve this without completely reworking my slide templates and going to a white background with dark text?

Thanks

 

[Jim Gordon MVP]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel

This was an issue for me in PP 2004, and continues in 2008. When I try to print handouts (full size slides or handout format) any text that is white in the slide (to show up against my standard blue background) does not convert to Black as indicated in the rules as provided by Microsoft. Any ideas about how to resolve this without completely reworking my slide templates and going to a white background with dark text?

Thanks

Hi,

As far as I know the rules are same in both 2004 and 2008. In order to
obtain the behavior that you are seeking you should format the master
slide text placeholder boxes to do what you want.

Before you can format them, you'll need the formatting tools. Here are
the directions to get them for PowerPoint 2008:

1. View > Customize Toolbars and Menus
2. Under Categories click View
3. Under commands drag these two commands to any toolbar:
Grayscale View
Grayscale Settings
4. Click the OK button to close the customize window

PowerPoint will obey your wishes. All you have to do is tell it what you
want. Now lets put our new tools to work.

Switch to the master slide View > Master > Slide Master

Now select all the text place holder boxes at once using Apple+a
Click the Grayscle View button you put onto a toolbar
That activates the Grayscale Settings button
Click Grayscale Settings button and choose Black with White Fill
Now return to normal view using VIew > Normal.

You can now toggle the Grayscale View button to see how it will look
when printed. Now, I don't know just how dark your blue is. If you want
you can try Black with Grayscale Fill instead of Black with White Fill
and see how your particular shade of blue works.

When you want to print, the setting of the Grayscale View button makes
no difference. If you want grayscale printing you have to choose that
option in the Print dialog box.

-Jim

 

[butterworthj]

Jim,

Thank you for the pointer to the greyscale settings.

Could you clarify your last point about printing. The greyscale settings do or do not affect how a page prints?

Also, as I play with the greyscale settings, when I convert to any setting OTHER than one with a black background there is a choppy black shadow around both text and any graph bars. I do not have shadows turned on for any of these features, and it makes the text unreadable when printed.

Thanks so much

John

 

[Jim Gordon MVP]

Jim,

Thank you for the pointer to the greyscale settings.

Could you clarify your last point about printing. The greyscale settings do or do not affect how a page prints?

Also, as I play with the greyscale settings, when I convert to any setting OTHER than one with a black background there is a choppy black shadow around both text and any graph bars. I do not have shadows turned on for any of these features, and it makes the text unreadable when printed.

Thanks so much

John

Hi John,

That's a very good question, and I'm glad you asked because there is a
distinction to make.

Grayscale view button:
* Toggles the view between color and grayscale
* Toggles the Grayscale Settings button on and off
* The setting of this toggle does not affect printing

Grayscale settings button
* Provides pop-up menu with various grayscale options
* Is toggled on and off by the Grayscale view button
* The settings you make with this tool DO affect printing

The grayscale settings you make will be honored when you use File >
Print. In the Output setting choose Grayscale (and possibly Black and
White is affected, too but I didn't try it).

I tried a bar chart, but it looked fine when set to grayscale. Can you
be a bit more specific about the graph you're working with? Can you put
it on line somehwere?

-Jim