Slideshow presentations aren’t limited to just on-screen presentations; often, the content needs to be printed as handouts, allowing the audience or students to take notes, review key points, or keep them for reference. To ensure a more consistent format and clearer content, WPS Presentation offers the “Handout Master” feature. This not only controls the overall layout of your handouts, but also allows you to freely add elements like headers, footers, dates, and times, making your printed handouts both professional and practical.
The role and significance of the master handout
A Handout Master is similar to a Slide Master. It does not directly change the content of the slides, but affects the overall layout of the printed handout. By setting a Handout Master, we can maintain a consistent style and structure across all handout pages. For example:
- Unified headers and footers : Add your company name, presentation topic, or personal signature.
- Time and page number information : makes it easier for readers to organize and find content.
- Uniform format and direction : Ensure that the handouts are clear and easy to read, and avoid clutter.
- Additional graphic elements : such as logos, background images, dividing lines, etc., to increase the aesthetics of the handouts.
This model is particularly suitable for scenarios such as corporate training, academic reports, or teaching, where handouts need to be distributed on a large scale.
Enter Handout Master view
In WPS软件下载 Presentation, the steps to enter the Handout Master are very intuitive:
- Click the View tab on the upper ribbon .
- Select Handout Master from the drop-down menu .
- At this time, the page will switch to editing mode. The interface is slightly different from that of ordinary slides. Different layouts are displayed on the left, and the right is an editable handout page.
Any settings made by the user in this mode will be directly applied to the final printed handouts.
Adjust page orientation
When printing handouts, the paper orientation has a significant impact on the reading experience. WPS Presentation provides two options:
- Landscape : Suitable for placing more slide thumbnails and providing a looser overall layout.
- Portrait : Closer to the reading style of regular documents, suitable for occasions with a lot of notes.
Simply click the Handout Orientation button in the toolbar to switch between landscape and portrait orientation. Users can adjust the orientation based on their needs. For example, notebook handouts printed for students often use portrait orientation, while conference materials are more commonly in landscape orientation.
Set slide size and ratio
In addition to the paper orientation, the display ratio of the slides in the handout is equally important. WPS Presentation supports multiple common ratios:
- 4:3 Standard Aspect Ratio : Commonly used for traditional presentations and suitable for older projectors.
- 16:9 widescreen ratio : The mainstream choice for modern presentations, more suitable for most screens and printing needs.
- Custom scale : Users can adjust according to paper size or specific needs.
You can flexibly set the size by clicking the slide size drop-down menu and selecting the appropriate ratio or clicking “Custom size”.
Slide layout and page count
One of the core functions of the Handout Master is to set the number of slides per page. Click the Slides per Page button to select a layout with a maximum of 1 to 9 slides.
- Single-page leaflet : Reserves maximum space for audience members to take notes.
- 2-3 sheets per page : Consider both content display and writing space.
- 6-9 sheets per page : Saves paper and is suitable for quick reference.
This feature is particularly suitable for teaching scenarios: if teachers want students to take notes while listening, they can choose a two- or three-sheet format; if they only need to distribute review materials, they can choose a compact mode of 6 or 9 sheets.
Adding and removing page elements
In addition to slide thumbnails, the Handout Master allows you to include other information elements on the page:
- Header : Displays the title or subject of the speech.
- Footer : You can place copyright information, company logo, etc.
- Date and time : Automatically updated to ensure the timeliness of handouts.
- Page number : to facilitate readers to locate quickly.
By checking or unchecking the corresponding options, users can flexibly control whether these elements are displayed. For example, a corporate report can add the company name and logo to the header, while academic conference materials are more suitable for adding the speaker’s name and date.
Insert pictures and shapes
Handout masters are not limited to text information, but can also include graphic elements to enhance the visual effect.
Here’s how to do it:
- Switch to the Insert tab.
- Click on the picture and select the required file to insert into the handout master.
- You can also insert shapes, icons, and even draw dividers to separate content areas.
This method is particularly suitable for companies or organizations to add a unified logo to handouts to ensure brand recognition and make the materials more professional.
Return to the slideshow editing interface
Once you’ve finished setting up your handout master, simply click the Close Master View button on the interface to return to normal slide editing mode. All changes you’ve made will be saved and automatically applied when you print your handouts.
Print handouts and preview results
The final step is to print the handouts as a paper document. In WPS软件 Presentation:
- Click the Print button in the upper left corner.
- Select Handouts from the “Print What” drop-down menu .
- Click the Preview button in the lower left corner to view the final effect.
Through preview, users can check whether the layout is reasonable and whether all elements are complete, thus avoiding printing waste. After confirmation, high-quality handouts can be output.
Tips to improve your handout production efficiency
- Design templates in advance : Users who frequently use the handout function can design a common master template to avoid repetitive operations.
- Combine headers and footers : Add the company website or contact information to the footer to enhance the promotional value of the handouts.
- Pay attention to the printing paper size : Different printers may support different paper specifications, so it is best to adjust the custom size in advance.
- White space strategy : Leaving space for the audience to take notes is more effective than piling up too much content.
Flexible and powerful functions
Handout Master is a highly valuable feature in WPS Presentation. It not only maintains a consistent visual style across slide presentations, but also enhances the professionalism and readability of presentation materials. From page orientation and slide scale to page layout, headers and footers, and finally printing and previewing, every aspect of this feature demonstrates its flexibility and power.
For businesses, handout masters help create standardized internal materials; for teachers or trainers, they make classroom handouts clearer and more practical; and for individual speakers, they serve as a reliable auxiliary tool. Mastering handout masters means not only creating beautiful slides, but also outputting beautiful and functional handouts, extending the impact of presentations beyond the screen.