search⌘KtranslateENexpand_moreupload_fileConvert

Same deck, four different PDFs. Pick the one your reader needs.

A PDF for projecting is not a PDF for printing, and neither is what a speaker needs on stage. Choose a layout and every page of the result is laid out below, from a 10-slide sample deck.

slideshowSlidesOne slide per page, for screens and projectors

view_agendaHandouts · 3Three slides a page with space for notes

grid_viewHandouts · 6Six a page, the whole deck on two sheets

speaker_notesNotes pagesSlide on top, speaker notes below

quarterly-review.pdf · 9 pageslandscape 16:9

Include hidden slidesSlide 7 is hidden in the deck. Skipped unless you ask for it.One page per animation stepSlides 4 and 6 reveal points on click.Keep links clickableWeb links and “go to slide” buttons still work in the PDF.

Image quality

SmallScreenPrint

150 dpi. Sharp on laptops and phones. The usual choice.

pages9file size1.7 MB

picture_as_pdfConvert to PDF

co_presentThe slide engine failed to load: Failed to fetch dynamically imported module: http://127.0.0.1:9777/js/main/general/pres-engine.js.pptx, identified by its bytesfolder_openOpen anotherslideshowSample

Loading the sample deck…

speaker_notes

convert to

PDFshare, printPPTXeditODPLibreOfficePNGslide imagesPDF + notesspeaker copyMarkdownoutline

searchAll 17 formats · 13 saved hereexpand_more

One page per slide at the deck’s own size, text kept as real text.swap_horizConvert 0 slides

What survives as PDF · slidescounted in the slide XML, then read back out of the written file

partin deckresulthow

slideshowSlides--

text_fieldsWords on slides--

font_downloadFonts--

imagePictures--

tableTables--

insert_chartCharts · SmartArt--

speaker_notesSpeaker notes--

linkLinks--

animationAnimations · transitions--

movieVideo · audio--

~/a-pdf-cannot-move

Bullets that appear one by one need a decision.

PDF pages are still. A slide whose points appear on click can become one finished page, or one page per click, so that pressing “next” in a PDF viewer still reveals them in order. Presenters usually want the second; readers the first.

Final stateOne page per click

page 4

page 5

page 6

Three pages for one slide. Arrow through them in any PDF viewer and each point appears in turn: handy for presenting from a PDF at a venue.

~/the-font-travels-with-it

Why decks break on other computers, and PDFs don't.

A .pptx only names its fonts. If the person opening it doesn't have your brand font, PowerPoint swaps in another: lines rewrap and text spills out of boxes. A PDF embeds the letters it uses, so the page looks the same everywhere.

Your computeras designed

Revenue up 18% in Q3

The brand font is installed, so the headline fits its box on one line.

Their computer, .pptxfont swapped

Revenue up 18% in Q3

No brand font, so PowerPoint substitutes a wider one. The headline wraps and pushes out of its box.

Anyone, .pdfembedded

Revenue up 18% in Q3

The letters travel inside the file. Identical on every device, even phones.

~/what-stays-behind

Video, sound and transitions stay in the .pptx.

Here's exactly what each one becomes on the page, and how to point readers to the original.

smart_displayEmbedded videoPlays inside PowerPointarrow_forwardShown as its poster frame. With “keep links” on, a link to an online copy can be added.

volume_upAudio & narrationPlays during the slideshowarrow_forwardRemoved. The speaker icon disappears so readers aren’t left clicking a dead button.

swap_horizSlide transitionsFades, pushes, morphsarrow_forwardRemoved. Pages simply follow one another.

linkLinks & buttonsWeb links, jump-to-slidearrow_forwardKept as clickable areas in the PDF when “keep links” is on.

speaker_notesSpeaker notesVisible only to the presenterarrow_forwardOnly included with the Notes pages layout. Otherwise they stay private.

~/after-the-pdf

Too big to email, or need it editable again?

The usual next steps once a deck is a PDF.

compressPDF compressorPhoto-heavy decks make big PDFs. Shrink one to fit an email attachment limit.48 MBarrow_forward6 MB slideshowPDF to PowerPointLost the original .pptx? Rebuild editable slides from the PDF.deck.pdfarrow_forwarddeck.pptx call_splitSplit PDFSend only the section someone needs: slides 12-20 as their own file.40 pagesarrow_forwardpages 12-20

Sources

[1]PDF 2.0How PDF embeds fonts and stores pages.ISO 32000-2 · ISO ↗[2]PresentationMLThe .pptx format: slides, animations, notes and media.ECMA-376 · Ecma International ↗[3]PDF/A for archivingThe archival PDF profile that requires every font to be embedded.PDF Association ↗