PowerPoint is a powerhouse in the world of Teachers pay Teachers. It’s what most of us may use when creating our teacher resources.

 The beauty of this accessible and user-friendly program is that there are all sorts of cool features and hacks that even the most experienced of users are still discovering!

Today I wanted to share with you a few helpful hacks that may make your product creation time a little bit easier!

Hack #1: Utilizing the PowerPoint Template Feature

It’s no fun having to start from scratch each time you want to start creating a new resource!

Enter – TEMPLATES!

Yes, you can set up templates in PowerPoint to use over and over again!

If you create your resources using a certain size or border (to keep that consistent look), you can always save this as a .potx! 

This feature is great for TPT sellers when creating:

• Resources for your students
• Product listings for TPT
• and whatever else you want to use it for!

Let’s say you want to create a simple template for all of your printable PDF pages. Here’s what you can do:

1. Open up a new blank PowerPoint presentation.
2. Go to Design > Slide Size > Page Setup
3. Select your desired Slide Size (I always use Letter Paper 8.5 x 11in for printable PDF activities). Click OK.
4. Add whatever elements in your document that you would want featured, such as your copyright info, borders, grids, etc.
5. When you’re done, go to File > Save as Template. An alternative route is to go to File > Save As > Click the File Format Dropdown > Click PowerPoint Template .potx

Hack #2: Saving Pages as PNG Files

There are a few reasons why you should make sure to save your products in PowerPoint using PNG files.

 For starters, it’s an easy way to overlay your products in your product covers, social media graphics, or pins when you are marketing and advertising your resources.

Another reason to do this is to secure your files. Even if you save your resource from PowerPoint directly into a PDF, there is still the potential for people to lift everything from that PDF file (including clip art, font, and YOUR work), copy, paste, and use it for their own.

 In order to protect the integrity of your work (and the work of other TPT sellers), the best thing to do is to invest in a program like Adobe Pro DC or Flatpack to flatten and secure your files (I love Flatpack)!

But here’s a free work-around to secure your PDF files using PowerPoint, which can be used to ensure people will not be able to lift anything off your page.

1. Save every page as a PNG file.
2. Open up a blank template you have for final PDF products.
3. Insert each photo page as a background.
4. Save as a PDF.

Hack 3: Adding a Border Around Your Pages 

You can create a border design in PowerPoint! Closing in all of your elements adds a professional touch to your work, and it’s super simple to do this with PowerPoint!

You can select the style, shape, color, weight, and add it to the corner of your product cover, preview, or actual resource.

This is a great alternative if you are not able to invest in any border designs (though it is nice to have on hand), or you just know that a simple, straight-forward border will do the trick.

For a simple, rectangular border:

1. Go to Insert > Shape
2. Select the Square
3. Drag and re-size the square over the entire page
4. At the top, go to “Shape Format” select “No Fill” for the shape.
5. Select the color of your choice for the Outline
6. You can change the weight and style based on your personal preference!

So there you have it!

 These hacks have been really helpful for me when creating my TPT resources, and I hope these help you out too.

Is there another hack that you love to use when creating resources with PowerPoint? DM on Insta @thesouthernteach and let me know!