Printable classroom decor is so popular for many reasons. Its editable so you can customize it to meet your needs for your classroom from year to year. You can create exactly what you need. And you can find some pretty amazing designs and classroom themes to bring your dream classroom to life! However sometimes teachers can be intimidated by printing out their own classroom decorations. Teachers’ expertise lies in teaching students, not with printer settings… right? This blog post will help you get the most out of your printable classroom decor with the best tips and tricks I know! After reading this, you will feel more confident printing anything!
Getting Ready to Print Your Classroom Decor Pack
All of my editable classroom decor files are formatted as PowerPoint files. When you have added your text and gotten them just the way you want them. Save them as a PDF file. Most printing issues can be solved by using Adobe Reader. It’s a free download. When you’re ready to print open Adobe reader and find the file you want to print. This helps make sure that your computer doesn’t open another program by default.
Printing your printable classroom decor from a PDF rather than a PowerPoint or Google Slides Presentation prevents problems with printers “seeing” layers and detailed images and getting overwhelmed. If your school does not allow you to download Adobe Reader, a regular PDF should prevent most problems you’ll encounter with printing digital classroom decor.
Change the Size
Click the drop down arrow by scale. The wording will be slightly different in other programs. “Fit to printable area” and “Fit to paper” are usually what I pick. Chose one, then scroll through the print preview to check to see if any of the edges are being cut off. Then choose the other and scroll through the print preview again. I use both of these printing options from time to time. It just depends on the resource.
You can also choose to use a custom scale. You can enlarge or shrink your printable classroom decorations this way.
How to Print Classroom Posters: Printable Classroom Decor
When enlarging, you will need to be careful that your printable classroom posters, labels and banners do not become blurry. You can look through the print preview to check the quality. Enlarging printable classroom posters from 150% to 185% is usually a good starting point! You can tell how many sheets of paper your poster will print into, how much overlap it will have and the final size from the print preview.
Just a heads up: I only saw this option in the Adobe Reader printing window. My other printing program didn’t have the option to print classroom posters at a larger scale on more than one page.
Ink Saving Tips
To save ink, only print the pages you need by choosing “custom” or “pages” under the pages to print option. Again, the wording on your specific program may be a little different. Sometimes I have 15 random pages in a large document I need to print so I go through and jot them all down so its faster to type them all into the pop up window.
Don’t want to waste ink on printing blank classroom decor items? While editing your classroom decor pack in PowerPoint insert white rectangles over items you don’t need to print. The default shape color is usually blue, so you’ll have to change it to white.
Check your Ink Levels
You’ve spent your time editing and selecting what to print. You want your classroom decor to print bright and streak free. Be sure to make sure you have plenty of ink before you get started so you’re not disappointed with how they turn out. (Speaking from experience here)
When you’ve selected how many per page to print, don’t forget to check the print preview!
My Favorite Printable Classroom Decor Tip: Repurpose and be Creative
You can print multiple pages per page! These posters were originally a full page each. It’s so easy! I remember the day I learned about printing multiple pages per page! My mind was blown! These cards are now ready to be used for a math center! This is a great tip for creating flash cards, games, centers, pocket chart activities, labels and tags, or banners! Every teacher’s space is different so if you need smaller classroom posters, this is a great way to get them!
Take the birthday display and create your dismissal chart. Use the classroom calendar numbers as book bin labels. You can even use the classroom rules posters and edit them into welcome signs! Whichever design is your favorite, use it over and over however you’d like to.
Printing multiple slides to a page has definitely been a game changer for me when it comes to repurposing printable classroom decorations! The sky’s the limit so let your creativity shine here. I absolutely love seeing what teachers create with my classroom decor packs!
Looking for the easiest way to decorate your classroom? I have the best tips for you here! Do you need some classroom inspiration? Check this out! Want to know how to setup your classroom? This is the post for you!
