Ink Annotations and Laser Pointer

During Q&A, Dr. Helen Marsh may circle a tour time or point at the sports block photo — without leaving Slide Show.

On Saturday 14 March 2026, a parent asks about parking. Dr. Helen Marsh right-clicks during Slide Show, chooses Pointer Options → Pen, circles Reception, then erases the mark before the next group arrives.

Slide Show tools turn the projector into a whiteboard for a moment. Use them sparingly so NorthgateOpenDay.pptx stays professional. Ink annotations are temporary by default — erase them before saving unless you intentionally keep marked-up slides.

Point at the Sports Block without permanent marks on the slide.

• 1Press F5 or Slide Show → From Beginning.
• 2Advance to the campus map or tour slide.
• 3Hold Ctrl and click Laser Pointer (or press Ctrl+L).
• 4Expected result: A red dot follows the cursor on screen.
• 5Press Ctrl+A to switch back to the normal pointer.

Emphasise the 10:30 science tour during a question.

• 1During Slide Show on the Tour schedule slide, right-click → Pointer Options → Pen (or Ctrl+P).
• 2Drag around 10:30 — Science Block.
• 3Right-click → Pointer Options → Eraser (or Ctrl+E). Click the ink stroke.
• 4Press Esc.
• 5If asked to keep ink, click Discard unless markup should stay in the file.
• 6Expected result: Ink is erased or discarded — clean slide when the show ends.

Fix: If pen colour is invisible on a dark background, right-click → Pointer Options → Ink Color → pick yellow or white.

When you press Esc after drawing, PowerPoint asks whether to Keep or Discard ink annotations.

For NorthgateOpenDay.pptx:

• Discard before the next Open Day session — the deck stays clean for James Okonkwo
• Keep only if you deliberately want marked slides in the file (rare)

Never keep accidental scribbles — they appear in PDF exports and handouts. Practice pen and eraser once before Saturday 14 March 2026. Drawing with a mouse is harder than it looks in front of two hundred parents.

Use the Laser Pointer to highlight the sports photo for five seconds without leaving a mark. Use the Pen when you need a circle or underline that stays until you erase it.

Changing body placeholder colour edits the slide design — that is not live highlighting during Slide Show.

Example — Highlight without permanent ink: Laser Pointer leaves no permanent mark — ideal for a five-second emphasis on a photo. Pen draws strokes until you erase them. Dr. Helen Marsh usually discards ink when exiting Slide Show so the master Open Day file stays clean.