How to Fix Black Boxes Around PowerPoint Clip Art When Printing
Question details
Users experience black boxes appearing around transparent or clip art images when printing presentations directly from Microsoft PowerPoint.
- Product
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Device & OS
- macOS
- Scenario
- Printing a presentation containing clip art with transparent backgrounds.
- Observed behavior
- Black boxes appear around the clip art on the printed page, even though the same presentation prints fine when exported to a PDF first.
Before making system changes, check your print preview to see if the black boxes appear there, and ensure your printer is properly connected to your network or computer.
Export the Presentation to PDF and Print
A quick and reliable workaround that bypasses the PowerPoint graphics printing engine by converting the file to a standard PDF first.
Since the issue is often specific to how PowerPoint sends transparency data to the printer driver, printing from a flattened PDF usually bypasses the rendering glitch entirely.
Open your presentation in PowerPoint, click on 'File' in the top menu, and select 'Save As' or 'Export'. Choose 'PDF' as your file format and save it.
Locate the newly saved PDF file on your computer and open it using Adobe Reader or your system's default PDF viewer (like macOS Preview).
Click 'File' > 'Print' within the PDF viewer. The document should now print cleanly without any black boxes around the clip art.
Update macOS, Microsoft 365, and Printer Drivers
Outdated software or printer firmware can cause communication bugs that result in image transparency rendering as black boxes.
Reinstall the Printer
Removing and re-adding the printer can clear corrupted configuration profiles that may be causing the print glitch.
Print Presentations Flawlessly with WPS Office
If Microsoft PowerPoint continues to print black boxes around your clip art, try WPS Office. It's a free, lightweight alternative that handles transparency perfectly and is fully compatible with PPT and PPTX files, ensuring your presentations print exactly as they appear on screen.
- 1. Install WPS Office: Download and install the free WPS Office suite on your Mac or PC.
- 2. Open Your Presentation: Launch WPS Presentation and open your existing PowerPoint file directly—no conversion needed.
- 3. Print Flawlessly: Go to Menu > Print to print your slides perfectly without black box glitches.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do black boxes appear around transparent images in PowerPoint?
This is often caused by a rendering conflict between PowerPoint's graphics engine and specific printer drivers, especially when handling image transparency (alpha channels) on older or incompatible firmware.
Does this printing issue happen on both Mac and Windows?
While it is commonly reported on macOS after specific system or Office updates, similar transparency printing glitches can occasionally occur on Windows devices depending on the manufacturer's printer driver.
How can I modify the clip art to avoid print issues without exporting to PDF?
You can convert the transparent clip art to a flat image. Right-click the clip art, select 'Save as Picture', save it as a JPEG (which removes transparency), and then re-insert the JPEG back into your slide.
