Guides are introduced in the Design Tool section of SlidesYearbook. This page will give measurements for various types of grids used, as well as examples. You may want to bookmark this page.

When SlidesYearbook first started, guides and image size specification did not exist. The workaround was to open SlidesYearbook Guideline templates and copy/paste image size templates. Just as SlidesYearbook has evolved, so has Google Apps.

Maybe someday soon Google will include built-in guide choices or a developer will create a Slides Add-on that saves the measurements. Until then you have a choice - edit the guides in Google Slides or use the SlidesYearbook Guideline template. What is important is that guides are used to align photos, captions, and objects.

Review Skills

If necessary, review these skills:

Example Layouts with Guides

Show Guides

Please note that when you make a copy of the example Google Slides yearbooks, you will not see the guide until you select Show Guides.

  1. Open a layout example from this page.
  2. Go to View -> Guides -> Show guides.

Where are the Guides?

The guides in the example #SlidesYearbook layouts are not on top of the slide. To view the guides,

  1. Go to Slides -> Edit theme.
  2. Click on the THEME slide.
  3. Go to View -> Guides -> Edit guides. Margins that are the same on ALL pages go on the THEME.
  4. Now view the guides for the 2- or 3- column Layout. Guides that change depending on the number of columns go on the Layout pages.

2-Column Guides (Narrow Margins)

3-Column Guides (Narrow Margins)

4-Column Guides (narrow margins)

#SlidesYearbook 4-Column Guide

#SlidesYearbook Guide Templates

 

Page Size

Publisher
8.5 x 11 inches narrow margins with no color bleed Our district office printer
8.5 x 11 inches safe margins with no color bleed Our district office
8.5 x 11 inches with color bleed Blossom Books
8 x 10 inches with color bleed Blurb | Print Requirements

Create Your Own Guides

Create a Google Slides

  1. In Google Chrome, open a new tab.
  2. Type slides.new

This shortcut also works for Docs, Sheets, Calendar, and Sites. Open a new tab, type the app's name and add .new.

  1. Close the Theme sidebar on the right.
  2. Name the presentation in the upper left corner.
  3. Click on the View menu and uncheck Show speaker notes.
  4. Delete the one slide.
  5. Go to File -> Page setup.
  6. Select the down arrow and Custom.
  7. Type one of the following page sizes:
    • Regular size no color bleed = 8.5 x 11 inches(our district printer)
    • Regular size with color bleed = 9.75 x 12.25 inches (Blossom Books)
    • 8 x 10 with color bleed = 8.125 x 10.25 inches
  8. Click Apply.

Setup Guides

Guides created in Edit master can be viewed by collaborators. Guides created on top of the slide can only be used by the user.

  1. Go to the Slide menu and select Edit theme.
  2. Delete all layouts except for Blank.
  3. Go to the View menu and select Guides -> Show guides.
  4. Select View -> Guides -> Edit guides.

 

Setup Page Numbers

  1. Make sure you are on the THEME slide.
  2. Click on the page number placeholder in the lower right corner.
  3. Select Format options.
    • width = .5
    • height = .5
  4. Select Position.
    • EVEN pages x = 0, y =10.5
    • ODD pages x = 8, y = 10.5
    • or center horizontally at y = 10.5
  5. Click on the X to exit Edit theme.

Add Slide and Clear Second Set of Guides

As started previously, guides set in Edit theme can be shared with other users. Guides turned on top of the slide cannot be shared.

  1. Select Click to add new slide.
  2. Notice there are two sets of guides.
  3. Go to View -> Guides -> Clear guides to turn off the guides on top of the slide.

Guide Template

YouTube Playlist

  • The Grid - a Graphic Design Video by Karen Kavett
  • What is a Full Bleed Page? Formatting Pages for Printing/Publishing by My Mangaka Life

Websites

Layout

Creating a yearbook layout that is used for multiple pages will save you time.

Read More

Updated January 29, 2022.