Print a board

Tablets run out of battery, and some places (the pool, the bath, the playground) are no place for one. A printed board is a backup your communicator can still point to. Every board in SpeakAnyWay can be printed, either one page at a time or as a whole set: a book with tabs, or a flip book.

What you'll need

• A board you've made or copied into your account.
• A printer that takes US Letter paper (8.5 × 11 in). Everything prints on that paper; smaller flip books fit two or four pages on each sheet for you to cut apart.
• For sets, books and flip books: a paid plan. A single page prints on every plan, including Free.

Open the Print page

1. Open the board in the editor.
2. Tap the ⋯ menu and choose Print….

On a board set's page, Print this set opens the same page for the set's home board.

The Print page lists every way this board can print. Options that won't work for this board yet say why, with a button that takes you straight to the fix: Link a board or Arrange tiles.

Print one board on a single page

1. Under Single page, tap Download PDF.
2. Pick your options:
   • Black & white prints in grayscale, which is handy on a copier.
   • Include QR code adds a code that opens the board online (paid plans).
   • Hide header drops the SpeakAnyWay logo, title and QR strip so the board fills the page (paid plans).
3. Tap Download.

You get one sheet with every tile, picture and word. Print it, laminate it, and keep it where your communicator needs it.

Print the whole set as a set, book or flip book

If your board has tiles that open other boards (a home board with folders for Food, Feelings, Play and so on), you can print all of them together.

1. Under Cover, leave Add a cover page on if you'd like one. Type a cover title, or tap a suggestion like Words for your communicator's name. Leave it blank to use the board's name.

2. Pick a format and tap Make this:

   • Whole set: this board and every board it opens, one page each.
   • Tabbed book: the whole set with color tabs, a contents page and tab labels, made for a ring binder.
   • Flip book — bottom tabs: bound along the top. Each linked tile in the bottom row becomes a tab you lift to see its board.
   • Flip book — side tabs: bound on the left. Each linked tile in the right-hand column becomes a tab you turn to see its board.

3. For a flip book, pick a Size before you tap Make this:

   • Full sheet: one book page on each sheet of paper.
   • Half sheet: two book pages on each sheet, for boards up to 6 columns.
   • Pocket: four book pages on each sheet, for boards up to 4 columns. Small enough for a bag or a lanyard.

   Half and pocket books print without a cover. A size your board is too wide for stays greyed out and says how many columns it fits.

4. SpeakAnyWay makes the pages. It can take a couple of minutes. You can leave the page, and it'll be waiting under Made before when you come back.

5. When it says Ready, download it in color, or low-ink, which keeps the pictures and drops the colored backgrounds.

The Print page shows printing tips for the format you picked, like where to punch holes for a book or where to cut the tabs on a flip book. For a half-sheet or pocket book, print at 100% (actual size), cut each page apart along the dashed lines, then cut out the tabs.

What to expect

• QR codes only go on published boards. On a private board, a QR code would open "not found" for anyone who isn't signed in as you, so SpeakAnyWay leaves it off and offers Publish this board instead. See Share a board or page.
• A set prints up to 40 boards at once. If a board opens more than that, try a flip book, or print from a board further down the set.
• Asked for the same thing twice? If the board hasn't changed, you get the copy you already made right away.
• Half and pocket books have fewer pages to print, because two or four book pages share each sheet. The page count on each option updates when you change the size.
• One at a time. While one set, book or flip book is being made, wait for it to finish before starting another.
• Changed the board since? Anything under Made before that's older than your latest edits says Out of date. Tap Make again for a fresh copy.

Common questions

• Why are sets, books and flip books locked? They're part of paid plans. Single page works on every plan. Tap Upgrade to print sets on the Print page to see the options.
• Why does Whole set or Tabbed book say "Not ready yet"? The board doesn't open any other boards yet. Use Add tiles → Link a board to add a tile that opens another board, then come back.
• Why is Half sheet or Pocket greyed out? Your board has more columns than that size fits (6 for half, 4 for pocket). Pick a bigger size, or use fewer columns on the board.
• Can I print on A4 paper? Everything is laid out for US Letter. Most printers can scale it to A4 with "Fit to page" in the print dialog.
• How do I save ink? Turn on Black & white for a single page, or download the low-ink file for a set, book or flip book. A half-sheet or pocket flip book also uses less paper.