If you have created slide masters already, then you can save the file using
File | Save As. In the "save as type" dropdown box at the bottom of the Save
As dialog, choose PowerPoint Template (*.POT).
Many people don't realize that you can also apply a *.PPT or *.PPS file as a
template. In the presentation you want to use the template on, go to Format
| Slide Design, click the Browse button at the bottom of the Slide Design
Task Pane, and navigate to your file. (This is the same thing you'd do if
your POT (template) file doesn't show up in the Slide Design Task Pane.)
You'll notice at the bottom of that "apply design template" dialog box it
lists files of type: PPT, POT, PPS -- so you can select any of those types
of files to use as the design template.
As for the background not printing, I assume you're talking about when you
print in black and white. I believe that choosing File | Print and selecting
Pure Black and White is supposed to drop out that background when printing,
but sometimes it doesn't -- usually depends on how the background was
constructed. So if you go to the slide master (View | Master | Slide Master)
then View | Color-Grayscale | Grayscale, you can right-click the object,
choose Grayscale Setting, and then Don't Show or any other appropriate
setting. These affect only the black and white print settings, they don't
affect the color view of your show at all.
Then repeat if necessary in View | Color-Grayscale | Pure Black and White so
that whichever way you choose in the File | Print dialog, it will be
correct.
