Questions, answered

These are the questions worth answering before you spend money. If yours is not here, write to support@pencillane.com.

What files do I actually get?

Every kit includes a print-ready PDF and an editable PowerPoint file (.pptx) covering the same pages. They arrive together in your download, usually as a single ZIP folder when a product has more than one file. The product page lists the exact file names and page count before you buy.

What does “editable” mean, and where does it stop?

It means the words are real text boxes in the .pptx, not pictures of words. You can click into any word card, label, heading or sentence strip and retype it, change the size, or delete it. What you cannot do is redraw the layout engine: the grid, the card shapes and the cut lines are drawing objects, so moving one card does not re-space the others. If you want a different number of cards per page you are moving shapes by hand, the way you would in any PowerPoint deck.

Do the fonts come with the PowerPoint file?

Not reliably, and we would rather say so plainly. PowerPoint's font-embedding feature only works on Windows; our files are built on a Mac, so the .pptx carries font names rather than the font files themselves. If your computer does not have the font installed, PowerPoint substitutes something else and the text can re-flow — longer words, shifted lines, a card that no longer fits. We limit the damage by building with widely installed families such as Arial and Arial Rounded MT Bold, which most Windows, Mac and Chromebook setups already have. If you have edited a file and the spacing looks wrong, that substitution is almost always the reason.

Will it work in Google Slides?

Yes. Upload the .pptx to Google Drive and open it with Google Slides, and the text boxes stay editable. The same font caution applies, and slightly more so: Google Slides substitutes any font it does not carry, and exotic fonts re-flow. Open your file once in Slides and glance at page one before you build a whole week around it.

Can I use these on an iPad or a Chromebook?

Yes, with one wrinkle. Reading and printing the PDF works on both — Files and Books on iPad, the built-in viewer on a Chromebook. For editing the .pptx, a Chromebook uses Google Slides (above), and an iPad needs the free Microsoft PowerPoint app or Google Slides. Buying on a phone or tablet is fine, but if you plan to edit, downloading on a laptop or desktop is the smoother path, because tablets often want to open the ZIP folder before you can get at what is inside.

Do the pages print at home?

They are built for it. Everything is US Letter, 8.5 by 11 inches, with margins inside the printable area of a normal inkjet, so nothing important lands in the strip your printer cannot reach. Print at 100% or “actual size” rather than “fit to page”, or your cut lines will end up a few millimetres off.

Will it look right in black and white?

Yes — that is the assumption we design under. We do not use full-bleed colour blocks, colour-coded keys that become identical greys, or pale text on a tint. If a page uses colour it is decorative, and the page still reads when the school copier gives you black toner on white paper. You can print greyscale without losing information.

Can I print as many copies as I want?

For your own students, yes, with no cap. One purchase covers one teacher and the children that teacher teaches, this year and every year after. Print a class set, reprint it in March when it is sticky, laminate it, send it home.

What if my whole grade team or school wants it?

Then you need one licence per teacher. A single purchase does not cover a team, a grade level, a building or a district, and emailing the file to three colleagues is the thing the licence asks you not to do. If you need several copies at once, email support@pencillane.com with the number of teachers and we will send you a multi-teacher quote rather than have you guess.

The download link did not work. Now what?

Email support@pencillane.com with the email address you used at checkout, and we will re-send the link. Links can fail for dull reasons — an expired session, a school network that blocks downloads, a tablet that stalls on a ZIP. Before you write, it is worth checking the spam and Promotions folders, and if you are on a school device, trying again on a personal one.

Can I get a refund?

Yes. Every product has a 30-day money-back guarantee: email support@pencillane.com within 30 days of your order and we refund the full price, no reason needed. A broken file, the wrong product or a duplicate purchase is always put right, even after 30 days. Details are on our Refund Policy page.

What if you update a file after I buy it?

Updates to a product you already own are free. When we fix a typo or add pages, the file is replaced at source, so re-visiting your original download link gives you the new version. For anything larger than a typo we email buyers of that product to say what changed — you never have to check back to find out.

Can I ask you to change something?

You can ask. If a word list is wrong for your scope and sequence, or a page has an error, tell us — that is the fastest way our files get better, and errors get fixed for everyone. Custom one-off versions are not something a shop this size can promise, which is exactly why the editable .pptx is in every kit.

How do I reach a person?

Email support@pencillane.com. Include your order number if you have one, and the file name if the question is about a specific page. We aim to answer within as quickly as we can, and always within two business days.