For many years the means of communicating electron microscopy techniques had been through either the spoken or the written word. with the advent of the computer and in particular the notebook computer more exotic methods of information presentation were made available. Now with the compact disk or the DVD, with their ability to store very large quantities of data, even more new avenues have been opened up for trainers.

There are a number of programs by small organisations, like QM Slide Show and EZ Slide, that enable the trainer to take the simple approach to presentation preparation. Using a Windows Notepad interface or similar the trainer gathers bitmap files in a simple sequence, referencing the file source to activate each part of the presentation. This type of presentation is extremely flexible, so much so that the trainer, with a large selection of bitmap files and a good filing system, may develop a completely new or modified presentation in just a few minutes.