MS Powerpoint: Can I use a (0,0) based coordinate system?

Question

I want to use ppts to represent the design of some webpages that I am designing. Therefore, for accuracy, I want to be able to see the coordinates of my cursor as well as the coordinates of each rectangle inside one slide with respect to one of the corners, that acts as the (0,0) origin.

Is it possible to see the coordinate system in each slide and also be able to set the position of a rectangle by putting in numbers rather than pulling it around with my mouse ?

Also, can someone point me to a better tool for doing this kind of stuff. Preferably free. I am using a Macbook Pro.

Answer 1

PowerPoint (and other Office programs) rely on the system's region setting to determine whether to use American units (inches) or metrics units (cm). There is no setting for a pixel grid, so you'll be forced to make conversions or use different software.

PowerPoint really is not the best tool for web design mock-ups. Most web designers use Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop, but those are both quite expensive. Inkscape is the most widely used alternative for making drawings on a computer. alternativeto.net lists several other alternatives for both illustrator and photoshop.

You might try asking a question on programmers.se about what different recommended website mock-up tools are out there.