ArtCraft DeckCraft: downloads and a chart slide workflow

DeckCraft is ArtCraft's free, open-source presentation app. Its upstream project documents PPTX reading and writing, slide layouts, and presentation tools. If you want to evaluate it for a data presentation, begin with one chart slide and check the saved deck and final output before moving a complete presentation.

Independent guide, sources checked October 16, 2026. This page is for people presenting spreadsheet results. Charttoolbox is not affiliated with ArtCraft or Microsoft. We reviewed official sources; we have not run DeckCraft or independently tested its PPTX compatibility.

Open the official DeckCraft product page →

What is DeckCraft in the ArtCraft suite?

DeckCraft is the slide-presentation member of the Crafting Apps family. The official product page describes slide masters, themes, drawing shapes, transitions, and presenter view. The Storytold DeckCraft repository documents presentation-file support and describes the project as alpha.

These are upstream descriptions, not independent evidence that a particular slide deck will render unchanged. A title slide with plain text is a different compatibility test from a deck containing custom fonts, animation, media, or embedded objects. Choose a small representative task before comparing applications.

For spreadsheet work, ArtCraft's corresponding app is GridCraft. For a written report, see WordCraft. This guide focuses on the presentation step: how to explain a table with one readable chart.

Find the official DeckCraft download

Start with the official product page or the upstream release listing. We found v0.7.0 in the listing during this check. Use the current release notes for package selection; the product page and GitHub may show different versions while documentation catches up.

Record the build number and package used. Keep your original PPTX separately and evaluate a copy. Charttoolbox does not distribute DeckCraft packages or host its editor; links here take you to the upstream project.

DeckCraft vs PowerPoint: check the slides you deliver

Compare a complete delivery cycle: open, edit, save, reopen, and present or export. Matching feature names do not settle whether your recipient sees the intended result. If PowerPoint is the receiving application, include it in that cycle rather than checking only the new editor's preview.

1. Layout: check slide dimensions, placeholder positions, alignment, and text wrapping after reopening.
2. Fonts: inspect the machine used for delivery. A substituted font can make labels or titles wrap differently.
3. Figures: compare the chart's proportions, colors, captions, and data labels in the saved deck and final output.
4. Presentation: test the exact transitions, media, and speaker workflow you require. Leave anything you did not exercise marked “not tested.”

A static chart image avoids depending on an editable chart object during this particular exercise, but it does not prove overall PPTX compatibility. You still need to inspect its placement and legibility after saving.

Prepare a line chart from a small sales table

This fictional sample CSV contains six monthly observations and two series measured in the same arbitrary sales unit. The question is how each channel changed over time, so a line chart is appropriate.

Date,Online sales,Store sales
2026-01-01,120,98
2026-02-01,142,108
2026-03-01,136,115
2026-04-01,175,129
2026-05-01,190,151
2026-06-01,224,163

Download the fictional monthly sales CSV. Check three details before designing the slide: online sales start at 120 and end at 224; store sales start at 98 and end at 163; online sales dip from 142 to 136 in March. A chart should preserve that dip instead of implying uninterrupted growth.

1. Open the line chart generator. Import the CSV or paste its header and six rows.
2. Select Date as the X field and both sales columns as value series. Choose the date mode for the YYYY-MM-DD values.
3. Use the title “Monthly sales by channel” and a source note of “Fictional sample data.” Check the series names, chronological order, and March dip.
4. Choose a canvas suitable for your slide layout and export PNG. SVG is available if the receiving presentation app supports the intended import.

For preparing this chart in Microsoft's spreadsheet application, see how to make a line graph in Excel. If the rows instead represented unordered regions, a bar chart would be a better starting point.

Build a slide around one claim

Use a slide title that states what the viewer should notice: “Both channels finish above January; online sales dip in March.” That claim follows directly from the sample. The chart cannot tell you why sales changed, whether a campaign caused the increase, or what will happen next.

In the presentation editor you are evaluating, add a title and test its image-insertion workflow with the exported PNG. Keep the aspect ratio. Give the chart enough space for its date labels and legend, and place the fictional-data note where it remains readable. Put supporting detail in speaker notes or another slide rather than shrinking the figure to fit several unrelated claims.

Save a copy of the deck, close it, and reopen it. Then inspect the slide in presentation mode and in the final output format you plan to distribute. Check the first and last points against the CSV and verify that the dashed and solid lines remain distinguishable. If you used SVG, confirm that the receiving app preserved it correctly.

The exported figure is a snapshot. Changing the spreadsheet later does not update the image in the slide, so retain the CSV and regenerate the chart for revisions. This exercise is a manual file workflow, not a live DeckCraft integration or a claim that Charttoolbox writes PPTX files.

Common questions about ArtCraft DeckCraft

Is DeckCraft free?

The official page lists DeckCraft as free and open source. Consult the upstream project for current downloads and licensing details.

Can DeckCraft open PowerPoint files?

The upstream project documents PPTX reading and writing. Because it describes itself as alpha, check copies of the decks you actually deliver; documented format support does not guarantee an unchanged round trip.

Does Charttoolbox create a slide deck?

No. Charttoolbox creates charts from tables and exports PNG or SVG. You add the resulting figure to a presentation using the receiving editor's supported workflow.

Which chart should I put on my slide?

Use a line chart for ordered change, a bar chart for category comparisons, and a box plot for comparing distributions of raw measurements. Choose based on the question rather than the amount of space available.