An inserted handout can move when you try to select an answer or draw beside a question. Once that happens, an otherwise correct annotation may appear to answer the wrong item. In OneNote, making the printout a background gives you a stable surface for the writing task.

Start with a non-sensitive practice handout and keep its original file. Pick a page with clearly numbered questions near the top, middle and bottom. Those reference points will help you check whether the annotations remain associated with the right material.

Establish the background before writing

In desktop OneNote for Windows, open the destination page and choose Insert. Use the printout or picture option provided by your version, select the file and insert it. After it appears, right-click the intended printout image and choose Set Picture as Background. Microsoft describes this as locking it in place so users can write or draw over it without moving the original image.

Check the selected page and its orientation before adding answers. If the inserted document has several pages, inspect each page you intend to annotate rather than assuming a single selected image represents the entire handout.

Rehearse an ordinary annotation edit

Write a short sample answer beside the first question and add a mark beside a later one. Then select and revise the answer as you normally would. Confirm that the question image stays where intended and that the later mark still identifies the correct item.

Review the middle and bottom of the page at a readable size. A small displacement can be easy to miss near the top while making a lower annotation ambiguous. Keep space around question numbers and printed instructions so the new writing does not conceal the source prompt.

If the wrong handout revision was inserted, return to the original file before investing in a page of annotations. Setting a background does not establish that the questions are current or that the page is protected against every possible edit.

Microsoft advises against embedding a large printout when many people will view the content. Choose the necessary material and test the intended viewing environment. Before delivering the annotated notebook or an output from it, inspect the actual result for readable prompts and correctly placed answers. Retain the clean handout so a reviewer can distinguish supplied instructions from added commentary.

Sources: Microsoft: OneNote background printouts.