We investigated the effects of readymade versus self-generated graphic organizers (GOs) on learning, comparing the performances of undergraduates (N = 81) tasked with learning a multimedia document. This document was either presented on its own ("control group"), with a readymade GO, or with a blank GO that students had to fill in either before or during the learning of the document. In line with previous research, adding a readymade GO increased students' memorization and transfer scores, compared with controls. By displaying the main ideas in the text and their hierarchical relations, GOs act as visual aids to learning. Results showed that self-generating a GO was no more beneficial than viewing a readymade GO when students were placed in a dual-task situation (generation + learning). However, when the students' information processing was guided by sequencing these tasks (generation then learning), they outperformed the control and readymade groups on memorization and comprehension.