Susan,

How are you creating the PDF? The recommended method is to use the Print PDF in the Mc OS, rather than from the Finale Print dialogue.

Printing in Finale 25 is way different than earlier versions. You need to go through the Help files to know all of your options. 

Without knowing how you are doing this, it's impossible to do anything other than guess. So, here's mine:

One of the many changes is that, in 25, the ability to generate small sized, true black .pdf files is gone from Print — both Mac OS and Finale's new Print Options. It is now found in Graphics/Export pages/pdf. Although Graphics/Export pages/pdf was introduced in 2014, one could still available through the Print menu — no longer.

Mike H is correct. I just haven't gotten the Graphics>Export workflow into my brain, yet!

Thank you, both!  I was using the print dialogue in Finale to create a pdf.

I really appreciate your help.  Since upgrading my OS, I have quite a learning curve not only in finale, but also in Dragon dictate.  Thankfully I enjoy learning, but I'd rather not be doing so under pressure to produce music for the bell choir for the  Christmas Eve service. New Years resolutions coming up! I just tried the graphics>export method.  I'm about to go  see if it worked.  The challenge there is that I am disabled and use a wheelchair.  I need to take a field trip to the office on another floor of the facility where I live to see what happened when I sent it.

Thanks again, both of you, for your help!

Suzy 

If you were able to create the file as it appears you were, it should do what you need.

Without going too far off topic, I understand both the wheelchair and Dragon issues intimately.

Before 25 was released, I spoke to one of the developers about resolving the conflict between Dragon (48kHz) and Finale (44.1kHz) and was glad to see them play nicely in 25. (Now, if I could get Dragon for Mac to work as advertised — but that's a different issue)

Alas, it did not come through properly-- oe note heads and scattered lyrics. For now I'm reverting to sending a PDF (finale print dialogue) file to one of my ringers.  It comes through for her, so she prints and copies it for the rest of us. This is a bandaid, not a solution. I'm not giving up !!

so, I'm not the only one who is struggling with Dragon for Mac. It's oddly reassuring. I can be a pit bull when it comes to untangling technology. 

I need to catch the bus to choir practice, but the finale battle will resume in the morning. Again, thank you! 

Suzy

It is still possible to create PDFs using the Finale print dialog window and I still do this if I don't remember to use the Graphics tool. The main difference I can see is the size: PDFs made via the Graphics menu are ½ - ⅓ the size of those made via the print dialog window. The previews of the Graphics PDFs seem slightly sharper. I've heard that the 100% black problem is solved when PDFs are made using the Graphics menu, although I haven't had complaints about this for a long time. In any case, I can't remember ever having the font embedding problems the OP mentions.

>PDFs made via the Graphics menu are ½ - ⅓ the size of those made via the print dialog >

That large? I find them even smaller but you are correct on this.

>The previews of the Graphics PDFs seem slightly sharper.<

That and the size are due to the fact that Graphics/Export produces true black instead of greyscale

>I  can't remember ever having the font embedding problems the OP mentions.<

Me neither but ... There have been a few complaints about this but no one ever takes us through the whole process so that those of us not experiencing this issue have a clue as to what is really happening with those who do.