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Hi,
I'm seeing strange printing artifacts (see image) when exporting a score as a PDF file in Finale. Only on some pages, always in the lower left corner and in different formations, always 3's and once a 6. Very odd.

Because I supposed it had anything to do with triplet numbering I tried shifting margins and resizing systems and pages but I couldn't see anything that could cause this problem. I then tried printing with a 'virtual PDF printer' (Cute PDF). This worked fine and showed no printing artifacts. However, the printing quality of the exported PDF is better then the virtual printer, even when set as high as 4000dpi.

Thanks for any suggestions!

Finale 25.5 | Win10

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It looks like some tuplets that have had their tuplet numbers moved far away from the tuplets they belong to.

There are not any tuplets in the score?

I do not see tuplets in your attached graphic.

 

Try this:

Selection Tool.

Double-click on the tuplet number.

This step should take you to the Tuplet Tool, with the tuplet selected.

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Thanks for replying, Peter.
Yes, there are tuplets in my score but no (triplet) numbers are missing there. I can only see the numbers in the lower left corner when exported as PDF. They don't show up in the Finale score and neither when 'printed' with CutePDF. I have tried to re-enter all triplets on this score page but nothing changed. Btw, the triplet numbers in the score have a different size.

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Try viewing your score in scroll view. Sometimes that reveals things that aren't visible in page view.

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Thanks for replying, Jeffrey.

I tried that (and also other view types) but nothing there to see. I found out it definitely has something to do with triplet numbering. I changed all the triplet numbers from page 1 in: 3:2 and (some of them) showed up at the bottom of page 2. ??

Very strange behaviour. Since I don't know of which triplets the numbering will appear at the bottom it will be useless to re-enter triplets.

And since the 'printing artifacts' don't show up when 'printing' with CutePDF my guess is that there is a problem with the 'Export as PDF' module in Finale. It obviously shows codes which are are not supposed to be shown.

 

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Yes. the Export as PDF function has been hinky since Day 1. Forget about it. You can use either CutePDF, or export the page as a PDF graphic. That's how I do it. It yields a true black, and a smaller file, than other methods.

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@Mike R.: Thanks for the advise! I already decided to use the 'Microsoft to PDF' printer. It produces a good quality PDF without 'artifacts'.

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@George M.: I don't have this problem because I (probably?) don't have a default printer set in Win10. My Win10 product always seems to show the last used printer by default. Thanks anyway, good to know!

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Micheal,

 

This is a certainly bothersome issue that we are aware of here at MakeMusic. This is directly related to the tuplets in the document but we have not narrowed down why this happens with some documents, but not others, as this does not affect every document with tuplets in it.

 

When this does happen with a document, the solution Mike R. offered will typically provide the best results as a work around. 

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I too have had this problem as well and it has cost me countless hours to figure it out and fix it. I had about 4 number 3s at the bottom of my page. I couldn't see them in finale. When I exported the file to a .pdf they showed up and dumbfounded me.  I finally cleared the entire beat and re-inputted it into the score very carefully and zoomed in quite a bit. Somehow, it worked and didn't show those "3s" anymore on the exported .pdf.

Now I'm having other problems to figure out though, such as 1) text shifting when exporting to .pdf,  2) when linking an exercise number to a measure, the text size is smaller and I have to up it to match the actual text size of text that is not linked, 3) my articulations won't go where they are supposed to go--I have to manually put them where I want them for each of them, 4) using v25 I still have overlap of notes and such when editing and only refreshing the screen lets me see what I've done, and 5) when adjusting text handles, the handles blur as I'm moving them with my arrow up/down/lft/rt keys and I have to refresh screen to see it.

I know I probably should put this message in a separate area, but I've been living with so many of these problems for so long I haven't had the time to go back n' forth in forms and email to get them fixed as I have another job.

Thanks for listening.

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Nancy, have you tried any of the solutions suggested above, like exporting as graphic?

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Sorry Mike, which problem are you referring to?  The "3s" at the bottom of page? Or in general to all that I'm having?

I don't see an option in the File > Export > area to save the file as a graphic. If it did however, how would I get it to a .pdf in order to ready it for printing with the rest of my book files?

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This may be the wrong place to post my concerns, but...here goes.

I'm printing my extracted parts to PDF files, and in the case of the trombone parts, instead of getting the one page or two pages of their respective parts, I'm getting on the PDF file one page of my horn parts, two repetitions of the first page of Trombone 1 & 2 parts, then an unedited version of the same page, then the second movement, then the third movement - and I'm printing it based on one part! 

Is there something I did wrong in extracting the parts from the score? Is there something wrong with my PDF program? Help! 

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Nancy Medeiros,

 

Are you still using Windows 7?

 

… text shifting when exporting to .pdf …

When you are “exporting to .pdf”, are you then using the Graphics Tool (Graphics menu > Export Pages…)?

Or are you “printing” to a PDF file?

The culprit could be a wrong page size in the Print dialog.

 

… when linking an exercise number to a measure, the text size is smaller and I have to up it to match the actual text size of text that is not linked …

I am not sure what you mean by your words “linked” and “not linked” ??? - linked parts perhaps?

What tool are you using? - the Expression Tool? - the Text Tool?

Please give us the exact steps you are following.

 

… my articulations won't go where they are supposed to go--I have to manually put them where I want them for each of them …

Have you tried using an Articulation Metatool?

Just hold down the metatool’s defined trigger key, and drag across the staff.

In that way the articulation will “snap” to its defined, default positioning.

 

… using v25 I still have overlap of notes and such when editing and only refreshing the screen lets me see what I've done …

… when adjusting text handles, the handles blur as I'm moving them with my arrow up/down/lft/rt keys and I have to refresh screen to see it …

These two issues sound like a hardware problem, with the computer screen or the graphics card.

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Hi Mike,

Problem work around fix! Okay, so from the File > Print > Setup function from within Finale v25, I chose to print the file to Microsoft Print to PDF. Then I opened the file and viewed it and it looked fine. I don't think I should've had to do it that way, but I did. That problem is solved now. Thank you!

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Hello Peter,

...are you then using the Graphics Tool (Graphics menu > Export Pages…)? Or are you “printing” to a PDF file?
I am simple using File > Export > PDF and "Save" the file to my designated folder. View my last message though to see how I got it to work.

...not sure what you mean by your words “linked” and “not linked” ??? - linked parts perhaps? What tool are you using? - the Expression Tool? - the Text Tool?
See photo below. I am using the Text Tool and right clicking on the handle to get "edit text attributes" then I am attaching (aka linking) it to the measure I want it attached.linked to. That's when font size changes.

 

...Have you tried using an Articulation Metatool? Just hold down the metatool’s defined trigger key, and drag across the staff. In that way the articulation will “snap” to its defined, default positioning.

I'm using the Articulation button. What is the "Articulation Metatool"? I'm not familiar with that term. The below is what it looks like when I try to input a sixteenth roll.

..re overlap of notes and refreshing page to see outcome.
These two issues sound like a hardware problem, with the computer screen or the graphics card.
My laptop is brand spanking new. An HP Spetre 360. I'm not sure how that could be the problem. It was worse when I upgrade to v26. So much worse that I had to go back to v25. I have to pin point this problem more as it's not always happening...I don't think.

Thanks for going through these problems with me Peter. I really appreciate it.

 

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Graphics menu > Export Pages is the method I use.

 

Metatools: if you look at the Articulation or Expression windows, you will see a letter or number in the upper right of many of the frames. Those are the metatools. To use them, try this: Select the Articulation tool. Hold down the S key, and click on a note. You should see a staccato on that note, because S is the metatool for a staccato. You can also drag-apply it to a group of notes. Again, with the Articulation tool, and the S key, click and hold at the upper left of the group, and drag down and to the right. When you release the mouse button, you should see staccati on all of the selected notes.

 

You can find much more information on metatools in your Help files.

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Nancy Medeiros,

 

Regarding text size:

When you attach a text block to a measure, it gets resized in proportion to the staff size. If you want the text to ignore this, choose "Fixed Size" from the font dialog box after selecting and highlighting the text.

 

The blurring handle is a screen drawing issue. Just redraw the screen to clear all of the artifacting.

 

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Thank you, that seems to work good.

Do you think Finale will ever fix the blurring handle problem? Redrawing/refreshing the screen is NOT ideal when editing--just an extra step to have to do.

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Mike,

Articulation Selection: there are only numbers in the upper left of each box, no letters, see below:

Lately I've been using #s 29, 30 and 31 to put in drum rolls. (I use the drum set side of Finale v25).  When I select say number 30, it puts the the slashes above and to the left of the note hovering. It's not putting the slashes centered on the stem where I need them. Do I have a setting messed up somewhere?

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Mike & Peter,

This is what happens when I click on the articulation button and then drag to select the two 8th notes. I select number 30 in the Apply Articulation dialog box, click okay and voila, see where it puts them? I need them centered on the stem.

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Nancy Medeiros,

 

Your screen shot of the Articulation Selection shows that you have not programmed any articulation metatools in this Finale document.

 

In this example let us say that you want to program a metatool with the tremolo double slash articulation on the number 7 key.

Articulation Tool.

Hold down Shift, and hit the number 7 key on the computer keyboard.

Finale will display the Articulation Selection.

Click to select the tremolo double slash articulation, and click on the button Select, to return to the score.

You have now programmed the metatool.

From now on you can add the tremolo double slash articulation by holding down the number 7 key, and dragging across the staff.

 

NB:

Articulation metatools are document specific, not program specific. You might prefer to program the metatools in your templates, so that all new documents will have the programmed metatools.

 

 

Your example of what happens when you drag across the staff, indicates that you should examine, how the articulation is defined.

In the Articulation Selection (shown above in your own post), click to select articulation 30 (= the tremolo double slash), then click the button Edit…

You get to the Articulation Designer where you can examine/edit the articulation’s definition.

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