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Topic: Preview and print problem (Read 7852 times) previous topic - next topic

Preview and print problem

I have a song with 14 staves and the bottom staff, the bottom layer of the piano bass line, does not print or show up in preview. I can find nothing in the staff properties that would prevent it from printing and it is in black type, just like the other staves, when not highlighted.

I tried adding another staff below, in case it had cut off the notes for reasons of space, but that didn't get the missing notes to show up in the preview, either. I also tried moving it up with another layered staff and making it layered with the one below, but it still doesn't show up.

Suggestions?

Re: Preview and print problem

Reply #1 –
It's taken me a while to replicate what you are seeing - but I have.
I now have 14 staves with the last staff dropping below the bottom of the page  below the copyright notice and not showing up in the print preview.

Also, the actual bottom of the page is missing in the print preview.

The only thing I can suggest that you do, for the moment , is to go through each staff and modify the visual properties for the staff so that the upper and lower vertical size is the very minimum that you can get away with for each staff.
This can be reached by  - On each staff without highlighting anything, hold down the ALT key and press enter.
Then select the visual tab. You will find the vertical size there.

I would do this first on any staff that you consider has really too much space between its neighbours. Alter the settings and then do a print preview to see if it has cured the problem. Repeat with other staves as necessary keeping track of which ones you have done.



Rich.

Re: Preview and print problem

Reply #2 –
It has also just occurred to me that you might want to try reducing the staff size points on the page set up. (Click the book and select the Options tab)
This may solve the problem in one go but you will have to put up with everything being smaller. So if you don't want that - then my first suggestion is the way to go.
Can't test this out at the moment though - don't have access to NoteWorthy.
Rich.

Re: Preview and print problem

Reply #3 –
You will find it's not just a limitation of Print Preview.  NWC (or at least NWC2) will not print staffs that would lie below the bottom of the page - you have to adjust paper size to get the bottom ones to print.  That can be awkward but most printers in home use will accept legal size paper, I think.  It's ok for a score even if you wouldn't use it for parts.

Both of Richard's recommendations work.  You can get 15 or 17 staffs on a letter sized piece of paper in landscape, if you're conducting and just work with the shapes of melodic lines.  Reading the actual notes is not quite as easy, depending on your eyesight, but is do-able.

While some might consider it a drawback, I find the ability to adjust vertical staff size very useful, and far easier than trying to adjust the distance between staffs in Finale (an older vesion).

Re: Preview and print problem

Reply #4 –
Let me clarify something: the part that's missing is not off the page, it is well above the bottom margin, about 2 inches. All of the printed song is quite compressed within the letter size sheet, the only margin approached is the right side and that's not cut.

Re: Preview and print problem

Reply #5 –
I just did some more checking: first of all, the staff that doesn't print is in line with another layer that does print, secondly, it is not visible either in the NWC2 Preview screen, as noted previously, nor is it visible when NWC2 sends the page to the Epson print preview screen, so the whole staff simply doesn't exist at that level, even though it shows normally when viewed or edited in NWC2.

Finally, similar notes, 3 or more ledger lines below the staff do print when they were part of a higher staff layered with the one that doesn't print, so it's nothing like the print size going off the page.

Frank

Re: Preview and print problem

Reply #6 –
Just a thought. Check the staff properties 'Group'. I've noticed that when a staff is 'Hidden' it doesn't show in preview, even if it is still visible in the editor.

Re: Preview and print problem

Reply #7 –
This is a very serious bug. It seems to be caused by using the View, Viewer Preview command. I even experienced a crash in Page Setup once this condition was in effect.

Crash conditions:

  • Create a 3 staff arrangement
  • Change the bottom staff's Group to Hidden
  • Go to File, Page Setup, and activate the Fonts tab as the last visited tab, press OK
  • Visit View, Viewer Preview
  • Make the bottom staff active
  • Open File, Page Setup
  • Use Ctrl+Page Up to cycle back through the tabs until the program crashes
 

Re: Preview and print problem

Reply #8 –
R.O.F.L
Eric - you must be the first ever program developer who actually tells users how to crash their program!

Re: Preview and print problem

Reply #9 –
Thanks, Tina, for the info, but the staff is "Standard", as are they all.

I've done a few more tests and find that, even if I add a staff below, which does show in Preview, that faulty staff still won't.

Frank

Quote from: Tina Billett –
Just a thought. Check the staff properties 'Group'. I've noticed that when a staff is 'Hidden' it doesn't show in preview, even if it is still visible in the editor.

Re: Preview and print problem

Reply #10 –
Can you attach a copy of the file so that others may take a look at it?

Re: Preview and print problem

Reply #11 –
Quote from: K.A.T. –
Can you attach a copy of the file so that others may take a look at it?

Do you mean the song file? I'm not sure what to do, if you mean something else.

Frank

Re: Preview and print problem

Reply #12 –
Here's another data point: since I'm having some odd problems with my Epson printers, I opened NWC2 with the printer off just now and when I looked at the Preview with or without a lower staff the Preview image showed the missing staff.

Because of the printer problem, also very odd, seldom or never before seen by Epson, I then turned it on to check the NWC2 output image in Epson's Print Preview window and, guess what, the staff was gonzo!

This afternoon I spent time with Epson support completely removing all traces of Epson printer drivers and software from my system, then I reinstalled all that stuff, brand new and fresh. This had no effect on the printer problem, so I next removed all the most recent software, including NWC2 and only reinstalled it, leaving the other stuff out. Rebooted. No help for the printers.

All this before the above test was done, so it looks like something is interfering between NWC2 and Epson drivers (another model printer is affected with the same, rare problem, too).

Does this give you any hints on where to look for the error that might solve both at once?

Regards,

Frank

Re: Preview and print problem

Reply #13 –
I wish I could just go to sleep and stop thinking of more tests!

I changed the paper size from 8.5x11 to 8.5x14 and saw no change in the staff, but then I went to SuperB and 11x17 and the preview looked normal, except, of course, for the 2 systems per sheet. This is with the printer on.

I bet you wish I could go to sleep for a while, too.

Frank

Re: Preview and print problem

Reply #14 –
Frank,

If you're not sure how to attach the file here, (or unable to - I cant remember which level of membership can do that), then consider emailing the nwc file to me - I'll have a look and see if I get the same effect on my set up.

We'll then know if it's a function of the actual nwc file or if it's something to do with your set up - say the epson driver - the screen driver etc.

If you click on my name it will take you to the profile page. My email address is there. 
(Off to work now and won't be able to check emails til I return)
Rich.

Re: Preview and print problem

Reply #15 –
Frank sent the file and I think I spotted what the problem was . But I'll wait until Frank says if it's cured or not.
Rich.

Re: Preview and print problem

Reply #16 –
Frank says "Cured" .

It was the fact that the very bottom staff had some bar lines missing within a succession of hidden whole note rests. This appears to have confused the the NWC print mechanism so that any following measures with visible notes and bar lines were not printed.

So all's well that ends well and it even seems to have caused Eric to find a bug that no-one else has. Seems to me to be a fairly complex procedure to find that bug. When I tried it - nothing happened. But I expect that I didn't follow instructions exactly.
Rich.

Re: Preview and print problem

Reply #17 –
Inconsistent bar lines, TimeSigs, and staves of varing lengths create all kinds of "special" effects.

It is too bad that Audit Bar Lines is not interactive. Folks would use it more often and it would fix problems like this.

A score audit that would check TimeSigs, Bars, and Flow on the visible staves would be a welcome addition.
Registered user since 1996

Re: Preview and print problem

Reply #18 –
Thanks to all, most especially to Richard, for help finding this mistake of mine.

Frank