Print 2 scores on 1 page

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Print 2 scores on 1 page

16 years ago

Is it possible to print 2 scores on one page? The scores are small and perhaps 4-5 lines max. So ideally I'd like to print as shown below:

TEXT1

<SCORE_1>

TEXT2

<SCORE_2>

TEXT1 and TEXT2 can provide for the names of the scores etc

Any ideas how I can do this?

Re: Print 2 scores on 1 page

Reply #1 – 16 years ago

There are a few ways this can be done, but it is not really native in NWC.

Firstly, you can overprint: Set the margins for the first score so it prints on the top half of the page. Then set the margins for the second score so that it prints on the bottom half, put the paper with the first score already printed back into the printer and then send the second score to the printer.

The margin adjustments between the scores will result in the layout you're looking for.

OR,
Use the copy command from Print Preview to copy and paste into a Desktop Publishing application of some kind - Open Office, MSWord etc. will work.

OR,
Print to PDF using one of the many PDF creation products and then edit with a PDF editor to reposition stuff.

Re: Print 2 scores on 1 page

Reply #2 – 16 years ago

Someone did work out a way of doing this which involved creating a single blank bar on a line then hiding it with some sort of rectangle symbol (From Wingdings or some such font) with its colour set to white. Then insert text above the next line for title of the next tune.

I tried it and it worked - sort of, but it was not very satisfactory as I was never completely able to hide the blank bar. Little bits of the staff would show through as little black dots so the result was a little messy and the layout left much to be desired.

Now I export the score as a metafile. (Print Preview then Copy) Save the metafile in an appropriate place and import to a word processor or DTP package. I use Open Office Write which will import the metafile and automatically size to the page. It is also a straightforward task to crop the metafile so as to leave only the music visible. I then add title, author details etc. I play folk music and I use this method to create personal tunebooks. It works well for me. Someone, I forget who, did a hymn book this way using Microsoft Publisher rather than Open Office.

I have attached a pdf of a some of my recent tunes.

Re: Print 2 scores on 1 page

Reply #3 – 16 years ago

G'day Geoff,

Quote from: Geoff Walker – 16 years ago

I tried it and it worked - sort of, but it was not very satisfactory as I was never completely able to hide the blank bar. Little bits of the staff would show through as little black dots so the result was a little messy and the layout left much to be desired.

Yeah, that can be a problem. How I get around it is to have 2 lots of text "blocks" offset from each other by a space. This causes the blocks of the second set to overlap the blocks of the first set so the little gap that appears letting the "dots" show through is covered.

Hmm, hope that's clear...

That said, I think that aesthetically your method is better. The spacing between songs is more controllable and it's easier to add informative text.

Re: Print 2 scores on 1 page

Reply #4 – 16 years ago

Quote from: Geoff Walker – 16 years ago

I have attached a pdf of a some of my recent tunes.

Thanks for the pdf. Lots of folks here write about post-processing emfs, but are strangely unwilling to attach any examples

In your attachment the staff lines vary in thickness. This may be OK for draft work but, it interferes with one's ability to read the music. For complex music, it is not acceptable.

One way for NWC2 to support this natively would be:

Add an 'Extra Space' box next to 'Force System Break'
Add 'Page' to 'Alignment/Placement'

Re: Print 2 scores on 1 page

Reply #5 – 16 years ago

G'day Rick,

Quote from: Rick G. – 16 years ago

In your attachment the staff lines vary in thickness. This may be OK for draft work but, it interferes with one's ability to read the music. For complex music, it is not acceptable.

I was going to say:

Quote

I'm not absolutely certain, but I think the varying line thickness is an artifact from the PDF creation rather than the original EMF export. I've found the same problem myself when printing directly from NWC to a PDF "printer" device.

BUT instead I tested it first, and there are definitely "fat line" problems with an EMF to OpenOffice transfer. By file as well as via the clipboard. In fact, the artifacts are identical for both methods. Sooo, the question is: is this a Windows failing or are there limitations in the NWC export?

My guess would be Windows and drivers but I'm not expert in this area.

Re: Print 2 scores on 1 page

Reply #6 – 16 years ago

Quote from: Lawrie Pardy – 16 years ago

Sooo, the question is: is this a Windows failing or are there limitations in the NWC export?

Neither. It is a resize/rescale problem with the app that is importing the EMF.

One problem is that the emf processing libraries try to create an image with the same color resolution as the screen. A full 8½ x 11 inch page @600 dpi overwhelms it, causing it to resize the image or hang (as it tries to allocate about a hundred megabytes of memory). If you edit it, the app then tries to make a copy ...

EMF's can be processed with IrfanView, but it is not for the faint-hearted.
I reduce my screen to 256 colors and my printer to 300dpi. This cuts the memory requirements to 8MB/page.

Attached is the first page from the sample file: carmen.nwc that I processed from emf to png with IrfanView.

Re: Print 2 scores on 1 page

Reply #7 – 16 years ago

Quote from: Lawrie Pardy – 16 years ago

I tested it first, and there are definitely "fat line" problems with an EMF to OpenOffice transfer. By file as well as via the clipboard. In fact, the artifacts are identical for both methods. Sooo, the question is: is this a Windows failing or are there limitations in the NWC export?

My guess would be Windows and drivers but I'm not expert in this area.

I also did a test and I found that there was definite variation in line thickness in the pdf but the original Open Office file was much better when printed and although there was still a little variation, it was acceptable for my purposes. I have used this method to produce an eight part score and parts for a recorder group and the result was perfectly acceptable and the conductor had no problems reading the score.

I don't think the problem is to do with Windows drivers as I am using Linux.

When I first started doing this I was using MS Word and it would not import the emf files so I used to use Rick's dodge of converting the files to bitmaps with Irfan View - gif in those days, but it was an extra processing step, so When I found OO would import the emf files directly it meant one stage less and the result was well good enough for my purposes.

Geoff