Resources for Composers
Creating PDF files of your scores that can be emailed to recipients.
The great thing about Adobe PDF files is they are cross-platform and can have the fonts embedded so they appear the same on any computer.
This makes them an ideal medium for sending scores via the web. The recipient's computer simply needs Adobe Reader (or compatible PDF reading software), which almost all computers have, and if not, can be downloaded freely.
There are many free applications for creating PDF files, but two in particular are of high quality. Both work just like a printer driver:
PDFCreator
PDFCreator (from Sourceforge, open source) installs a virtual printer. From any application, simply go to File>print. In the list of printers available, you will see "PDFCreator". Choose it as your "printer", then print normally. A window will pop up asking you where to save the newly created PDF file.
When installing, it wants to add a web browser toolbar (yahoo, Ithink). You have to deselect twice if memory serves me.
PDFill Free PDF Writer
Another excellent freeware PDF maker comes from PDFill. It works much like PDFCreator above, but with some slightly different features.IMPORTANT:
Fonts are not usually embedded by default. Therefore, to be sure your PDFs appear the same on other computers, there are two settings that you need to change everytime you print. Go to Print, and once you've selected your PDF printer from the drop down list, click Properties, then Advanced...
1.) under the setting, TrueType Font, the default is "Substutute with Device Font." Change this to "Download as SoftFont". This is usually enough for sharing between Windows machines. However, to ensure Macs and others can see you document as intended, continue to the next step.
2.) Under Document Option, expand the PostScript Options. The default setting for PostScript Output Option is "Optimize for Speed". Change this to "Optimize for Portability"
Handy links for Composers
Finale Productivity Tips
For those of us who use Coda's notation software, this is a great site with news, tip, and useful downloads.
Online music Scores
A great resource if you're looking for music to study and learn. Some links are out of date, but it is still worth browsing.
Composer Opportunities
The CMC has a board for posting competitions and opportunities. You will need a CMC login to access it.
For those of us who use Coda's notation software, this is a great site with news, tip, and useful downloads.
Online music Scores
A great resource if you're looking for music to study and learn. Some links are out of date, but it is still worth browsing.
Composer Opportunities
The CMC has a board for posting competitions and opportunities. You will need a CMC login to access it.
