Nightingale is designed to provide PostScript printing of the highest quality using a PostScript compatible printer at 300, 600, or 1200 dot per inch resolution (DPI). As you position a symbol on the screen in Nightingale, it is assigned values for its "x" and "y" position. When the score is printed, this "x" and "y" position is coupled with the very high quality PostScript information associated with each symbol. The result is extremely smooth and accurate a printout of each symbol.
Non-PostScript Printing (QuickDraw Printing)
When printing with a non-PostScript printer such as an ImageWriter™ , StyleWriter™ , HP DeskWriter™ , DeskJet™, Personal LaserWriter 300, or other so-called "QuickDraw" printer, printed output is based on the 72 DPI resolution shown on the computer screen. Print quality at this resolution is substantially lower than when using PostScript. Any roughness or jagged lines shown on the screen will be reproduced exactly by your QuickDraw printer. This is the case whenever you print from any graphics program (as opposed to a word processing program). In a graphics program, lines, curves and symbols not created using a specific "type font" can only be reproduced by the printer in the exact form they appear on your computer screen. A word processor can simply provide information to your QuickDraw printer by using a type font. This is a far simpler process than sending graphic information for lines/shapes of varying sizes and lengths.
Despite all this, it is possible to "trick" your non-PostScript printer into receiving higher quality screen information, greatly improving the QuickDraw output. You can double the printing reolution to 144 DPI using the following method:
1) Save your score in its final form.
2) Go to the Chooser (under the Apple menu) and select the printer you will use. Then close the Chooser dialog.
3) View your score at 100% and then print a "rough" copy to gain an approximate idea of how the printed score will appear.
4) Go to the Page Setup command (under the File menu) and select a 50% print size. Then close the Page Setup dialog.
5) Zoom in to view your Nightingale score at 200% on the screen (go to the View menu and choose the "Enlarge" command).
6) Go to the Print command (under the File menu) and print the score while you are still viewing at 200%.
7) When finished printing, Choose the "Revert" command (in the File menu) to revert back to the last saved version of your score (created in step 1 above).
WARNING: Changes made to the “Reduce/Enlarge” field in Page Setup will change the size of your score as it is displayed on the screen. While this step is recommended to improve print output for a non-PostScript printer, you must make certain that the the setting is changed back to 100%, once printing is finished, before any further editing is done to the score.
Jagged Beams and 72 DPI through 300 DPI Printers
Nightingale uses a default setting for beam angles which is 25% of the interval between the notes being beamed. This setting can be easily adjusted in the Preferences command (under the File menu) to any percentage.
25% is a standard choice used by many professional engravers, but if you are printing on a QuickDraw printer, or a 300 DPI PostScript printer, you may feel dissatisfied with the jagged look of the beams when printed. A setting of 80% is used as the default by several other notation programs (i.e. Finale) in order to partially smooth out the jaggedness in printing, though this produces a more extreme beam angle than is usually desired.
To change the default beam angles used in Nightingale:
1) Go to the File menu
2) Select the Preferences command
3) Choose Engraver Preferences from the Popup menu
4) Set the Relative Beam Slope to a new number (between zero and 100%)
Using the Sonata PostScript font for improved PostScript print output
The Sonata font character set is used by Nightingale for the on-screen display of music characters such as notes, rests, clefs, articulation markings, and dynamics. The Sonata screen font is supplied free with Nightingale (a "NightFonts" file has been included which contains several sizes of Sonata screen fonts, including some especially created for use with Nightingale when viewing a score at various screen magnifications).
When printing to a PostScript printer, the Sonata screen font is usually adequate for producing good print output. However, for the very smoothest-looking PostScript printing, it is best to have on hand the Sonata PostScript Printer Font (called "Sonat", to differentiate it from the screen font). This is so your printer can retrieve a complete PostScript-quality desription of each music symbol in your score. If the printer cannot find the PostScript font, it will create a "bitmap" version of the font characters, which when printed, will appear more jagged than you may desire.
The Sonata PostScript printer font must be placed inside the Fonts Folder in your Mac's System Folder. It must be a version with a creation date of 1991 or newer in order to function hand in hand with the Sonata screen font supplied with Nightingale.
In many cases (and for unexplained reasons) it is necessary to place the Sonata PostScript font into several places on your computer, in order for it to be found. It is recommended that a duplicate copy of the "Sonat" file be made and placed 1) loose in the System Folder, and 2) in the Extensions Folder (in addition to the copy already in the Fonts Folder). This is especially true when using Adobe Type Manager (see below). ATM does not seem to locate the Sonata PostScript Font unless it is alternate places.
Using Adobe Type Manager for improved screen display
The Adobe Type Manager utility (available for free from Adobe Systems, Inc.) can be used to eliminate a great deal of the jaggedness in lines and symbols displayed on your Mac screen. It does this by taking the exact same PostScript printer font information usually sent to a PostScript printer for each music symbol on the screen, and uses that PostScript information to smooth out and improve the actual display on the screen (Note that the Sonata PostScript font must be present for ATM to work).
Only ATM versions 3.0 or higher work with the Sonata PostScript font.
Using Adobe Type Manager for improved non-PostScript print output
Because "QuickDraw" printers take their print information from the screen of your Mac, improving the screen display using Adobe Type Manager (and the Sonata PostScript font) will create improved screen information to be sent to the printer. This means that individual symbols which appear smoother/less jagged on the screen will also print more smoothly. Note: Screen display/printing of lines and brackets drawn by Nightingale without the use of a font character from the Adobe Sonata font character set will NOT be improved by ATM.
Purchasing the Sonata PostScript Printer Font
The Sonata Font by Adobe is widely available for under $60 at most dealers and software outlets in the U.S. If you purchase a font package, DO NOT INSTALL THE SCREEN FONTS supplied with the PostScript printer font. These will just be a duplicate of the NightFonts file we have supplied with Nightingale, except they will NOT include the special sizes created for use with Nightingale. Furthermore, installing a duplicate set of the same fonts on your machine may cause some comfusion for the computer and/or printer when it is time to print.
Using a PostScript Emulator for perfect non-PostScript print output
For the very best print output using a "QuickDraw" printer, it is recommended that you purchase a PostScript Emulator utililty called "T-Script" (published by TeleTypesetting). This program will take the PostScript information normally sent from Nightingale to a PostScript laser printer, and will convert that information into a form that is usable by your non-PostScript printer. The resulting output is usually BETTER than that produced by a 300 dot per inch (DPI) PostScript laser printer. All lines, graphics, and musical symbols are smoothed and shaped to PostScript specifications exactly as they are when printing to a PostScript printer. (Note: This method also requires that the Sonata PostScript printer font be on hand to provide complete PostScript information to the T-Script application).
The most convenient use of T-Script is done by telling your Mac that you will print using a laser printer (in the "Chooser"). The T-Script application shows up in the chooser as the laser printer choice where print information will be sent. Then, in the controls of the T-Script application, you instruct it to route the print information to your QuickDraw printer.
The T-Script application is generally available for under $90 in the U.S.
