1. Choose New... from the File menu. The Document Setup panel will appear.
2. Choose all the options and settings you want for your new document.
3. Press the Create Document button to create the document, or press Cancel to cancel the new document. To discard your changes and return to the default piano score settings, press the Revert button.

You use the Document Setup panel to choose options for the layout and format of your score. If NoteAbility documents are already open, the front-most document's specifications and layout become the initial settings of this panel. If no NoteAbility document is open, then a simple piano score is used for the default settings.

Document Setup Options

• Page Margins
  
  • Top Margin - Set the size of the top margin.
  • Bottom Margin - Set the size of the bottom margin.
  • Left Margin - Set the size of the left margin.
  • Right Margin - Set the size of the right margin.
  • No. Pages - Set the number of pages in the initial score.

  The margins determine the distance from the edge of the page to the top line of the top staff. The bottom line of the bottom staff, and the left and right edges of the staves. The values for margins should always be positive (unless you want the staves to extend outside the visible page.)

• Document Size and Print Reduction
  
  • Paper Size and orientation - Sets the paper size you are planning to print on.
  • Print reduction - Sets the approximate print reduction or enlargement - standard sized scores should be set up at approximately 80% - 90%. Most composers find that scores printed at 100% are larger than necessary.
  • Width - Displays the score page width of the working score.
  • Height - Displays the score page height of the working score.

  The Working Score Size refers to the logical dimensions of the page that you will be working on. If you plan to print at 75% on US Letter size paper (8.5 X 11 inches) then your score will be set up as 11.25 X 14.5 inches

• Print View

  The Print View displays the approximate size of the images that will appear when the document is printed at the current reduction / enlargement size. As you become more familiar with NoteAbilityPro, you will know what print reduction / enlargement values are most appropriate for different types of scores.

• System and Staff Format
  
  • Systems Per Page - Enter the number of music systems per page from 1 to 40 (followed by Return). You can also use the systems per page slider to adjust this number.
  • Staves Per System - Enter the initial number of music staves per system from 1 to 40 (followed by Return). You can also use the slider to adjust this number.
  • Measures Per System - Enter the initial number of measures per staves from 1 to 16 (followed by Return). You can also use the slider to adjust this number.
  • Distance Between Staves - The distance between staves is calculated automatically, but you may alter this setting by typing a new value (followed by Return). The distance is set as the number of staff spaces in increments of .5 spaces.
  • Distance Between Systems - The distance between systems is also calculated automatically, but you may alter this setting by typing a new value (followed by Return). The distance is set as the number of staff spaces in increments of .5 spaces.

  This Distance between Staves and Distance Between Systems settings are automatically calculated as you change the other settings. However, you can alter the calculated settings.

• Minature Page Display - A miniature view of your score page is displayed so that you can check to see that all your score setup settings are correct.

  In the examples below the default page is shown on the left and a page with some new settings is displayed on the right. All barlines types, braces types, time signature, and key signatures are displayed in the miniature page display.

  
  5 systems 2 staves 3 measures --- 4 systems 3 staves 3 measures

• Barlines and Braces
  
  • Barline radio buttons - Allows you select the format of barlines on the system. Custom Barlines are automatically selected when you use the Custom System panel.
  • Brace radio buttons - Allows you select the format of braces on the system. Custom Braces are automatically selected when you use the Custom System panel.

• Key Signature - Allows you select the key signature of the score. Up to 7 flats or 7 sharps may be set by moving the key signature slider.
  

• Time Signature - Allows you select the initial time signature of the score by adjusting the two sliders (one for the numerator and one for the denominator). Time signatures can be set to any combination from 1/1 to 32/32 as well as Common and Cut time (located at the far right of the numberator slider).
  

• Clefs
  

  You may set the inital clef type for up to 6 staves. The final clef choice in the row is actually a pull-down menu which allows any of the remaining clef types to be chosen. If your system has more than 6 staves then press the Custom System button and use the Custom System panel to setup your document.

• Panel Buttons
  • Save As Template - Select this button to save all settings in this panel and the Custom System panel as a template.
  • Load Template - Select this button to open a template file containing the setting for this panel and the Custom System panel.
  • Templates - Allows you to select a score layout template from a pull-down menu.
  • Staff Label Font - Select this button to open the Font panel so you can choose the font you want to use for staff labels. By default, the font set in your Preferences panel will be used.
  • Custom System button - Select this button to customize the system even further. The Custom System panel allows you to specify staff labels and clefs types, as well as brace and barline information on up to 40 staves.
  • Revert button - Reverts to the default settings.
  • Cancel button - Closes the panel without creating a new document
  • NoteWriter button - Creates a NoteWriter document with no staves. (This is provided for compatibility reasons so files can be exported to the old NoteWriter program.)
  • Create Document button - Creates a new document using the settings in this panel and the Custom System panel.

See also

• Customizing your document setup
• Page layout

© Keith A. Hamel 1998-2005 - All Rights Reserved