Font Type and Size for Types of Text

Composer defines several categories of music symbols and types of text, such as lyrics and chord names. You can specify a distinct font style, point size (with optional digit after decimal point, as in 8.5), and styles (bold or italic) each type of text. You can also specify the point size for the music symbols (noteheads, clefs, etc.). For example, you can display lyrics using a bold Arial 9 point font, and instrument names (displayed along the left side of the staves) using a normal Times New Roman 8 point font.

Composer uses a default font for any type of text that is not specified elsewhere.

In addition to specifying font characteristics for various categories of text, you can also individually change the font size and styles (bold or italic) for individual text objects, such as a specific lyric, page text item, or chord name. See Editing Types of Text.

You can specify different font styles, sizes, and characteristics for different score parts. For example, suppose a voice teacher is preparing a piano and voice duet, where the teacher plays the piano part and a student sings the vocal part. The voice teacher's part might include both the piano accompaniment and the student's part, so that the teacher can follow the student's part as she plays the piano accompaniment. The teacher's part might have a normal font size and characteristics for the notes in the piano and vocal staves, as well as the lyrics in the student's staves. The student's part might have an overall larger font size, for easier reading, and also use a bold font characteristic for lyrics, for yet easier reading of the lyrics. This can be accomplished by applying different font styles to the two separate parts-- the teacher's part and the student's part.

If you only need to change the overall font size for certain parts, and do not need to change individual font characteristics for specific categories of text, then follow the procedure in Overall Font Size.

2.	Composer will pre-select the part that you are currently viewing, as indicated under "Apply to Selected Parts".

If you want to view the font attributes for another part, then Cancel this dialog box, use the Select Part command in the Part menu to select another part, and then use the Text Fonts command to reopen the dialog box for the newly selected part.

3.	Click any entry in the Text or Symbol list to review the current font type, point size, and bold or italic style.

The Fonts dialog box will indicate the Font Type, Point Size, and Style (bold and italic) for the category of text or music symbol you have selected. If there is a check mark by "Use default font type", then the selected category of text or music symbol will assume the font type that you see in the Font Type box. Similarly, if there is a check mark by "Use default point size", then the selected category of text or music symbol will assume the font size that you see in the Point Size box.

4.	If you only intend to view the font styles and not change any, then click the Cancel button.

To set the default font type and point size that are shared by any types of music symbols and text that are not specified elsewhere:

2.	Under "Apply to Selected Parts", select one or more parts for which you wish to apply the new font size. Composer will pre-select the part that you are currently viewing.

3.	Click "Default Font" at the top of the Text or Symbol Text list, as illustrated in the first of the two above pictures.

4.	Select the desired Font Type and Point Size from the drop down lists.

Note also that specifying the point size for the "Default Font" is equivalent to setting the overall font size using the Font Size and Spacing command in the Format menu.

5.	If you change the Point Size for the Default Font, then Composer will display an extra option for "Scale Non-Default Font Sizes Proportionally":

Typically you will want to set a check mark for this option. As example, if the default point size were 10 and you change it to 12 (a 20% increase), and if the point size for lyrics were 9, then this option would increase the lyrics font size by 20% of 9, or 1.8, to point size 10.8. Composer maintains font sizes with 1/10th point size accuracy.

6.	Select each entry in the Text or Symbol Type list, and review the settings for Font and Point Size. If you wish the type of music symbol or text to derive its font type or point size from the default font, then set a check mark for "Use default font type" or "Use default point size".

To override the default font characteristics for a type of music symbol or text:

2.	Under "Apply to Selected Parts", select the part(s) for which you wish to apply the new font size. Composer will pre-select the part that you are currently viewing.

4.	Specify the Font Type, Point Size, Bold, and Italic fields, as illustrated in the second of the two pictures above.

5.	If you wish to override the default font characteristics for other types of music symbols or text, then repeat steps 3 and 4.

To specify the font attributes that will be applied to any newly opened MIDI file, or any newly created song:

1.	Using the Select Part command in the Part menu, select a part that has the font attributes that you wish to establish as the default.

Any MIDI file that you subsequently open, or any song that you newly create with the File New command, will use the font styles that you saved here.

4.	If you have changed any font styles while the Fonts dialog box was opened, then click OK to save the changes. Otherwise you can click Cancel to exit the dialog box.

2.	Under "Apply to Selected Parts", select the part(s) for which you wish to apply the most recently saved default font styles. Composer will pre-select the part that you are currently viewing.

3.	Click the Restore Default button, and then the OK button.