Exporting to PDF

You can export any layout as PDF, PNG, SVG, and TIFF graphics files. Because the most common and useful format for musical scores is arguably PDF, this task covers exporting to PDF with a watermark to indicate it’s a proof.

Prerequisite

You are in Print mode (press Ctrl/Cmd-5).

Procedure

  1. In the Print Options panel on the right, choose Graphics in the Destination section at the top.
  2. Select PDF from the menu.
  3. Choose Color.

    • As you will add a watermark to this layout, you need Color to show this. You would also need Color if you have items with changed colors or opacity in a layout.

      Apart from the watermark, the difference between Mono and Color would be minimal for this layout. Some printers print black differently when the document is color versus mono.

    • Layouts exported as Color graphics have transparent backgrounds.

    • The Resolution setting does not affect PDF and SVG files as they are vector formats.

  4. Click Choose Folder Choose Folder button beside the Destination folder field to open the File Explorer/macOS Finder.
  5. Locate and select the destination folder you want.
  6. Click Select Folder (Windows)/Open (macOS) to insert the new path in the Destination folder field.
  7. If you want to change the file name recipe (the naming structure used for the exported PDF), click File Name Options to open the Export File Names dialog, then change the file name recipe for PDF files.
    Note

    Changing the file name recipe also affects all future projects you open on your computer.

  8. Make sure that the rest of the settings in the Print Options panel are correct to export with separate portrait pages, which they should be by default.

    • In the Job Type section, select Normal and All Pages.

    • In the Page Setup section, choose Portrait Portrait button.

  9. In the Annotations section, activate Watermark, then enter PROOF into the value field.
    Tip

    If you have Dorico Pro and want longer watermark text, you can reduce the Print Watermark Font font size in Library > Font Styles.

  10. Click Export.

Result

The full score layout is exported as a PDF with your settings and the “PROOF” watermark.

Print preview including the "PROOF" watermark