Print Quality Dorico on paper

Dorico
#1

Hello
I want to use Dorico 2.2 for my next publishing work, unfortunately i do not like how Dorico prints on paper, it looks all to bulky.
I compared it with other programs, they looked much better.

I belive in the functionality of Dorico, working with it could speed up the workflow, but when at the end it does not look as good as the other programs
it does not make much sense to use it, maybe i am wrong and didn’t see what i have to do to get the Maximum Quality out of Doric.

Would be nice if someone could give me a hint how to get a quality print on paper, maybe there is only a switch to turne somewhere.

Best Regard to all
Reto Byell

#2

I’m not exactly sure what you mean by “bulky”, but there are a huge range of settings that you can adjust: Staff sizes, and the thickness of staff lines, stems, barlines, beams, etc, etc, etc.
There are also a few alternative SMuFL-compatible fonts, such as November2 by KLEMM Music and MTF-Cadence by Music Type Foundry.

If you can identify exactly what it is that you don’t like, then you can probably find a way to change it. These things are often subjective, so I don’t think anyone can give you any absolute instructions: “Change this setting to 5 for better results”.

Personally, I find Dorico’s printed output, even with the defaults, to be superior to that from most other notation apps.

#3

Hi Reto, welcome to the forum.

Dorico is intentionally “thicker” by default. I think we’ve all gotten accustomed to a sort of sterile computer output, whereas Dorico draws heavily from a tradition of physical engraving.

But of course you can change basically everything to suit your preferences. I personally make the staff lines, bar lines, stems, and ledger lines slightly thinner. You can always set these modifications as the new default for all future projects you begin.

I recently interviewed Daniel, and this was one of the things we discussed. You might find it helpful to hear his perspective: https://gracemusic.us/2018/11/dorico-an-interview-with-daniel-spreadbury/

#4

The Dorico/Bravura “look” was one of the reasons I have supported Dorico since the beginning.
But for those who want another look, there are other fonts, as Ben says.

#5

It’s funny… there is one publisher whose output is very “whispy” (frustratingly thin, to be honest…) and you can tell immediately what program produced it. I have a few books by this publisher and it annoys me every time. Sterile, computer generated (and minimally adjusted from the stock result…). It makes me sad every time. Dorico is the antidote to that and it’s little wonder the dev. team chose to go that route.