Laurence Diehl - Posted - 06/03/2016:  11:48:12

Can you export a TAB to .pdf?

How do I setup the tab page for 3-string dulcimer?

thanks

Guy - Posted - 06/03/2016:  12:25:05

Hi Laurence

There are already two "Mountain Dulcimer" modules set up. Just open a new file and select it from the dropdown list. Once you're in you can select the module in the top right hand corner and change the tunings in there. The two existing modules are DAD and DAA but you can even change the number of strings if needs be.

Best regards

Guy

Tam_Zeb - Posted - 06/03/2016:  12:30:19

quote:

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Originally posted by Laurence Diehl

 

Can you export a TAB to .pdf?

How do I setup the tab page for 3-string dulcimer?

 

thanks

 

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Hi Laurence

Not exactly EXPORT, but you can PRINT to a PDF using at little tool called CutePDF Writer. It's free, download and install it from here cutepdf.com/

Create your TAB and save it first as a TEF File to preserve the original then select the option to Print from the File Menu this will open a dialog box, Select CutePDF Writer It will ask where you want to save the file. I usually save to the Document folder. Give it a file name and it will add the extender PDF automatically.

To Open the PDF you will need something like Adobe Reader 

To set up  a tab page for 3-string dulcimer.

Create a New Tablature by selecting FILE then NEW a dialog box will open. Select Mountain Dulcimer DAD  or Mountain Dulcimer DAA from the drop down menu, depending on the tuning you want and click OK that's it your ready to go.

Edited by - Tam_Zeb on 06/03/2016 12:33:19

F Elisha Eastes Jr - Posted - 06/03/2016:  12:33:29

If you're on a Macintosh, the ability to print to a .pdf file is built into the system and available for every application.

Old Hickory - Posted - 06/03/2016:  12:34:14

Answer to first question is yes.  But you don't exactly "export" to PDF.  You use your operating system's (Windows or Mac OS) standard procedure for "printing" an open document to a PDF file rather than a printer.  

On a Mac, the drop-down menu that includes conversion to PDF appears at the lower left corner of the print dialog window. I have no idea how to do it in Windows, but I assume PDF conversion is a built-in function of that OS as well.

Edited to add:  So I guess printing/converting to PDF wasn't a built-in feature of Windows until Windows 10.  Here's a page of how-tos on PDF conversion for Windows 7 through 10.    It's been part of the Mac OS for free for more years than I can remember.

Edited by - Old Hickory on 06/03/2016 12:39:58

F Elisha Eastes Jr - Posted - 06/03/2016:  13:23:51

At my office I'm on Windows 10 and when I typed my first reply I did not see any PDF writer available to me on this PC.

I looked again. As with anything Microsoft, it's usually kinda stupid and counter-intuitive.

I had to scroll LEFT in the available printers dialog window. That revealed a printer called "doPDF v7" which may or may not be what's available to you. Whatever it's named, it should be obvious it's a PDF printer.

Select that printer and it sends the output to a pdf file with the name and location of your choosing.

(Thanks for posting this Old Hickory, it got me to look deeper into this PC to see it's available.)

Edited by - F Elisha Eastes Jr on 06/03/2016 13:26:07

Laurence Diehl - Posted - 06/03/2016:  13:31:20

Thank you all! I figured out the dulcimer module, and how to change the tuning etc. As far as saving to .pdf, when I open up a .tef file in a text editor it displays in machine code so I am not sure how a .pdf file would be any different. So I might be back with more questions OTOH I'm a programmer so maybe I should just figure it out...

I haven't bothered much with TAB before, but a friend of mine made me this cool stick dulcimer:  etsy.com/shop/StrumShop?ref=l2...ader-name  and I was going to make a few demos for his site (not that I know how to play the darn thing). And I thought that some TABs to go with it would be cool, so I appreciate your help!

F Elisha Eastes Jr - Posted - 06/03/2016:  13:35:42

Laurence, don't open the .tef file in a text editor. Why would you want to do that? You're not editing text! That has nothing to do with your original question.

Assuming you're on Windows v7-10 as Old Hickory pointed out, do this: Open the file in TableEdit. Select "Print..." In that dialog box you will see some named PDF printer. It will be a printer to select from, just like your laser or ink jet printer. To your computer, it's just another device to print to. When you select that printer, then print it, you are given the option of naming the pdf file, and where to save it. The save only takes a few seconds. Then you can open it immediately in Adobe Acrobat (you can even toggle Acrobat to open automatically after printing). Works like a charm.

Edited by - F Elisha Eastes Jr on 06/03/2016 13:38:28

munchausen - Posted - 06/03/2016:  14:36:55

Thanks!  Just added PDF versions of my TAB's to my page.  So easy using the method above.  It does indeed work like a charm.

Jack Baker - Posted - 06/03/2016:  15:20:15

Frank is right on the money...Jack  p.s. just download a PDF printer like Cute PDF...

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Originally posted by That Banjo Glossary Guy

 

Laurence, don't open the .tef file in a text editor. Why would you want to do that? You're not editing text! That has nothing to do with your original question.

Assuming you're on Windows v7-10 as Old Hickory pointed out, do this: Open the file in TableEdit. Select "Print..." In that dialog box you will see some named PDF printer. It will be a printer to select from, just like your laser or ink jet printer. To your computer, it's just another device to print to. When you select that printer, then print it, you are given the option of naming the pdf file, and where to save it. The save only takes a few seconds. Then you can open it immediately in Adobe Acrobat (you can even toggle Acrobat to open automatically after printing). Works like a charm.

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kmwaters - Posted - 06/03/2016:  16:46:03

Bullzip is another free "virtual" printer that will show up as a print option once you install it into Windows. It's free. Then you have the option after selecting Bullzip as your printer (from the print command in Tabledit) to name the file and browse to the folder you want to put it in. Very user friendly. Just make sure you select Bullzip as your printer from the File /print in Tabledit.

Jack Baker - Posted - 06/03/2016:  20:26:37

 Bullzip is a good PDF program also...Jack

Originally posted by kmwaters

Bullzip is another free "virtual" printer that will show up as a print option once you install it into Windows. It's free. Then you have the option after selecting Bullzip as your printer (from the print command in Tabledit) to name the file and browse to the folder you want to put it in. Very user friendly. Just make sure you select Bullzip as your printer from the File /print in Tabledit.

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