Font Annotation

How to get there

From the Edit Menu, choose Program Options and select Edit. Then click the Font Annotation button.

What it does

Modern font technology is orientated towards text rendering, but symbol fonts often require more information. The Font Annotation dialog box allows you to fine-tune the height and width of each font character, allowing Finale to better handle the selection area for font characters and collision avoidance for Engraver slurs. We’ve provided annotation files for each of the fonts provided by Coda. If you use an alternative music font, you should create your own font annotation file for a smoother integration with Finale.

Any Font Annotation (FAN) files found in the Font Annotation folder will be automatically loaded upon starting Finale. See Program Options-Edit for information about defining your Font Annotation folder.

Character: Select • Set Font. Click on the Select button to open the Symbol Selection dialog box, where you can scroll through the font characters. Type in the text box if you know the specific symbol number, or use the up or down arrows to cycle to the character. Click on the Set Font button to switch to a different font. The currently selected font is displayed below the Set Font button.
Origin • Baseline. These text boxes reflect the values for the green lines representing the font character’s origin and baseline.
Bounding Rectangle: Top • Left • Right • Bottom. These text boxes reflect the values for the annotated size of the font character.
Show Font Reference Lines. Check this box to display the blue lines which represent the size of the height of the largest character in that font.
Show Bounding Rectangle. Check this box to display the red lines which represent the size of the font character. Uncheck the box to hide the rectangle.
Show Origin and Baseline. Check this box to display the green lines which represent the font character’s origin and baseline.
View % • Magnifier Glass + • Magnifier Glass -. Select a view percentage from the View drop-down list to change your display of the font character. Click the Magnifier Glass + button to increase the view percentage to the next highest percentage in the menu. Click the magnifier Glass - button to decrease the view percentage to the next smallest percentage in the menu.
Center View. Click this button to center the display according to the font reference lines.
Reset. Click Reset to return the font character to its default settings.
New • Save • Open • Save As. Use these buttons for file management of Font Annotation Files (FAN). Click New to create a new set of annotations. Click Save to save your current changes to the font annotation file. Click Open to edit a previously created file. Click Save As to save the current font annotation file with a new name.
OK • Cancel. Click OK to confirm, or Cancel to undo, the font annotation changes you’ve made, and return to the Font dialog box.