If you have a printer connected to your PC, you can use Abel to print out methods and touches. Abel prints whatever is in the blue line window: this could be something you've just rung, or the whole of the current composition. In particular, it could be the plain course of a single method. If necessary, Abel prints several columns to a page, where possible putting a whole number of leads into each column. There are Print Options that let you set the font (character) size that Abel is to use for printing, to specify whether you want the treble and other trace bells to be printed in colour or not, and to choose the printing style. You can specify the Page Setup: in particular, the paper size, margin sizes, and whether printing is to be landscape or portrait orientation. There is a Print Preview facility, so that you can see on screen exactly what is to be printed before sending it to the printer.

Unless you have chosen the option to print just one lead of the method, Abel prints whatever is currently in the blue line window (even if the window is switched off!), less any repeated rounds at the start and end. This may be a touch that the simulator, and you, have just rung. If you want to print the plain course of a method in the current method collection file:

• Select the composition 'Plain Course' by clicking the down-arrow at the right of the Composition box then clicking the composition
• Select the method you want to print by double clicking its name in the method list
• Click the blue button. The plain course will then appear in the blue line window.

You can also do this with compositions other than Plain Course, so you can print any touch you want.

If you want to use the contents of the blue line window in another program - for example, to prove a touch or perform a musical analysis - you can save any rows displayed as a text file. Click the File menu, then Save rows as... and choose a filename. This option will appear only if you have rows displayed in the blue line window.

Having got the required method or touch into the blue line window, click the Print button or click the File menu and then Print, or press Ctrl P. The standard print dialog appears:

This dialog allows you to select the printer to be used (if you have more than one), specify its properties (click Properties for another, printer-dependent, dialog), specify the range of pages to be printed, and say how many copies you want. When you've set up any options you want, click OK to start printing.

See also:

  Print options
  Page setup
  Print preview