I've found that sometimes BIAB's print options and leadsheet options need tweaking to get the best possible display on a hard-copy printout.

Firstly, if the leadsheet has lyrics, I like to set the lyrics' position and display relative to the stave. To do this ...
  • Go to Leadsheet Mode and then select "Opt" (#1).
  • In the window that pops up, select "Notation Options" (#2).
  • Now enter a value in the "Lyric Position" box (#3). A negative value will move the lyric down in the direction of lower notes and a positive value will move the lyrics higher on the treble stave. I mostly use 0 but sometimes I need to move the words lower if my song has ledger lines. In these instances, a value between -1 and -3 usually does the job.
  • Often I find it's also necessary to reduce the bars-per-line display. This is especially true if there is a large number of eighth notes in the melody and lyrics are attached to each note. A value of 2 or 3, rather than 4, in the "Fakesheet bars/line" box (#4) generally solves visual clutter on the display and the printout.




To optimize my printout, I also find it beneficial to do the following ...
  • Set the number of staves per page in the "Print" options. To do this, enter "Lead Sheet" mode and select "Print" (#1).
  • From the menu that pops up, deselect "Auto-set" (#2). (Auto-set" automatically sets the number of staves per page and I find that it sometimes tends to crowd the display too much.)
  • Now enter a value for "Staves per page". I usually find that 7 or 8 gives a good result.
  • Sometimes I also set the "Font Size" (#4) to a lower value - say, 18 or 20.



Lastly, for what it's worth, I always choose to print to a PDF file. It is the PDF from which I print hard copies.

Regards,
Noel