If you’re working in Finale and need to share your music in a universal format, exporting your score as a clean, professional PDF is essential. PDFs preserve your formatting exactly—ensuring what you see in Finale is what recipients will see on their screens or printed pages. The good news: you don’t need any additional software or complicated workarounds. Here’s how to save a Finale file as a PDF in 2025—quickly and with professional results.
With Finale being discontinued (MakeMusic has officially announced the end of Finale’s development, with many users migrating to alternatives like Dorico), preserving your scores as PDFs has become even more important for long-term access and distribution of your music.
Why Export Finale Scores as PDF?
Musicians, composers, and music educators regularly need to share scores with collaborators, publishers, or students who may not use Finale. PDF files are universally accessible and maintain consistent formatting across different systems. Whether you’re submitting to a competition, preparing for rehearsal, or distributing parts for a recording session, PDFs are the professional standard.
Key advantages:
- Formatting remains consistent across all devices and operating systems
- PDFs are easy to print, annotate, and archive
- Compatible with PC, Mac, iPad, and virtually all digital devices
- Future-proofs your work as Finale support diminishes
Step-by-Step: Export Finale to PDF (2025 Method)
For Windows Users
- Open your completed Finale score.
- Go to File > Print (or press
Ctrl + P). - In the "Printer" dropdown, select Microsoft Print to PDF.
- This is built into Windows 10 and newer. If using an older system, consider a free PDF printer like CutePDF.
- Click Print. Windows will prompt you to name and save the PDF file.
- Choose your desired folder, enter a file name, and click Save.
Your Finale score is now a PDF with all notation, formatting, and layout preserved.
For Mac Users
- Open your completed Finale score.
- Go to File > Print (or press
Command + P). - In the print dialog box, locate the PDF button in the lower-left corner.
- Click PDF > Save as PDF…
- Name your file, select the save location, and click Save.
The resulting PDF will maintain the exact appearance of your Finale file—preserving all notation, spacing, and page layout.
Pro Tips for Clean Finale-PDF Exports
Set Your Page Size & Margins Before Export
Always verify your page setup in Finale by going to Document > Page Format > Score/Parts. Set the appropriate paper size (Letter, A4, etc.), margins, and orientation before exporting to ensure nothing gets cut off or misaligned in your PDF.
Verify Font Embedding
While modern operating systems handle music fonts well, it’s wise to verify that specialty Finale fonts (like Maestro or Jazz) display correctly in the exported PDF. Open the file and zoom in on noteheads, articulations, and special symbols to check for any rendering issues.
Batch Export for Parts (Multiple PDFs)
When creating part PDFs for an ensemble:
- For older Finale versions or if using extracted parts: Use File > Extract Parts, then export each part file to PDF individually.
- For linked parts: Create multiple PDFs at once by selecting "Finale Print Options" in the Print Dialog, checking all desired parts, then using the PDF export button. The system will automatically append the part name to your chosen file name.
Flatten Your PDF (Optional, Advanced)
For PDFs intended for commercial printing where you want to eliminate any potential transparency or font issues, consider "flattening" the file using free tools like PDFsam, Adobe Acrobat, or even Preview on Mac (open, then Export as PDF with flattening options).
Common Finale PDF Export Issues (And Solutions)
- Cut-Off Staves or Titles: Verify page size and margins before exporting.
- Missing or Incorrect Symbols: Check your PDF in Adobe Reader or Preview before distribution.
- Multiple Pages on One Sheet: Ensure "Fit to Page" is disabled unless intentionally creating reductions.
- Excessive File Size: Disable high-resolution options unless needed for professional printing.
Example: Creating PDFs for a Jazz Ensemble
For an 18-piece big band arrangement, you’ll want to create separate PDFs for each instrument part plus the conductor score. With linked parts in newer Finale versions, select all parts in the Print dialog and batch export to PDFs. For older versions, export each part individually. Consider combining parts for section leaders into a single multi-part PDF using free tools like Adobe Acrobat Reader or Preview (Mac).
Planning for Finale’s End-of-Life
As Finale support winds down, consider these steps for preserving your work:
- Export all important scores and parts to PDF format
- Save files in MusicXML format for potential import into other notation software
- Consider exploring alternative notation programs like Dorico, MuseScore, or Sibelius
Takeaway: Professional-Quality PDFs from Finale
Exporting your Finale file as a PDF is straightforward and produces consistent results without requiring third-party tools. Set your page parameters first, use your operating system’s built-in PDF capabilities, and always verify the output. This process ensures your music looks professional whether it’s headed to rehearsal, publication, or performance.
Additional Resources
For more information about music notation software alternatives now that Finale is being discontinued, consider researching:
- Dorico (by Steinberg)
- MuseScore (free and open-source)
- Sibelius (by Avid)
- Notion (by PreSonus)
These applications offer MusicXML import capabilities that can help preserve your Finale work as you transition to new software. Remember, MusicXML isn’t perfect and you may need to rework your charts, especially some of the finer details.
By The Way
If you’re preparing music for proofreading, printing, or distribution, check out ZachStacks.com. I built it while working with Maria Schneider, and now it’s available for all musicians.
ZachStacks lets you combine multiple PDFs into a single, print-ready PDF—perfect for chart proofreading. If you can print 11×17, you can easily create two sets of PDFs: one for folded double-page spreads and one for single pages. For example, a 7-page piece becomes 3 double pages and 1 single, taped at the end.
You can also add Study Scores, cover pages, and version numbers—ideal for website releases or professional distribution, like we did with Maria’s ArtistShare projects.
It’s free and secure (your scores and parts aren’t saved). I’ve had several colleagues use it for gig prep and it certainly makes things easier! Hopefully you find it useful 🙂
