Ultra-thick barlines in PDF output (PNG OK)

[Sandy Nicholson]

Subj: Ultra-thick barlines in PDF output (PNG OK)

I have tried LilyPond a handful of times now over the past year or so; as a
long-term TeX user – for typesetting practically everything except music –
and as a fan of open-source software, I’d love to be able to use and promote
LilyPond. Unfortunately, though, there is a single issue which has always
driven me back to Sibelius.

The issue has been discussed in various places, e.g. a couple of years ago
at

<http://www.mail-archive.com/address@hidden/msg14522.html>,

but, try as I might, I haven’t found a satisfactory solution to the problem
anywhere. When I last trawled the web for discussion of this issue, I read a
few comments to the effect that the thick LilyPond barlines simply follow
more authentic traditional engraving practice. While barline thickness does
indeed vary from house style to house style, the barlines that I and some
others see when we typeset anything are much thicker (viewed in various
different PDF viewers or printed) than any printed music I’ve ever seen.
What’s more, the problem only appears in PDF; PNG output is fine. (Sadly,
switching to PNG isn’t a viable option, given the disadvantages of fixed-
resolution, large, slow-to-process files.)

I’m not entirely sure why there aren’t lots of other users (or potential
users) seeing the same issue. It occurs with any file – the C major scale
supplied as a welcome example will do – and has been around for several
versions. I just downloaded 2.13.9-1 on the off chance that the bug might
have been fixed since I last looked at LilyPond, but sadly it’s still there
in the latest development build.

In case it’s relevant, I’m running Mac OS X 10.6.2 (but I started trying
LilyPond when I was still on 10.5, I think). It seems to make no difference
what PDF viewer I use, so it’s unlikely that it’s a bug in a viewer (or in
the printer driver for my LaserJet 6MP).

I’d be very grateful if someone in the LilyPond developer community has the
time to work on this, as I’d really love to get into LilyPond. I’m afraid I
don’t have the time to delve into the source code myself, but would be very
happy to contribute in other ways when I have the time.

Best wishes
Sandy Nicholson

P.S. A very happy Christmas to all involved in the LilyPond project.