Windows software to create/update/maintain songbooks

zijin_cheng

Member
May 11, 2012
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My young people's group has a paper songbook that we use and update it yearly, taking out old songs, putting in new songs and then we reprint it.
We have 3 versions of this songbook,

1 is the songbook with words only (paper booklet)
2 is the songbook with words and chords for the leader (larger paper booklet)
3 is the projector version with words only, but optimized for projectors (PDF)

We are currently updating this the old fashioned way and wondering if there is any software out there that would make it easier?

Windows is preferred, Mac software is OK also as long as there isn't any on Windows

EDIT: Forgot to add, we print about 150-200 copies so we send the files off to a local print house...
 
Last edited:

corkyg

Elite Member | Peripherals
Super Moderator
Mar 4, 2000
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I guess I am old fashioned. I download lyrics with chords, and then save them as PDF files. Then I print those and put them in a loose leaf binder insider of glassine (plastic) pages. They are thus easily changed or updated. Some have actual music bars. I don't know of any single software package that will do all that. My basic tool is the word processor.

Here is an example that might help you:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/songbook/9wzdncrdsm0j
 

zijin_cheng

Member
May 11, 2012
183
4
81
I guess I am old fashioned. I download lyrics with chords, and then save them as PDF files. Then I print those and put them in a loose leaf binder insider of glassine (plastic) pages. They are thus easily changed or updated. Some have actual music bars. I don't know of any single software package that will do all that. My basic tool is the word processor.

Here is an example that might help you:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/songbook/9wzdncrdsm0j

I was thinking of that, but I forgot to add that we need about 150-200 copies so we send the files off to a local print house...
 

corkyg

Elite Member | Peripherals
Super Moderator
Mar 4, 2000
27,370
239
106
Print files, and have each user update his or her binder. As long as the files go out to be printed, that's the least expensive way to go. Software to do the update at your end won't help if you have to send file out to be printed.