Before the widespread diffusion of modern computer technologies, music scores were hand-crafted by skilled specialists whose job consisted in physically punching metal tablets by hand, from which the final printouts were made.

Computers made the production of scores much more versatile and precise, through the use of dedicated softwares, the now obsolete Score being their ancestor, a program with which achieving results similar to what hand engravers could do were possible, but with enormous time and patience.

Using modern softwares makes possible producing extremely precise and beautiful scores, thanks to "WYSIWIG" (What You See Is What You Get), and small editions can be accomplished at a very reasonable price.

Moreover, engraving softwares allow updating, revisions and changes to the scores as well as part extraction in an extremely precise way. For instance it's possible to revise the music after a rehearsal and/or a public performance, but before publishing. This makes it possible to obtain the perfect score!

But, although modern softwares do their job quite well, entering music in the computer and accepting out-of-the-box results isn't enough if you want to get high quality scores.

A good performance may be very hard to achieve if the music has been badly copied (just think of the importance of good page turns), and rehearsal time can be dramatically reduced if the copying is well done.

The best publishing houses don't accept unpleasant-looking scores, let alone those that don't follow internationally accepted conventions, and prospective customers will be more attracted if the music has been professionally written.

A good engraver knows how to prepare the music to get easily readable and beautiful scores. If your music deserves publication or is to be performed by professional musicians, the best thing you can do is to have it prepared by a professional expert. This will give you the best results and a considerable save in rehearsal time.