The program lets you arrange music, share it through MP3, play it back and print it out in individual parts or as a full score, which can contain up to 24 staves (staffs).
Through a "Setup Wizard" the program can automatically transpose, set the key signature, time and tempo, lay out the music and other preliminary chores. The 2010 version has 30 templates available.
To write the notes, you can either use your mouse or computer keyboard, scan in music, import music files (MIDI and MusicXML, Finale, SmartScore), play it on your keyboard through MIDI, play it from brass or woodwind into a microphone or use a combination of mouse, keyboard and MIDI entry.
As of 2009, Finale PrintMusic can run in a Mac or Windows environment. Both need a CD-ROM drive and 256 MB RAM. Windows users need to be running either XP, Vista or Windows 7; Mac Users need at least a G4 system, operating systems 10.4 to 10.6.
In 2009, the program cost $99.95 new, with upgrades costing $29.95. If you have certain other Finale programs, you can trade up for various discounted prices instead of paying full retail. You can try a full-featured demo version for 30 days.