Family Tree Maker 2019 Step by Step Guide: Using FTM output in

Family Tree Maker 2019

Step by Step Guide:

Using FTM output in coursework

Step by step guide – using FTM output Page 1 11/09/2023

Introduction

Some coursework requires the submission of FTM reports and charts. In these cases, we will

require the FTM output to be submitted as a single pdf document and any additional work not

generated from FTM to be submitted as a separate Word document. So, if we ask for a

Descendant Chart, a Descendant Report and some commentary, we expect to see the first two

combined and submitted as a single pdf document and the commentary submitted separately as a

Word document.

For a few specific tasks it may be desirable to include a chart in a Word document (e.g. for the

client etude). This document provides guidance on doing so (we used Word 2016 for the

examples, but Word 2010, 2013, Office365, etc. are very similar).

Producing FTM charts and reports as separate pdf documents

The process for producing individual charts and reports as pdf documents is described in full in the

respective Step by Step Guides for Charts and Reports. However, the process is very similar to

printing but uses the “share” then “export to pdf” option and requires just a few mouse clicks!

Merging FTM charts and reports into a single pdf document

There are several ways in which a single pdf document can be assembled from multiple pdf

documents.

1 Use Adobe Acrobat (not Adobe Reader). This is a wonderful product but is expensive. We

do not expect students to have access to this software. However, if you have it, this is the best

approach. The method may vary between different versions, so check the help file for inserting

pages. One advantage of using this software is that headers and footers can be added to the

merged document.

2 Use an online service. Several free services exist which allow you to upload the files to be

merged to an internet based service, and to receive back a merged file. One service which we

have used, for example, is Soda PDF Online’s free PDFMerge tool available at

https://www.sodapdf.com/pdf-merge/ . They also have a number of other free tools available. On

the home screen simply use the browse buttons to find the files on your computer you wish to join

(in the order that you require). Then click on the merge files button.

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You will be prompted to download the new merged file and view it in your web browser where you

can then save it to a place on your computer. Or you can type in an email address and the service

will email your merged file.

You can also download a version of the software to your computer for free.

This is our suggested solution – give it a try, now!

3 Use alternative software. Other free of charge software utilities are available (such as

Cutepdf editor – see https://editor.cutepdf.com/) and Foxit PDF Reader – see

https://www.foxit.com/pdf-reader/ . You can also do an internet search using the terms ‘free pdf

merge tool’ and you should get many websites to try. If you find a useful product, let us know via

the IT Forum.

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Incorporating FTM charts into Word

Inserting charts as images

As mentioned in the introduction, this process may only be required in a few circumstances and is

not the approach to use for most coursework. However, you may find it useful when adding

snippets from a family tree chart in a client report.

Once you have created a chart in FTM and formatted it (see Step by Step Guide to Charts) it is

easy to incorporate it into Word. From the Detail tab view of the Publish workspace, click on the

Share button.

A drop-down list appears. Click on “Export to Image.”

The familiar Save As dialogue box appears. Change the “Save as type” option to jpg (or png) and

choose an appropriate file location.

Now go to your Word document and import the jpg. This can be done by simply using drag and

drop – dragging the file from the File Explorer area (or whatever your environment is) and dropping

it into the Word document.

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Hint: make sure that the cursor in the Word document is at the place where you want the file

inserted before you drag and drop.

Alternatively, click on “Pictures” in the Insert ribbon and find the file using the Find File box.

Within Word, you can improve the presentation, if necessary. Images can, for example, be

positioned on the page, text wrapping adjusted, cropped, resized, be given a border. We will not

go into detail here, but if you click on the image you will notice a new ribbon tab appearing called

Picture Tools. Click on this to open the Picture Tools Format ribbon. Play with the options, but

remember simplicity and consistency are often the best approach. For example, the border used

on images in this document is the centre shadow rectangle which helps visually lift graphics off the

page.

However, there are a couple of issues to be aware of. Firstly, resizing graphics, especially ones

containing text, can result in serious degradation of the image to the point where text may become

illegible. Always check that your image is readable! One solution might be to change an individual

page containing the graphic to lie in a document section in landscape rather than the usual portrait

orientation (see Word help files for details). Another solution might be to crop the image

aggressively, removing the title and any white space outside of the tree. If this still results in a poor

image, one of the workaround solutions using pdfs might need to be considered.

Reports

It is also possible to incorporate reports into Word. This uses an intermediate document format

(Rich Text Format – RTF). However, the formatting once opened in Word is very messy and

requires a substantial amount of editing to make it acceptable. Frankly for Certificate and Diploma

work this is an unnecessary and avoidable time burden for students. Embedding pdf documents

within Word files is also possible, but this can cause problems for tutors marking the work.

Therefore, we actively discourage reports included in Word by RTF or as embedded pdf objects

and require separate submission in .pdf format instead.

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Final thought

Producing merged .pdf documents is something you will have to do early on in the course. We

strongly recommend that you try the process now!