CHART SIZE LIMITATIONS OF SOME PACKAGES

There is no perfect genealogical charting package. Each package has its own set of imposed constraints. The most restrictive ones are listed first. This page lists some of these that will effect your choice where to get the chart you want created:

Brother's Keeper (versions 5.2G and 6.0.19 beta)
Even though this package has a large local following, it has serious deficiencies when trying to use it generate large genealogical charts. Its management of printer properties, its lack of control of the amount to be placed on a chart page make it extremely difficult to get a worthwhile large chart output from it. Correspondence with John Steed (the author) has not resolved the problems in the printer properties dialog.

It has the following charting characteristics:

• difficult management of printer properties
• limited controls on chart content and style
• large charts best created in another package
• no chart file editing, saving and restoring
• no timeline chart
• no hourglass chart
• cannot combine charts
• descendancy box chart
• ancestor box chart

Personal Ancestral File (version 4.0)
Like Brother's Keeper, Personal Ancestral File is not intended to create large genealogical charts. It lacks many of the controls needed to give a reasonable chart.

It has the following charting characteristics:

• difficult management of printer properties
• limited controls on chart content and style
• large charts best created in another package
• no chart file editing, saving and restoring
• no timeline chart
• no hourglass chart
• cannot combine charts
• no person-by-person basis control of chart
• descendancy box chart
• ancestor box chart

Legacy (version 4.0)
Legacy has a little more power than either of Brother's Keeper and Personal Ancestral File but it is still a "press the button" and it will print your chart. Take look at TreeDraw Legacy Edition if you want more flexible charts from Legacy.

It has the following charting characteristics:

• limited page size A3 (17in by 11in)
• limited controls on chart content and style
• large charts best created in another package
• no chart file editing, saving and restoring
• no timeline chart
• no hourglass chart
• cannot combine charts
• no person-by-person basis control of chart
• descendancy box chart
• ancestor box chart

Family Origins (version 10.0)
Family Origins is the first package in this list that can sensibly produce output for custom printer page sizes (such that the whole chart can be printed on one page).

It has the following charting characteristics:

• limited page size 4.5m (15ft) square
• limited controls on chart content and style
• large charts best created in another package
• no chart file editing, saving and restoring
• no timeline chart
• cannot combine charts
• no person-by-person basis control of chart
• handles custom page sizes
• descendancy box chart
• ancestor box chart
• hourglass chart

Family Tree Maker (version 8.0)
Family Tree Maker is the first package in this list that has a limited form of after chart generation editing. It has no save of the chart file. Unfortunately, it does not deal with changes in printer properties correctly and this can lead to unexpected errors or charts that don't fit the specified custom page size.

It has the following charting characteristics:

• limited page size 4.5m (15ft) square
• limited controls on chart content and style
• no chart file saving and restoring
• difficult to use custom page sizes
• cannot combine charts
• no person-by-person basis control of chart
• limited before printing editing
• descendancy box chart
• ancestor box chart
• hourglass chart
• ancestry fan chart
• hourglass fan chart
• timeline chart

Generations (version 8.5)
Generations is the first package in this list that has its own file format to save the generated and edited chart as a file. It can handle custom page sizes correctly. You can add images and annotations to your chart. You can select and move boxes on the basis of genealogical relationships. You have limited control over the use of colour on your as driven by attributes of your data. The representation of marriages follows the American style and not the UK style. These charts can be printed by sending the CHT file to the computer to which the required printer is attached and opening and printing that file from the same version of Generations on that computer.

It has the following charting characteristics:

• limited page size 2.75m (8ft 1in) square
• no person-by-person basis control of chart
• edit, save and restore of chart file
• manages custom page sizes correctly
• descendancy box chart
• ancestor box chart
• hourglass chart
• ancestry fan chart
• timeline chart
• can combine charts

Reunion (version 6.0)
Reunion is the Macintosh equivalent of Generations. However, to print on a Windows system printer the output needs to be captured as a PostScript or PDF file.

It has the following charting characteristics:

• limited page size 2.75m (8ft 1in) square
• no person-by-person basis control of chart
• manages custom page sizes correctly
• edit, save and restore of chart file
• descendancy box chart
• ancestor box chart
• hourglass chart
• ancestry fan chart
• timeline chart
• can combine charts

The Master Genealogist (version 6.0)
The Master Genealogist (TMG) has the same level of charting facilities as Generations but with more powerful editing of the chart after it has been generated. TMG also has its own chart file format VCH. The methods for printing its charts parallel those described for Generations. TMG has many charting features that can be set before the chart is generated. This reduces the amount of editing needed when remaking the same chart after adding data to your data set. You can add images and annotations to your chart. The representation of marriages follows the American style and not the UK style. TMG does not have Timeline charting styles. TMG cannot select and move boxes on the basis of genealogical relationships as can Family Tree maker and Generations. TMG can also output word-processor files (Word, Word Perfect, etc.) of indented trees for book publishing.

It has the following charting characteristics:

• page size may be limited by Windows 95/98/ME operating systems (SCEYA page size limit is 14.9m (49ft) square)
• no timeline chart
• manages custom page sizes correctly
• edit, save and restore of chart file
• descendancy box chart
• ancestor box chart
• hourglass chart
• ancestry fan chart
• can combine charts
• person-by-person basis control of chart

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