Family Tree Maker Version 16 Deluxe

Family Tree Maker Version 16 Deluxe for PC & Mac, Windows, OSX, and Linux. For example, the program now makes files exported from Family Tree Maker 2006 more compatible with previous versions of the software. Family Tree Maker 2006 users can download version 16 for free: From the program’s home page, just click Help Center and select Check for Program Updates to automatically download and install it.

Family Tree Maker is an excellent program that can easily produce a variety of gorgeous genealogy charts ready for printing. Since it is the most popular genealogy program in use today, here are some simple design tips that will help Family Tree Maker users create gorgeous looking charts while keep their printing costs as low as possible. The same techniques shown below for Family Tree Maker 16 and earlier also apply to the more recent versions of Family Tree Maker. the only difference is that the menus for selecting these options of changed somewhat.

Including Photos or Graphics

If you'll be including photos or graphics on your chart, you can optionally resize them prior to including them on your chart. Although Family Tree Maker allows you to scale the size of the photos you place on your chart, the program is still saving the original full-size photo. This can make your FTM file very large if you have a large number of photos that have large file sizes. For example, if you're adding a photo that would normally print as a 5 X 7 or an 8 x 10, and it will only be appearing on your chart as a photo that is 2 inches tall, so you may want to resize the photo before importing it into FTM. This is not necessary, but it will dramatically reduce the file size of the photo and keep FTM from getting into the hundreds of megabytes big process.

Watch video about adding photos to your family tree chart if you're using FTM 16 or earlier

Family Tree Maker Page Breaks

If you've ever printed a small family tree chart using 8.5 X 11 inch paper, you already know that you don't want your boxes to be cut in half at the page breaks. Since we'll be printing your family tree chart on continuous roll paper, you'll be doing the exact opposite. You'll want to change the settings in Family Tree Maker to allow the boxes to overlap page breaks that you see on your screen. In FTM 16 and earlier, this is accomplished by right clicking anywhere on your chart, and then selecting 'tree format'. Make sure the overlap page breaks box is checked as shown in the first example below. This will eliminate a lot of wasted white space, reduce the width of your family tree chart, and keep your printing costs low. You don't need to worry about finding a setting for continuous roll paper as we handle that on our end. If you're using a more recent version of Family Tree Maker, the option for making this selection is always visible in the chart options panel on the right side of your screen as shown in the second example below.

Eliminating page breaks in Family Tree Maker version 16 & earlier

Eliminating page breaks in recent versions of Family Tree Maker

Family Tree Maker Box Sizes

Another thing that you can do to fine tune the size of your printed genealogy chart is to adjust the width of the boxes. For exceptionally long family tree charts, adjusting the box sizes could trim a few feet off the total size and reduce your cost. If you're using Family Tree Maker version 16 or earlier, this is accomplished by right clicking anywhere on your chart, and then selecting 'maximum box width'. This bring up a second screen as shown in the first example below. If you have previously selected 'word wrap' under 'options' in 'items to include in each box', long lines will simply wrap, creating a taller box, but saving you on the width. You should never use the FTM feature that allows you to drag individual boxes or branches of your tree. Although everything may appear the way you want it to look on your monitor, when it comes time to print, your chart won't print correctly. If you're using a more recent version of Family Tree Maker, you can adjust your box sizes by selecting the third icon from the left which appears right under 'chart options' on the right side of your screen as shown in the second example below. When you do this, another options box will appear which will allow you to adjust your box sizes, box outline colors, and chart border. To save on space, you may also want to un-check the option 'all boxes same size' which is the default setting.

Watch video about adjusting the box sizes on your family tree chart if you're using FTM 16 or earlier

Setting box sizes in Family Tree Maker version 16 & earlier

Setting box sizes in recent versions of Family Tree Maker

Family Tree Maker Picture Sizes

You will also want to adjust the size of any photos that you want to appear in any of the boxes. The default size for photos is much smaller than you will want them to appear on your chart. We recommend a photo size of around 1.2 inches. If you're using Family Tree Maker version 16 or earlier, this is accomplished by right clicking anywhere on your chart, then selecting 'maximum box width' and finally adjusting the picture size in the new box which will will come up as shown in the first example below. If you're using a more recent version of Family Tree Maker, the option for making this selection is always visible in the chart options panel on the right side of your screen as shown in the second example below.

Setting picture sizes in Family Tree Maker version 16 & earlier

Setting picture sizes in recent versions of Family Tree Maker

Family Tree Maker Font Styles and Sizes

Although it won't have a major impact on the size of your family tree chart, selecting a good font size and style is important. If you select too small of a font in order to keep your chart small, you run the risk of it not being easily readable by relatives with less than perfect eyesight. The default font size in Family Tree Maker for most items is 6 or 7 points which is way too small to use for printing. While it may look fine on your monitor when you zoom in on an entry, you'll probably want most of your font selections to be between 8 and 12 points. It's usually a good idea to make the person's name one font size larger than the rest of the data entries and also selecting bold type. Unless you're trying to keep your chart a certain size, we normally recommend 12 point bold for the names and 10 point regular for the additional birth, marriage and death facts. The fonts named Arial or Tahoma are the most popular and easily readable fonts from our experience. Although there are many fancier fonts that can be used, they are often harder to read by older members of a family. In Family Tree Maker version 16 and earlier, font selection is accomplished by right clicking anywhere on your family tree chart, and then selecting 'text font, style and size'. A second box will then come up which will allow you to select the font size and style for each of your entries as shown in the first example below. If you're using a more recent version of Family Tree Maker, you can adjust your font sizes and styles by selecting the second icon from the left which appears right under 'chart options' on the right side of your screen as shown in the second example below. When you do this, another options box will appear which will allow you to adjust font styles and sizes.

Setting font sizes and styles in Family Tree Maker version 16 & earlier

Setting font sizes and styles in recent versions of Family Tree Maker

Family Tree Maker Chart Dimensions

As you go about fine tuning the layout of your family tree chart, you'll always be kept up to date by Family Tree Maker about the size of your chart. This will allow you to refer to our pricing page so you can determine what you're printing charges will be. Depending upon the country you reside in, the measurements will be in either inches (in the U.S.) or centimeters (in the U.K.). If you're using Family Tree Maker version 16 or earlier, the measurements of your chart always show up in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen as you're designing your chart as shown in the first example below. If you're using a more recent version of Family Tree Maker, your chart dimensions will appear above your chart preview window as shown in the second example below.

Family Tree Maker

Watch video about understanding the dimensions of your family tree chart if you're using FTM 16 or earlier

Locating your chart dimensions in Family Tree Maker version 16 & earlier

Locating your chart dimensions in recent versions of Family Tree Maker

Setting Your Date Preferences

FTM allows you to select the date format that will be used in your printed chart. When you submit your order to us, it is essential that you let us know the date format that you prefer. Although all of your other design choices will normally be saved within your FTW or FTM file which you send us, your date preference will not be saved in your file. There is a space on our order form for this information. If you are not sending us a physical order form, and are instead sending us an e-mail with your FTW or FTM file attached, please let us know in your e-mail the date format to use. In Family Tree Maker version 16 and earlier, this option is accessed by selecting 'file' and then 'preferences' on your menu bar. If you're using a more recent version of Family Tree Maker, select 'tools' and then 'options' on your menu bar to bring up the box as shown in the second example below.

Watch video about date preferences on your family tree chart if you're using FTM 16 or earlier

Setting your date preferences in Family Tree Maker version 16 & earlier

Family Tree Maker Version 16 Collector's Edition

Setting your date preferences in in recent versions of Family Tree Maker

We're so sure you'll love our family tree printing services that we confidently provide a complete money back guarantee on all family tree chart orders.

Please call us at 630-653-8400 or e-mail us at sales@ancestryprinting.com if you have any questions about any of our family tree chart printing services. International callers can also Skype us if preferred; however, we ask that you email us to set up a convenient time for a Skype to Skype call. We are located in the central time zone of the U.S. (GMT/UTC-6 and -5 in the summer), and can make arrangements for incoming Skype to Skype calls up to around 10:00 PM local time on most nights. We only accept Skype to Skype calls that have been pre-arranged by email. And, if you haven't already done so please watch the full video about our services.

Ancestry.com announced it will discontinue making its acclaimed FTM (Family Tree Maker) software, and there are a lot of angry customers. Their blog is full of comments from displeased people. Ancestry has not offered any suggestions for alternate solutions. The only explanation the company has offered is that it does not see any profit in desktop software going forward, and so will focus on online offerings. This means people who have used Ancestry.com solely to build their family tree will have to keep up an annual membership to the site to be able to access all the work they have done on their family tree. The information on the site will also be stored in the cloud, so if the cloud or Ancestry ever goes down or out of business, people stand to lose their family trees. This can sometimes represent decades of work.

There are others who use the online feature of the FTM desktop software to connect with Ancestry.com and automatically find records and download them to their family tree. It saves a lot of time in collecting and cataloging research. Since FTM will not be available for purchase after the end of the year, this means no more upgrades to the software, and Ancestry.com will stop supporting it after January of 2017. This is a big deal in the genealogy world, since FTM has been around since the mid-1990’s, and was one of the first family tree software programs available. It was made by a company called Broderbund back then; it was only later that Ancestry.com purchased it and added it to their company. Some customers have been using this one program for nearly twenty years to record their family history and genealogy information.

Locating an alternative is going to be a priority for FTM users, and a dramatic change for many of them, especially the ones who have been using it since the beginning. Without support from Ancestry.com anymore, and with many people being uncomfortable with the idea of putting their genealogy information in the cloud, with a third-party company, alternatives are the only answer, and getting used to a new way of recording information on their family tree will be a necessary evil.

The tough part of finding an alternative to FTM is that no other family tree software is compatible with it. Ancestry.com, and Broderbund before it, made certain of this, to ensure they kept customers. The idea of manually transferring what may be tens of thousands of names and thousands of pages of notes from FTM to another genealogy software program is daunting at best. Here are some ways to make transferring your information easier, as well as alternative software programs that are just as good as FTM, and, according to many genealogists who use them, even better.

Make a GEDCOM File

While FTM files are not compatible with any other genealogy software, you can convert those files to GEDCOM files. GEDCOM files are compatible with many different family tree software programs. Being able to transfer your information, including photos and media files, without having to copy it all over by hand, which could take months or longer to do, depending on the size of your family tree, is a big deal, regardless of what software you choose to transfer them to.

To make a GEDCOM file with FTM, you open your family file in FTM, then use the main menu to select “File>Export File>Entire File.” You’ll get a “Save as Type” popup menu. Select GEDCOM from this menu. Click “OK,” and the GEDCOM version of your FTM family tree will go onto your desktop. When you install a new family tree software on your computer, you can just drag the file to the new program’s desktop icon and deposit it there. You should then be able to access your family tree information in the new program when you open it. All you need to do then is learn how to use the new program.

Good FTM Alternatives

While no other software will be able to connect to Ancestry.com and automatically grab copies of records from it for your family tree (you’ll have to do it by hand), there are a few other programs with the in-program capabilities of FTM. In fact, some message boards where this issue is being discussed say some programs are actually better than FTM when it comes to in-program functions.

Some programs you may want to try, that have high ratings and excellent user satisfaction, include Legacy (by far the most popular alternative choice being discussed online), Reunion, and RootsMagic. You may want to try more than one before deciding on the program you will use in place of FTM from now on. It’s important to get a program you will enjoy using, and that does what you need it to do. Most programs offer a refund if you return it within a certain period of time, so this gives you an ideal way to try alternatives to FTM and discover the new one you like best. Just be sure the software supports GEDCOM files, then start exploring to find your new favorite family tree desktop software.