We sharpen the two main tools used to treat the compactified Jacobian of a
singular curve: Abel maps and presentation schemes. First we prove a smooth
ness theorem for bigraded Abel maps. Second we study the two complementary
filtrations provided by the images of certain Abel maps and certain present
ation schemes. Third we study a lifting of the Abel map of bidegree (m, 1)
to the corresponding presentation scheme. Fourth we prove that, if a curve
is blown up at a double point, then the corresponding presentation scheme i
s a P-1-bundle. Finally, wing Abel maps of bidegree (m, 1), we characterize
the curves having double points at worst.