# Copy Staff Spacing—how to paste what is copied

**URL:** <https://forums.steinberg.net/t/copy-staff-spacing-how-to-paste-what-is-copied/960723>\
**Category:** Dorico\
**Created:** [December 22, 2024, 7:11pm UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/copy-staff-spacing-how-to-paste-what-is-copied/960723 "2024-12-22T19:11:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Bert\_Ligon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@Bert\_Ligon](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/Bert_Ligon)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2024, 7:11pm UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/copy-staff-spacing-how-to-paste-what-is-copied/960723/1 "2024-12-22T19:11:45Z")

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I can find a section on how to Copy Staff Spacing [fixing spacing on one brass part and copying that to the next rather than repeating a tedious task]. There are no instructions on how to paste what is copied.

If I want the spacing shown in the Trombone part to be copied and pasted to the Trumpet part—how does that happen. ⌘V does nothing. There is no Paste Staff Spacing under Engrave.

Thanks in advance

 ![Copy Staff Spacing](https://europe1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/original/4X/0/b/8/0b85ef7bdc612b8e99dd8310ba1edc83e180f271.png)  
 ![TB](https://europe1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/original/4X/d/7/a/d7a5c91be4585530923867ef78320dad0c69cd78.png)  
 ![trumpet](https://europe1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/original/4X/f/3/0/f306b03b3aeb1b1794a3aaa43c3ff3a7f9cba657.png)  
 ![Manual](https://europe1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/original/4X/1/3/2/13248fc54c531399cd23943fa728c138bc8d0589.png)

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**Author:** ![LAE](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/user_avatar/forums.steinberg.net/lae/32/1694_2.png) [@LAE](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/LAE)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2024, 7:46pm UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/copy-staff-spacing-how-to-paste-what-is-copied/960723/2 "2024-12-22T19:46:11Z")

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It works within one single layout, not between layouts. Try setup mode, propagate part formatting instead. I am not sure if staff spacing will transfer, but worth a shot.

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**Author:** ![Bert\_Ligon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@Bert\_Ligon](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/Bert_Ligon)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2024, 8:17pm UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/copy-staff-spacing-how-to-paste-what-is-copied/960723/3 "2024-12-22T20:17:07Z")

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Yes, I see that now. Page formatting propagated. Other adjustments did not: like spacing between systems.

If 8 brass players need the same page layouts/formats/staff spacing, I hope there is some way to do it once and not 8 times. A selling point for Dorico is less time spent working on layouts.

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**Author:** ![LAE](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/user_avatar/forums.steinberg.net/lae/32/1694_2.png) [@LAE](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/LAE)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2024, 8:28pm UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/copy-staff-spacing-how-to-paste-what-is-copied/960723/4 "2024-12-22T20:28:27Z")

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The spacing you desire could be achieved using vertical spacing settings, except for the extra distance to the coda system. So at least you could minimise manual tweaking to only the coda system (unless you need completely different spacing for the previous pages).

But maybe someone chimes in with some method for that also.

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**Author:** ![Lillie\_Harris](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/user_avatar/forums.steinberg.net/lillie_harris/32/363348_2.png) [@Lillie\_Harris](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/Lillie_Harris)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2024, 9:07pm UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/copy-staff-spacing-how-to-paste-what-is-copied/960723/5 "2024-12-22T21:07:57Z")

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To make systems on a page spread out more.m but not to the full height of the page, consider reducing the height of the music frame rather than manually moving every system.

You can do this on one local page, or create a page template with a shorter music frame - the latter method allows you to reuse these proportions on multiple pages and in multiple layouts.

In general, Dorico needs less manual staff movement vertically than other applications. My best advice for using Dorico is to treat manual staff adjustments as a last resort, rather than default procedure.

Eg first start by changing the layout’s [vertical spacing values](https://www.steinberg.help/r/dorico-pro/5.1/en/dorico/topics/page_formatting/page_formatting_vertical_spacing_per_layout_options_r.html). There’s some handy tips on how to approach these values on the linked page, and in this video:

> **[Staff & System Spacing | Discover Dorico](https://www.youtube.com/live/oGOhUlY-0Vc?si=pi2fgXKVBSGqPQwf)**
>
> This session is about staff and system spacing.The tldr summary is:\* Check your page/paper size\* Check the title, & composer etc areas\* (Turn off flow header...

Ps your screenshot is from older documentation - the latest equivalent page is [here](https://www.steinberg.help/r/dorico-pro/5.1/en/dorico/topics/page_formatting/page_formatting_staff_spacing_changes_copying_to_pages_t.html).

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**Author:** ![Christian\_R](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/user_avatar/forums.steinberg.net/christian_r/32/188142_2.png) [@Christian\_R](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/Christian_R)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2024, 9:17pm UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/copy-staff-spacing-how-to-paste-what-is-copied/960723/6 "2024-12-22T21:17:12Z")

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Hi @Bert_Ligon,

if you could post your Project Dorico File, we could give precise steps to obtain what you need with minimal manual/local adjustments and mostly global settings (which is the strength of Dorico 😉 )

Here more infos:

> [@Four simple guidelines to help us help you](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/four-simple-guidelines-to-help-us-help-you/123752/1):
>
> **4. Post a project, not a picture**  
> If you are having a problem with Dorico, the fastest way to get the help you need is to post the project, or a part of it, and not to post a screenshot. If you post a picture, you will almost certainly find that the first person to respond to your thread asks you to post the project. You may be concerned that the musical content of your project will be judged, or stolen. While we cannot guarantee that this will not happen, because of the supportive nature of the forum, this is vanishingly unlikely. There may be copyright or confidentiality restrictions that prevent you from posting the whole project. That’s fine! It’s always better in any case to cut the project down to a smaller size to attach it, particularly because there is a 4MB file size limit on attachments.
> 
> To cut down your project, first do **File** \> **Save As** to save your project under a new name, to avoid making unwanted changes to your working project. If the project contains multiple flows, delete all flows except for the one that exhibits the problem. If the project contains multiple players, delete all players except for the one that exhibits the problem. If the problem is isolated to a particular bar or passage, then use the **Shift+B** popover to remove all other bars (e.g. select a note or rest in the bar after the problem passage, type **Shift+B** and enter a huge _negative_ number like **-9999** to delete all of the remaining bars in the flow).
> 
> Once you have cut down the project to the minimum scope that reproduces the problem, in Play mode choose **Play** \> **Playback Template** and reapply the default playback template, or choose **Silence**. This dramatically reduces the file size of the project after you have deleted most of its musical material, because it removes the saved audio engine state.
> 
> Finally, attach the Dorico project it to your post.
> 
> If you want to add a picture as well (perhaps annotated to show where the problem exists), then by all means do so. But if your problem relates to a specific situation you’re experiencing in your project, you are guaranteed to get a more helpful answer more quickly when you include a suitable project file to reproduce the problem.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Bert\_Ligon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@Bert\_Ligon](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/Bert_Ligon)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2024, 9:26pm UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/copy-staff-spacing-how-to-paste-what-is-copied/960723/7 "2024-12-22T21:26:36Z")

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Got it, thanks
