I’m making a 400-page book of songs for voice and piano. I’m trying to limit the page count. I’m using staff size 7. I like how Dorico is smart about the many ways that it handles spacing. Some of my pages look too cluttered, while others have too much wasted vertical space. I’m not having much luck messing with the vertical spacing in layout options. Two sample pages are below. Could someone please offer me advice?
Ideally, we’d need to see the document. The key factors are the “Frame fullness indicators” in Engrave mode on each page; the Minimum Gap settings; and the Vertical Justification settings in Layout Options. This affects how the music is spaced out vertically.
Not all blank space is wasted! Having a good, balanced amount of white space between systems (and in the margins!) is useful, to avoid the eye losing track of which line is which.
I’d agree that your first example needs more space; and your second could perhaps stretch out a little: but not too much. I suspect that the music is being justified by increasing the spaces between systems, but not by increasing the spaces between Staves.
That suggests that the second Justification Percentage value is too low.
Staff Size 7 is ‘quite small’. What’s the page size? Maybe see what it’s like to play from, on a piano stand.
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Page size is letter (8.5”x11”). I don’t mind sharing the file because I plan on making a pdf of it free when I’m done (it has several songs by Burleigh not previously available). The file is too big for the forum. Is it okay if I provide a OneDrive link to it?
Yes, that should be fine.
The link has expired before I was able to have a look.
Here it is again…
Your vertical Justification settings are 60% and 70%. I suggest setting the 2nd of those to 100%, which will always justify the page by increasing the space between the vocal staff and piano, as well as between the systems.
I’d suggest that 5 systems to a page is too densely packed, and you’ve forced those systems together with Frame Breaks.
Something you might consider is using Note Spacing changes to make each flow “fill” a certain number of complete systems, rather than using System Breaks on every line.
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Thank you!