Is there an easy way to get these staves optimally spaced? This XML import used to fit just right on two pages in Brand X before Brand X got replaced by Dorico.
Start by looking at the Page Setup page of Layout Options. Sibelius’s margins are slightly bigger than Dorico’s, by default. Then skip to the Vertical Spacing page of Layout Options and reduce the Inter-system gap.
One of the three pages responded to changes on the screen shown in the attached screenshots.
I am trying to make a three-page part into a two-page part. I imported this from a Sibelius file when Avid apparently died and I crossgraded to Dorico. It was two pages in Sibelius. Is there any way to make this occupy two pages instead of three?
Is it possible to move a line of music from one page to another?
This is the best I could do. I want the piece to be two pages long. Any way to move staves from page to page?
It looks like you’ve got some pretty dodgy values on the Staff Spacing page of Layout Options. I suggest you click ‘Reset to Factory’ to put things back to their default values. On the Page Setup page of Layout Options, try reducing the rastral size one notch to size 4, and on the Note Spacing page, try setting the ideal distance for a quarter note from 4 to 3 1/2. That will probably be sufficient to get things comfortably onto two pages.
“Reset To Facory” in Layout Options is grayed out. Could it be because my music is imported XML?
Here is the result so far. I’d like to even up the distribution of the staves between the two pages. How could that be done?
Reset to Factory will be greyed out because the selected layout type at the bottom of Layout Options doesn’t match the layout type of the selected layout. If you’re working with a score layout, you need to select Score from that dropdown; if you’re working with a part layout, you need to select Part from that dropdown.
At the bottom of Vertical Spacing there are two percentage values. Try setting these values to something lower.
In particular, set ‘Justify distance between staves and systems when frame is at least x% full’ to 50% instead of the default 60%. That should take care of it.
If you’re interested, there’s quite a detailed tutorial on vertical spacing in Dorico on the YouTube channel here.
It’s all good so far, but not perfect enough.
Exported 2-page piece to XML from MuseScore, imported XML to Dorico 3.5.
This is a one-flow project so far.
See the screen shot labeled “before”.
Using Setup/Layout Options/Page Setup/Music Frame Options, adjusted bottom margins.
See the screen shot “after”. I tried a lot of values for Music Frame Margins/bottom. This is about where it snapped out of its problem.
Good.
Now what can I do to spread out the staves a bit on page 2? Tried this and that, no joy.
I will be adding fingerings including trying out fingerings above the notes. Dorico guitar fingerings is why I bought Dorico. Will that cause the inter-staff gaps to spread here and there? So I have to adjust them manually one by one? (The right answer is “No” even if it isn’t the correct answer. IMHO of course.)
Of course, Dorico adjust the position of staves to avoid collision with other items. Large manual adjustments are not required. Dorico will attempt to fill the page according to the settings in LAyout Options > Vertical Spacing > Vertical Justification. If the music on the page is larger than the first % value, then it will space the contents to fill the page.
This one is pretty easy to solve in a few steps. If you want more automatic spacing without manual adjustment, don’t change music frame margins. Instead, change your values for Layout Options–Vertical Spacing–Justify distance between systems when frame is X% full," and set it to a lower value.
Use frame breaks to distribute the systems equally.
If you keep your inter-system gaps and small values, you’ll be fine. You only get into trouble when you try to set them higher.
Edit: Ben beat me to it.
Of the two shown in the screen shot, which is the correct one to adjust, or both, and if both, should they both be set lower?
Never mind, I set “Justify distance…” and it all snapped into place. Wow. You guys answer fast. Lockdown isn’t that bad except takeout food from good restaurants never taste as good at home.
I’ve merged your new thread into your existing one. Please feel free to continue an existing thread if you are still working on the same problem. I do recommend that video I linked to in my last reply in the original thread, as it will give you a good understanding of how vertical justification works and how to use the tools provided to get the results you want quickly.
There’s also a very useful visual explanation (in the form of a zipped PDF) from benwiggy, here.
Thanks, guys, for all the help. Getting dangerously close to perfect. The last frontier is fingering.
I have looked enviously at violin fingerings, where the numbers are above the notes.
Whenever I can I squeeze everything into two pages. (It works nicely in the binder without having to tape and untape pages during my normal zillions of revisions.) Pencilling fingerings over the notes works well, saving lots of space during the first spate of revisions.
So…what about lying to the system and saying I play the violin? What pitfalls might I encounter, and how might I get around them? I’ll ask for a moment of your time on this since it could save me hours of fruitless toil.
I attached a picture of the page from which I a copying these fingerings today.
Go to Engraving Options > Fingering > Design, and scroll down until you see the first lot of Advanced Options. Click to open the Advanced Options section, then untick this option:
Apply and close.
No need to pretend it’s a violin!
OMG. You have made me whole again. I had to tell you that. I had been re-entering everything pretending to be a violinist, which is what I would be if I had it all to do over again. 
Thank you.