Make part fit a set number of pages?

[Recent Finale to Dorico switcher here.]

I have a piece where the first violin part is four pages plus three staves. What’s the easiest way for me to get it down to four pages? I am willing to trust Dorico’s spacing algorithms, so should I do this be reducing the staff size (and how do I do that), or something else?

You can try the following steps in order of appearance. Maybe the desired result is reached after the first three steps.

  1. If you don’t need the copyright frame on the first page, remove the text frame and drag the music frame to the bottom in the page template (not in the page itself) in Engrave mode.

  2. The default page margins in Layout Options > Page Setup are quite generous, 1/2 inch (12.7 mm) is sufficient, it can be even reduced to 10 mm. Before changing anything select the appropriate part layouts on the right side.

  3. The top and bottom music frame margins in the same dialog can also be slightly reduced.

  4. In Note Spacing (also in Layout Options) reduce Default Space for crotchet/quarter note carefully in small steps (not less than 3 spaces).

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I’d be changing note spacing followed by the staff size, if necessary.

Staff size
I think this is what you are referring to?

Vertical spacing

Layout options

A few things here to play with as well.

Welcome to the forum (if you have not already been welcomed … or even if you have :slight_smile: )

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Yes, changing vertical spacing is also a good approach, but I’d like to advise against reducing the staff size in the name of the player.

In the Vertical Spacing dialog that has been mentioned, I find the most important setting to adjust is the Minimum Gaps. I rarely need to adjust any of the Ideal Gaps.

Agreeing with all the previous posters. Usually the staff size and page margins for a project are set in stone for readibility and consistency, so I would not change them unless that is my only remaining option.

This is my workflow: (N.B. no system/page breaks at all yet)

  1. Add a note spacing change to bar 1. Reduce it in steps to see if you can come down to two extra systems on the last page, (or even one or none) and still have the last system properly filled (see the %-meter to the right) and the general note spacing OK (with the sign post for the note spacing change still selected, you can invoke it by pressing enter, so no need for scrolling back and forth).
  2. When this is done (taken that 1. did not take care of the whole problem), go into to Vertical spacing as described above, or use Make into Frame/Frame breaks with ”wait for next frame break” selected.

In case no Note spacing change is needed, you could also try with 2. directly.

If you have a part with more pages where you have to plan for page turns, the workflow will be a bit different – I will start with the page turns to see how many pages I will have to fill.

Okay—thanks for all the suggestions! Now I have it all on four pages, but the last stave on the last page is only two measures long. Is there a way to space out the last page so all the staves take up the entire width of the page?

I think I got it - I put a system break (Shift-S) at the bottom of the previous page (I wanted to move that measure anyway), and everything else flowed into place.

@jtbh3804 there’s also this function:

The two things you shoudl try are:

  1. Reduce the Note Spacing from the default of 4, downwards.

  2. Reduce the gap between systems, in the Ideal Gaps section of LAyout Options. This will hopefully increase the number of systems you can get on a page.

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