terraced (graduated?) hairpins in Dorico?

It is something that can be set as default: make the change in Engraving Options, then click ‘Save as Default’ so that it will be used by projects you create in future.

great, thank you! Just so I’m clear, does “Save as Default” apply to this project only, or to all new files going forward as well?
How do I make something default for future files?
Same goes for printing settings – somehow or other, even though my default setup is for “Letter” size, when I get to the Print menu it attempts to resize my music to 3x5 – i’ve never even heard of this size…

thank you!

‘Save as Default’ applies only to new projects: it won’t change the settings in existing projects.

For Print mode defaults, Dorico will show the sizes your printer reports that it supports. You may need to adjust the defaults for your printer outside of Dorico, maybe.