Finale Forum

In the attached document, the formatting of the last two pages explodes. Any insight why, or the best fix?
Thanks!

It looks like you changed the page scaling of the first three pages "manually" with the page layout tool, then more pages got added, which assumed the "page format" document setting. Whatever you did to resize 1-3 you need to do 4 and 5 as well.

Thanks, asking for a student and I couldn't figure out what the heck they did.

This is a common question. It's a little odd the way it works, I think.

In the Page Layout menu you can select the option “Update Page Format for Score”.

When “Update Page Format for Score” is toggled on, Finale will monitor how you format the first pages of the score, and write that formatting into the document settings “Page Format for Score”.

If you afterwards go to
Document menu > Page Format > Score…
then you will see that the settings have been updated - so that new pages will get the same formatting as the first pages.

However, the option “Update Page Format for Score” is a program specific setting, not a document specific setting.
You should probably toggle “Update Page Format for Score” off again when “Page Format for Score” has been updated.

I didn't know about that preference. Given all the confusion I've seen surrounding this, it seems like it should be the default.

I didn't know it, either, and I have long said that it should be the default.

Where in the preferences did you find that setting?

Page Layout menu. However, I turned it on in jhelsley's document and then redefined the 4th and 5th pages and it had no effect. I guess it only affects future edits. jhelsley's student applied some scaling. Is there any way to find out what that was? What's really needed here is "make the other pages like the first one."

Start with the first page, move the handles and enter your parameters, etc... for the various options in the Page Layout menu (Systems -> System Margins, Page Margins, Page Size, Resize Page). Apply to the following pages.
Like Peter explained, if “Update Page Format for Score” is checked, these new parameters will be written into the Page Format -> Score window. They will become the default parameters used for new pages.

Page Layout menu. However, I turned it on in jhelsley's document and then redefined the 4th and 5th pages and it had no effect. I guess it only affects future edits. jhelsley's student applied some scaling. Is there any way to find out what that was? What's really needed here is "make the other pages like the first one."

If you choose the Resize tool and click on a page, I think it will show you what the percentage is.

Open the attached document, and take a look at the settings in
Document menu > Page Format > Score…

These settings are the settings jhelsley needs - I think.

Note in particular the complicated settings in the pane System Scaling.

Perhaps it is just me, but I would try to keep System Scaling a little simpler.