User manual

Page formatting
The formatting of pages in Dorico Elements is determined by a number of factors, including the
layout’s staff size, page margins, the master page applied to them, any casting off values applied
to them, system and frame breaks, and frame padding.
The most important factors that determine how pages are formatted in Dorico Elements are:
Staff size
Staff size refers to the distance between the top and bottom lines of staves. The most
appropriate staff size depends on the intended purpose and contents of the layout. In
many cases, changing the staff size is the quickest way to produce legible layouts.
Staff spacing
Staff spacing mostly involves the height of staves and the necessary gaps between
staves and systems.
Casting off
Casting off, that is, the process of determining a set number of bars per system and
systems per page, allows you to x a regular appearance across entire layouts.
System and frame breaks
System and frame breaks allow you to adjust layouts on a local level, by determining
which bars are shown on each system and where music is pushed into the next frame.
Page margins
Page margins determine the dimensions of pages in layouts. Frames cannot exceed
the boundaries set by the margins of the layout, which you can change on the Page
Setup page in Setup > Layout Options. You can change the size of margins on each
edge of each page.
Master pages
All pages in your layouts inherit their layout formats from master pages. Although you
cannot create or edit master pages in Dorico Elements, we recommend being familiar
with them as a concept, so you are aware of how pages are formatted. For example,
if you override a master page, such as by editing the title directly in the music area,
empty pages that are no longer required might not be deleted automatically.
TIP
The default master pages in Dorico Elements contain tokens for the project title,
lyricist, and composer on the rst pages in layouts, and the ow title (score layouts)
or layout name (part layouts) at the top of subsequent pages. Part layouts also
automatically show the layout name in the top left of the
rst page. These tokens
refer to information in the
Project Info dialog, so we recommend entering information
in the Project Info dialog in order to show it in your layouts.
Flow headings
Flow headings show the number and title of each ow immediately above their rst
system automatically. They have no xed vertical position and follow the music if it
moves. The default ow heading contains tokens to display the ow number and ow
title; in a new project, this appears as “1. Flow 1”. In Dorico Elements, you cannot edit
ow headings or create new ones.
You can hide/show ow headings on a per-layout basis. Deleting or editing individual
ow headings is considered a master page override, which is a type of page format
change.
Layout and formatting
Page formatting
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Dorico Elements 3.5.12