Page Layout/Optimize Staff Systems

In Finale, the process of hiding empty staves within each system is called optimizing systems.

Using this command, you can specify the systems you want optimized - all of them, for example. Finale instantly redraws your score (in Page View), omitting blank staves from the specified systems; you'll find that your score now fits on fewer pages. If you optimize a completely empty staff system, Finale will still display the top staff, even though it's blank.

Optimizing systems in Finale has another important benefit: it permits staves to be independently movable in Page View. Under normal circumstances, you can only move, respace, or rearrange staves for all systems using the Staff Tool. If you have optimized a system, however, you'll find that the Staff Tool works in Page View as well, letting you vary the positioning and spacing of staves as they'll appear on the printed page. Furthermore, again using the Staff Tool, you can change the staff grouping of staves that have been optimized, letting you change the way in which your staves are bracketed.

When you choose this command, the Staff System Optimization dialog box appears, letting you specify the range of systems you want optimized and whether to ask before removing each staff.

For detailed information, see the Staff System Optimization dialog box.