Have you tried this?
Staff > Respace Staves (there are various options, this should would work perfectly for what you ask for)

Hi Michael,

Thank you for your reply.

Yes, I have tried it. Perhaps (likely?) I'm not using this option correctly.

What I'm looking for is an automatic option to evenly distribute evenly all the staves on a page with the top and bottom staves fitting with the the margins.

With this option, it has been a hit or miss as I try different values until something fits.

:-)
Vanesa

Yes, you do have to play around with it a little, but that's how it works. I am not aware of an automatic function that does it all in one go.

Never say never ...
There is, after all, a plug-in available in Finale that does what you are looking for.-

Plug-ins > Scoring and Arranging > Space Systems
(All Pages / Multiple Systems: Keep topmost system fixed / Mode: Space evenly)
 

Although it seems like it still needs some playing around with it. See this video for more info - 21-5 Space Systems… (Evenly…) (Intermediate) - YouTube

Vanessa,

If you are familiar and able to install Finale Lua plugins - one I use almost daily is called "Widen Staff Space". I found it on Carl Vine's Finale plugin page. He lists others as well. The one you want is at the very bottom of this page:  Click Here

There are links for installing RGP Lua (required for these plugins) at the top of the same page. It's a little involved the first time, but once you've got it up and running, installing additional plugins is the same. I'm on a Mac, so would be no help to you  installing these on Windows. I'm certain there are others on the forum who could offer excellent advice.

The plugin has one function - it takes a single system of staves and stretches it to the bottom margin, adding space between each staff. It will process the entire document or any individual page(s) you have highlighted measures with the selection tool. If you don't select any measures, the plugin will ask if you want to stretch all pages of the document. Click "OK" to process all pages of your score.

Some things I noticed while using the plugin. You will need to set up your score so there is only one system on each page before you run the plugin. Do this using the Staff tool menu --> Respace Staves... as described in an earlier post. Make sure your single system covers at least 60% of the page or the plugin won't stretch the system. Also - this plugin won't shrink your system height. So if it extends past the bottom page margin you can reduce the space between staves with the Respace Staves... dialog as well. Then run the plugin again.

If you don't like the result or want to change the bottom system or bottom page margin, select "Undo" form the Edit menu, make your adjustments and run the plugin again.

Nessa, 

Don't worry about it and just run Perfect Layout. I generally use scroll view to work in and page view afterwards when I run PL.

The main most consideration for using Prefect Layout is make sure it has enough space to work. It is possible to make things so crowed that PL can't work but it will warn you if that is the case.  Remember you can even run it more than once if you don't like the first run or you do some more edits. PL has made almost every aspect of setting up a score moot. Just scroll view and run PL.

EB

https://www.finalemusic.com/blog/plugin-announcement-perfect-layout-v3-0-coming-soon/?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=campaign_6622306

Doug,

The Lua script "Widen staff space" looks interesting, but on the page you indicated (Carl Vine), I don't see a xxx.lua file, like for the other scripts on the page. As I'm not a developer, I don't know what to do with the code of the script. Any possibility to just download the script ?

Michel,

Right click on the link and select "download linked file". This should give you the full script in a text file named "widenstaffspace.lua" into your downloads folder. This is the plugin file. Add it to your RGP Lua or JW Lua setup.

If you are new to JW/RGP Lua - Click here for JW/RGP Lua installation instructions (Both MacOS and Windows) and to add this and any other script to your Finale > Plugins menu. The Conquering Finale video (SP-13) linked on this page goes over the entire process of setting things up. Jason Loffredo's full video series - Conquering Finale - is one of the most extensive (and free) video series on mastering all things Finale.

Thank you, Doug,

Actually, I'm a user of the RGP Lua scripts. I followed your instructions to download the script, and indeed, I got a text file, widenstaffspace.lua.txt (with the additional .txt suffix).

I just deleted that .txt suffix and I was able to install the script following the usual procedure.

Thanks again.

Michael M: "Never say never ..." thank you for the link to "Conquering Finale." It appears to be a excellent tutorial--at least to me. Several lessons in his series.

Doug and Michael H: scripts kind of scare me, but I will look into it. I have Windows, so I'll find out... ;-)

J. Adrian: YES! Can't hardly wait for the Perfect Layout 3.0 addition. Ernie has introduced me to the earlier version and I am beginning to understand it.

Ernie: I'll follow up :-)

:-)
Vanessa

Can't hardly wait for the Perfect Layout 3.0 addition.

I don't know if you are aware of this, but Perfect Layout is not an "addition" to a new version of Finale (nor will it likely be anytime soon, though its features should really be an intrinsic part of Finale). It's a plug-in you have to buy!

First let me say everybody is different. We all have different ways to compose or arrange music.  This makes our needs very much different. I can only say what works for me. The way Sibelius and MuseScore handle music is, they try to make it print ready as you write it. That seems odd to me.

You can’t tell how the music will be until you are done. As you go seems so peculiar trying to judge the future before it is written! Then it is laborious to adjust stuff the software couldn't.

With the advent of Perfect Layout v3 adding the finishing and final touches at the end of the music writing sequence makes way more sense.

 I use scroll view and don’t really care where Finale puts things because PLv3 will fix it later. In fact, PLv3 has made a lot of the old standard plug-ins obsolete. Along with a lot of Finale scripts you just don’t need them. I find I never use any of my TG Tools anymore. In fact, I never use 90% of the plug-ins that ship with Finale.

I do make heavy use of the JW New Tools, love'em!. But none of them work on the final print ready score. That is left to PLv3.

I do all my scores in concert 9" x 12" size and parts in 8 1/2" x 11" size.

I don't know if you are aware of this, but Perfect Layout is not an "addition" to a new version of Finale ... It's a plug-in you have to buy!

This is, true however, the full TG Tools is not free either nor is the Patterson plug-ins.

To my way of thinking some Finale scripts are about as time consuming and or mouse clicks as doing the task myself. I do have a couple I make use of fairly often though.

 (nor will it likely be anytime soon, though its features should really be an intrinsic part of Finale).

I doubt it too. The Finale programmers would then have the task of keeping PL up to date with any new feature that may come out in any new release. I am not sure MM is up to that task. They seem to have as much on their hands just keeping Finale viable right now. Otherwise they would have to put Jan Angermüller on staff.

Should it be part of and included in Finale, absolutely.