Finale doesn't automatically do that, because it's a practice that is falling out of use.

In any case, you can do it easily by Selection Tool > Right click on measure > Time signature > Edit time signature…

In the dialogue box, set your time signature to what you want it to be in that last measure. Tap More Options... and in the next box, click "use a Different Time Signature for Display" and leave that set as the original. It takes less time to do that, than to write about it!

I tried that but I don't have "more options" in the time signature dialog. Is that option set somewhere else?

For your information :

Now, I don't know the context, but maybe you could simply create the "smaller" time signature and hide it with the Measure Tool in that measure.

Looks like the problem is that I have Finale PrintMusic 2010.r1  --- it does not have the options to solve this problem. Strange, as I just downloaded it recently. Too bad Finale can't incorporate a standard user experience across their product line, would save a lot of time & confusion as this case has shown. I didn't buy a cheap version, I purchased the only one they offered.  Thanks the help, I'll just edit the printout by hand.

PrintMusic should be mentioned in your Profile/Signature here, it would have helped to identify the problem.

PrintMusic has been upgraded to version 2014 I think.

P.S. : have you read my other suggestion (hoping it can be used in Printmusic) ? Measure Tool, double click on the measure, Time signature : "Always hide".

I did try Measure Tool -> double click on measure, but only get the simple dialog shown below. I checked and found I was in error as to the latest version availability. A 2014 version is available. Sorry I didn't see that.  I will upgrade asap. Thanks for your help.

I see. There are very few options in that window, compared to the "full" Finale.

If you intend to do regular notation work, the "full" Finale would be recommended. There are discounts for upgrades from PrintMusic, I think.

PM 21014 can't do it, either. You will need the full Finale.

You said: "Too bad Finale can't incorporate a standard user experience across their product line, would save a lot of time & confusion as this case has shown."

Had you read the General Discussion House Rules post directly above yours, you would have seen this: Include your operating system version and software version numbers. We could have told you immediately that PM won't do it.