Getting a layout to properly fit can be a challenging exercise. There are numerous ways to do it, as there might be numerous aspects to the layout that can be changed that would allow it to better fit your screen. And every layout is different. Here are some suggestions.
- Enable layout scaling. This is probably the *best* thing to do, in most situations. If done correctly, it will simply scale the screen up (or down) to your actual display size. It isn't always best because screen ratios can be different. For example, it might not be best for a screen designed for 1024x768 (4x3) to scale up to a modern HD screen of 1920x1080 (16x9), simply because the HD not only has more pixels, it's wider than a traditional SD display. But usually it produces good results, and if your screen ratios are the same or close, it will usually produce excellent results. The main drawback to this method is that it is a bit harder on the CPU, and for lower powered PCs, it might slow things down to an unacceptable level. Most modern PCs should be able to handle this just fine. Layout scaling is a preference on the Layout tab. The built-in layouts have an optimal resolution, so the option "Use optimal resolution setting of the current layout" should be checked. If you're using a layout that does NOT have an optimal resolution (under Settings on the Layout tab), you should set the optimal resolution in the Layout Scaling preference.
- Try the "Auto-size" feature. This is found by right-clicking on the Game window. Actually, don't do this, because it is currently broken. I mention this because it will be fixed in the next version, and it is a viable and quick way to make a layout fit the screen. It doesn't always work, and may not always be the best method, but it's certainly something that can be tried.
- Modify various font sizes in the layout. This is your "manual" method and if you know what you're doing is a good method. The trick is to make sure you view all the different screens, on different rounds, to make sure you hit all the scenarios (and all the property sets are shown at some point). Otherwise you may, for example, fix the screen for odd rounds but find out when you get to round 2 it no longer fits.
- If you're hooked up to an external TV and it just barely bleeds over the edges a little, it could be a setting on the TV that controls this. For example, some 1920x1080 HD TVs will actually only display 1900x1060, or something similar. The extra 10 pixels on each side are "overscan" and you can't see them. In the days of CRTs analog signals, this probably made more sense. But with digital signals and LCDs, I don't understand why it is done. But I have personally seen it on several TVs. You'll want to disable this, and when you do, voila the screen fits again.