Michigan Transcript Format: What the SCAO Manual Requires (and What Reporters Actually Produce)
What is the Michigan court reporting manual?
The Manual for Court Reporters and Recorders is published by the State Court Administrative Office (SCAO), the administrative arm of the Michigan Supreme Court. Every court reporter and recorder in Michigan — official, per diem, or freelance — is required to follow the transcript format it prescribes. That isn't a suggestion: the Manual states that compensation is contingent upon compliance with its standards, citing MCL 600.2510(2).
The format rules live in Section 5: Transcript Format, which covers general page format (Chapter 1), title pages (Chapter 2), table of contents pages (Chapter 3), transcript body pages (Chapter 4), and certificate pages (Chapter 5). It includes deposition-specific examples — a deposition title page (Ch. 2G), a deposition body page (Ch. 4L), and a deposition certificate with the reporter's notary block (Ch. 5C) — so it is the closest thing Michigan has to an official deposition format, too.
Two other authorities stand behind it: MCL 600.2510, the statute that defines what counts as a billable transcript page, and MCR 1.109(D)(1)(a), the court rule on document format. Transcripts filed on appeal must follow this format under MCR 7.210 — there is no separate "Court of Appeals format." If you go hunting for a published Michigan Supreme Court transcript to copy, you won't find one: the Court releases oral-argument audio and video, not certified transcripts. The Manual is the standard.
The page format the Manual prescribes
| Element | Manual rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Page | 25 lines on 8.5" × 11" paper, prepared for left-side binding | Ch. 1 §B.2.a |
| Margins | 1-3/8" left, 3/8" right | Ch. 1 §B.2.a |
| Print size | No smaller than 10 characters per inch (nonproportional) or 12-point (proportional) | Ch. 1 §B.2.d; MCR 1.109 |
| Numbered lines | Only transcript pages carry numbered lines — not the title, contents, or certificate pages | Ch. 1 §B.2.b |
| Page numbers | Consecutive, at the bottom of each page; title page is page 1, numbered bottom center | Ch. 1 §B.1, §B.4.a |
| Q & A | Q and A start at the left margin; the text begins on the 6th space. Carry-over lines also begin on the 6th space | Ch. 1 §B.6.d.1.a |
| Colloquy | Begins on the 16th space; carry-over lines on the 6th | Ch. 1 §B.6.d.1.b |
| Parentheticals | Begin on the 16th space; carry-over lines also on the 16th | Ch. 1 §D |
| Quoted material | Begins on the 16th space, ends 5 spaces in from the right margin; carry-over on the 11th | Ch. 1 §B.6.d.1.c |
| Case | Upper and lower case; transcribing entirely in capitals is prohibited | Ch. 1 §B.6.c |
| Event times | Times required for start/end, each witness sworn and excused, recesses, exhibits offered and admitted, jury events | Ch. 1 §B.6.e |
Beyond the page grid, the Manual specifies the title page contents (court name, caption exactly as filed with party names fully capitalized, case number, nature and date of the proceeding, presiding officer, all attorneys with addresses, phone numbers, and bar numbers, and the reporter's name, certification number, and phone), a table of contents page — it is explicit that this is a table of contents, not an index — listing every witness and exhibit, and a certificate page ending every transcript, with the reporter's notary information required on deposition certificates.
Why 25 lines matters commercially: under MCL 600.2510(2), a page prepared in this format "shall be counted, billed, and paid for as a full page." The page format literally defines the unit court reporters are paid in.
What working reporters actually produce
Nearly every working reporter produces transcripts through CAT (computer-aided transcription) software — Stenograph's Case CATalyst and MAXScribe, Advantage Software's Eclipse, and similar. Because a handful of programs produce most of the state's transcripts, their standard print layout has become the de facto Michigan norm. Compare real transcripts side by side — deposition work from large Michigan firms, transcripts filed in state-agency dockets — and the same pattern appears every time:
- The page number prints at the top right, not the bottom center.
- Every page carries numbered lines 1–25 — title page, appearances, and contents included — not just the transcript body.
- The text column runs about 56–61 characters, a little narrower than the Manual's margins would produce.
This isn't a corner-cutting fringe. A prehearing transcript filed in Michigan Public Service Commission Case No. U-21825 (February 12, 2025) — a public record you can pull from the MPSC's e-dockets — shows all three traits, and it was accepted into a state agency's official docket without comment. On everything of substance, though, field practice tracks the Manual exactly: 25 lines per page, the Q&A and colloquy indents, the caption and appearance content, and a certificate page closing the transcript (that filed example even certifies its page count, just as the Manual's certificate examples do).
Which format should you use?
Treat it as two separate questions — the substance and the page furniture.
Follow the Manual's substance, always
The 25-line page, the indent stops, complete title page and appearances, a real table of contents, and a proper certificate are universal. Every authority — the Manual, the statute, and field practice — agrees on these, and they are what makes a transcript recognizably a Michigan transcript.
Court transcripts: follow the Manual's letter
If the transcript is of a court proceeding — anything that will be filed, ordered by a court, or used on appeal — prepare it to the Manual's letter, page furniture included. This is the work MCL 600.2510 governs, the format appellate courts expect under MCR 7.210, and the context in which "compensation is contingent upon compliance" is written.
Depositions and EUOs: your software's convention is the norm
Deposition transcripts are delivered to counsel, not filed with the court, and no statute imposes the Manual's page furniture on them. Here the CAT-software layout — top-right page numbers, numbered lines on every page — is what firms across Michigan receive daily and expect to see. If you deliver through an agency, match the agency's house style; their production team has usually standardized these details already.
When in doubt, ask the ordering party
A transcript ordered "for appeal" should look like Chapter 1 of the Manual. A transcript ordered by an insurance-defense firm for an EUO should look like every other transcript that firm receives. The format question is really a question about where the document is going.
Primary sources
- SCAO Manual for Court Reporters and Recorders — Section 5, "Transcript Format" (Michigan Courts publications)
- MCL 600.2510 — transcript page definition and payment
- MCR 1.109 and MCR 7.210 — document format; record on appeal
- MPSC e-dockets — public dockets containing filed Michigan transcripts (e.g., Case No. U-21825)
Common questions
How many lines per page is a Michigan transcript?
25 lines, on 8.5" × 11" paper — set by MCL 600.2510 and the SCAO Manual. A page in that format is counted, billed, and paid as a full page.
Is there an official Michigan deposition format?
Yes — the Manual's Section 5 includes deposition title page, body, and certificate examples, and a deposition certificate must include the reporter's notary information. Day-to-day deposition layout, though, follows CAT-software and firm convention, since depositions aren't filed with the court.
Where does the page number go?
The Manual says the bottom of each page (title page bottom center). Most CAT software prints it top right, and transcripts in that layout are routinely accepted — including into state-agency dockets.
Do title and contents pages get numbered lines?
Per the Manual, no — only transcript pages do. In field practice, CAT output numbers every page, and that, too, is routinely accepted.