What is a Page?

Can you count? Turn to page 1 of any book. Turn the page—the back of page 1 is page 2. If you look at the next page, you will see that it is page 3, and the back of page 3 is page 4, and so on. Odd-numbered pages are always on the right, and even-numbered pages are always on the left. All of this may seem elementary, but counting pages is one of the single most misunderstood things in printing. Many printers receive manuscripts with the pages numbered 1F and 1B (1Front and 1Back), 2F and 2B, and so on—instead of 1, 2, 3, 4. Yet, a book in print will not have pages numbered 1F, 1B, 2F, 2B, 3F, 3B, etc.

*Remember every page counts as a page whether it is blank or part of the text—numbered or not.