Page numbering can sometimes be a problem in desktop publishing. Let's understand how booklets are prepared.
A four-page booklet is really only one sheet that was folded in half. Fold it in half again for an eight-page booklet, which presents more complex issues.
First of all, the pages don't open properly. We have to use a knife, scissors, or razor blade to slice the edges of the pages.
Secondly, some of the pages have to be printed upside-down, because of those extra folds. That complicates the process of printing the master copy.
Thirdly, those pages are scattered all over our document. There seems to be no logical order for the sequence of the numbered pages. (Actually, the order is logical indeed, but that is beyond the purview of these articles).
As an exercise, fold the booklet two more times, in order to create a 32-page booklet. Number the pages. In order to do so, you will have to reach in and around the folds and open edges, and you will have to turn the booklet upside-down several times. Don't try to slice the edges this time - if you do, the entire booklet will fall apart in your hands. Instead, just make some small incisions where you can. You need only enough room to insert a pencil and to write those numbers. After completing that onerous task, unfold the booklet and observe how the pages are arranged.
Do professional printers really deal with little booklets in this way?
Yes, they do. That is, they follow the same procedure, except for twisting, turning, and inserting page numbers through little holes. They also ask their DTP program to assign page numbers automatically.
We're still not through with our study of page numbers, however. There are additional complications.
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Your exercise for this article is as follows:
How does page numbering become more complicated when you add pages to booklets?
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