Inspiring

Answered

Book Formatting: Facing Page Layout "Broken"

Forum|Forum|3 years ago
November 7, 2022
2 replies
1369 views

I'm formatting a book in InDesign and am on my fourth chapter. I imported the manuscript's Chapter 4 from MS-Word to InDesign as was done for the previous chapters. I've fixed most import-related discrepancies (fonts, tables, text boxes, etc.). However, I just ran into a new problem.

The book is formatted with facing pages. There's an A-Parent and a B-Parent. The A-Parent covers the first two pages of a chapter, and the B-Parent the remaining chapter pages. Everything was going smoothly until I noticed a break on Page 11. Here's the layout now:

1-2 [A-Parent applied to each]

3-4 [B-Parent applied to each]

5-6 [B-Parent applied to each]

7-8 [B-Parent applied to each]

9-10 [B-Parent applied to each]

11 [B; right side only; nothing on the left side]

12-13 [B]

etc.

The text transition over the break is correct. I tried dragging to-from the parents to no avail. I also looked for improper carriage returns and the like where the break occurs and found nothing. Any insight?

How to

Correct answer James Gifford—NitroPress

Not sure this is the problem, but in the Pages pane, under the 'hamburger' menu, make sure "Pages allowed to shuffle" item is checked/active.

Then try dragging p12 to the empty space and if necessary, continuing the rearrangement or add a new page in an empty slot, then fix the text flow.

Peter Spier

Community Expert

Another part of your problem may be your numbering scheme. Convention dictates that in languages that read from left-to-right the right-hand pages should be odd number, and InDesign works pretty hard to enforce this by default.

James Gifford—NitroPress

Legend

This. If you want a page facing "Page 1," it should be the last page of a prior section, not the first page of a section with the second page trying to be "Page 1."

J

Joe-New-to-IDAuthor

Inspiring

James: Got it. Thanks again.

James Gifford—NitroPress

Legend

I'm not quite clear on the problem. Are you saying that on document page 12, there is nothing? That it should be book page 12, but page 12 is pushed to the next document page?

Also, your example may simply be loose, but a book should always start on a right-hand (recto) page. That is, the first page, Page 1, of your document should be a solo, recto page, and the 2-page spreads should not start until pages 2-3. Right pages should always be odd numbers, and left pages always even. That might be part of the issue here.

If it's a text flow problem turn on hidden characters and look for extra returns and section breaks. Make sure the first text following the break does not have Page Break Before or Keep With Next set so that it cannot flow from page 11 to 12.

J

Joe-New-to-IDAuthor

Inspiring

James:

I attached a PDF since a picture is worth 1,000 words. Pages 1-10 are OK, as are Pages 12 and beyond. I just can't seem to make the proper/smooth sequence from Page 11.

(BTW, I agree that a book should start on the right page. Page 1, which starts on the left, is an illustration only. Page 2, which starts on the right, is the beginning of the text.)

Adobe_ID_-_Broken_Page.pdf

James Gifford—NitroPressCorrect answer

Legend

Not sure this is the problem, but in the Pages pane, under the 'hamburger' menu, make sure "Pages allowed to shuffle" item is checked/active.

Then try dragging p12 to the empty space and if necessary, continuing the rearrangement or add a new page in an empty slot, then fix the text flow.

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