Vacant side
A page without content is referred to as a vacant page ( Latin vacare “to be empty”) or an intentional blank page. Vacant pages serve as placeholders, for filling space or for satisfactory separation. It is often the pages of a book that are included in the pagination (page counting) by the bookbinder , but are not printed. This also means that no page numbers are printed on these pages. In certain printed works, these pages have a message such as “This page is intentionally left blank” or “Space for notes”, for example in manuals and examination papers, where the reader might otherwise suspect that the blank pages were caused by a typographical error and where missing content can have serious consequences.
Area of application of vacant pages
Print media
Blank pages are often the result of printing technology. Book pages are usually printed on sheets or half sheets, which ultimately result in 4, 8, 16 or 32 pages (signature). The sheet is then folded , bound in the correct order and mechanically cut. Books printed in this way always have a multiple of the number of sheets of paper they were printed on, i.e. a multiple of 4, 8, 16 or 32. As a result, such books often have some blank pages, especially if the book design is not particularly important becomes. To lead turnarounds the font size, which were leading and the line width calculated in advance exactly to a certain number of pages is not exceeded and to come to full as possible arcs. After all, changing the font size or style meant a very costly rewrite. Blank pages then mostly resulted from extensive author corrections (text deletions or additions).
If a printer's document processors are designed to skip completely blank pages, messages on intentionally blank pages may be necessary to prevent incorrect page numbering.
Intentional blank pages are also often found in technical manuals, directories, and other mass print media. Manuals are often generated by automatic programs that also generate manuals for a large number of similar products. Product-specific pages are then inserted, while a large part remains the same. With this automation of manual creation, blank pages are then intentionally inserted so that no special changes have to be made.
Pages are also intentionally left blank in digital documents so that the document can be printed correctly in double-sided format. So the section does not continue on the back.
Intentional blank pages are also used in documents that are distributed in ring binders. The intention is to leave room for later additions without breaking the page numbering of the document. This enables expansions and updates to be introduced easily and inexpensively because the document does not need to be reprinted. This significantly reduces the printing costs.
The only drawback is the increased amount of time the reader has to invest to manually insert updated pages into the correct positions in the document.
Blank pages are deliberately not included in military and classified documents to ensure that a page has not been stolen and replaced with a blank page.
Music
Until the nineties of the 20th century, the basic rule of notation was that the musical text had to fill out the entire sheet and that no vacant page was allowed to appear within the entire musical text of a musical piece. In each case, the perfect graphic design took precedence over practicality. The result was often unfavorable leaf positions: Playing any musical instrument requires the use of both hands; turning the page is only possible during a break or between individual sentences . In order to place the pages in a favorable position, compromises in the division of the pages would often have been necessary.
The development of notation software since the nineties made it possible to set up a large number of small, practical music publishers who are not bound by the principles of the large publishing houses. Since then, the use of vacant pages in sheet music printing has also become increasingly popular, and subsequently also with established music publishers. The non-binding pages are regularly provided with a note (“Blank page, to allow favorable leafing through”), as previously blank pages were the infallible indication of a misprint.
Internet
Since the technical possibilities for the production of print media have become more and more sophisticated in recent years, the number of print products with vacant pages is also dwindling. Around the tradition of vacant pages, the running gag has now established itself over the Internet - a medium that is normally not tied to print pages - to intentionally leave subpages free on one's own website.
Individual evidence
- ^ “This Page Intentionally Left Blank” project (TPILB project, “This-page-was-intentionally-left blank” project ), justification page ( Memento from February 24, 2018 in the Internet Archive )
