Facing Pages for Book Printing

Facing pages display the left- and right-hand pages together, just as they appear when the finished book is open.

This setup makes it easier to manage mirrored margins, page numbers, running headings and artwork that continues across a spread. Each page still keeps its own Trim Size.

Left-Hand and Right-Hand Pages

For a standard left-to-right book:

Page 1 normally begins on the right. When pages are added or removed, the following pages may switch sides, so chapter openings, page numbers and section dividers should be checked again.

Inside and Outside Margins

Facing-page documents use Inside and Outside margins instead of fixed Left and Right margins.

• On a left-hand page, Inside is on the right.

• On a right-hand page, Inside is on the left.

• Outside always stays along the outer edge.

This keeps the Page Margins mirrored automatically and places the extra Binding Margin on the correct side of every page.

Facing Pages Are Not Printer Spreads

Facing pages are mainly a layout view. They do not mean the interior must be exported as joined spreads.

A book designed at 170 × 240 mm still contains individual pages measuring 170 × 240 mm. The open spread appears approximately 340 × 240 mm on screen, but each page remains separate.

Interior PDFs are normally supplied as single pages in reading order. Only artwork specifically prepared as Two-Page Spreads needs additional attention around the centre.

Artwork Across Facing Pages

Backgrounds and large illustrations can continue from one page to the next. Keep faces, small text and other important details away from the centre Gutter, as part of the image may become less visible after binding.

Do not treat the two pages as one large page unless the production file has been specifically requested that way.

Set Facing Pages in Adobe InDesign

When creating a new document, enable Facing Pages in the New Document window.

For an existing document:

1. Open File > Document Setup.

2. Enable Facing Pages.

3. Open the Pages panel to review the page pairs.

4. Apply left- and right-page layouts through the relevant parent pages.

The first page may appear alone on the right, followed by normal two-page spreads. This is the usual structure for a left-to-right book.

Parent Pages for Facing Layouts

A parent spread can hold repeating elements for both sides, such as:

• Mirrored text frames

• Running headings

• Page-number positions

• Repeating background elements

Keep separate left- and right-page elements on their correct sides. For example, an outside page number should sit on the left edge of a left-hand page and the right edge of a right-hand page.

Chapter openings or full-page illustrations can use separate parent pages when they need a different layout.