Quark Forums

This might be something obvious, but I've found no solution to this problem either in the documentation or on the Internet.

Basically, I have a book consisting of a couple of chapters, all with a facing-page layout. If, say, the first chapter consists of an odd number of pages, I would like the second one to start on the verso side, with an even page number. But Quark places the first page in a project on the recto side, and insists on giving it the next available odd page number.

Is there a workaround apart from having sections in the projects, fixing the page numbers in the way I want, and leaving the first page in the second chapter blank?

Many thanks! 

To make Quark start a document on a verso, make sure there is a verso page in the document, right-click the page's icon in the Page Layout window, click Section..., then check the Section Start check box, and enter an even number in the Number: field further down. You mention in your post that you don't want "sections in the projects," but this use of sections is the most common way of starting on a verso that I know.

EDIT: "Section" is also available under the "Page" menu in the menu bar.

Thanks for the reply! My problem with sections is that if possible, I wouldn't want to disrupt automatic page numbering across chapters. Is that possible to do?

Also, a somewhat related question (if I may): is it possible to export multiple chapters into a single PDF file?

Many thanks for your help! 

I forgot to mention, in my earlier post, that after you assign a section start and an even page number to the first verso in a document, the first recto can be deleted, leaving you with a doc that starts on a verso with no preceding blanks.

However, by using sections you do lose the ability to carry auto numbering across chapters, as you originally mentioned, and as far as I know there is no way around this. My practical experience only goes as far as QXP 6.52, though; later versions may function differently.

I think mac-nick's right about the PDF bit...if you have separate chapters in Quark, there is no way that I know of to join them during the PDF process, the joining has to be done after.

Happy New Year, Henry!

You do not say which version of QuarkXPress you use. QuarkXPress 8 doesn't have this restriction anymore, you can start sections with odd page numbers also at the left.

If you use a previous version, beside the useful tips already posted, additionally you might try using non-facing pages, if your layout permits.

Best regards
Matthias