Q. I am putting together a pamphlet that compiles articles from another publication. To make the signatures come out right, I’ve put the two-page contents on a spread (pp. iv and v) and put the first article (a two-pager) on pages 1 and 2. Is there a convention that I should have a blank page between the front matter and the start of the text?
A. It adds some elegance, but it isn’t necessary, especially in a pamphlet. There is, however, a firm convention that an odd-numbered page goes on the right, and a less strong convention that a table of contents begins on the right. In your case, p. iv could be a blank left-hand page, the TOC could appear on pp. v and vi, and the first article could start on p. 1, across from p. vi.