Q. Hi there! I am working in the production department of a well-known publisher, and my manager and I are trying to subdue a sudden rash of blank recto pages. Are they or are they not permissible? Thank you!
A. A blank recto (the right-hand page of a two-page spread) is generally avoided unless it is part of a planned design. For instance, in a book where chapter openers take up an entire spread, if one chapter ends on a verso (left-hand) page, the recto before the opener of the next will be blank. Expert typesetters know how to avoid blank rectos, so if you’re suffering from a rash of them, you might examine the source.