Editing Blank page

{{short description|Page that is devoid of content and may be unexpected}}
{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
{{redirect|Blank page}}
{{citations|date=September 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2014}}
[[File:Blank page intentionally end of book.jpg|thumb|350px|Intentionally blank pages at the end of a book]]
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An '''intentionally blank page''' or '''vacat page''' (from Latin: ''vacare'' for "being empty") is a [[page (paper)|page]] that is devoid of content and may be unexpected. Such pages may serve purposes ranging from place-holding to space-filling and content separation. Sometimes, these pages carry a notice such as "'''This page intentionally left blank.'''" Such notices typically appear in printed works, such as legal documents, manuals, and exam papers, in which the reader might otherwise suspect that the blank pages are due to a [[printing]] error and where missing pages might have serious consequences.

==Uses for intentionally blank pages==
[[File:AEC blank page.png|250px|left|thumb|An intentionally blank page on a PDF document from the [[Australian Electoral Commission]]. The document has 80 printable pages, and content ends on page 77.]]

Intentionally blank pages are usually the result of printing conventions and techniques. Chapters conventionally start on an odd-numbered page ([[Recto and verso|recto page]]); therefore, if the preceding chapter happens to have an odd number of pages, a blank page is inserted at the end. Book pages are often printed on large sheets because of technical and financial considerations. Thus, a group of 8, 16, or 32 consecutive pages will be printed on a single sheet in such a way that when the sheet is mechanically folded and cut, the pages will be in the correct order for binding. This is called an [[even working]], and the group of pages is called a section or signature. Books printed in this manner will always have a number of pages that is a multiple of the number in such a signature, such as a multiple of 8, 16, or 32. As a result, these books will usually have pages left blank, unless by chance or editorial ingenuity the exact number of pages is printed.

For example, if a book with 318 pages of content is printed using 32-page signatures, it will require 10 signatures, 320 pages in total.  At the very end of the book{{spaced ndash}}that is, at the end of the last signature{{spaced ndash}}there will be two unused (blank) pages.

If a printer's document processor has been designed to skip completely blank pages, notices may also be required on intentionally blank pages to prevent incorrect [[page numbering]].

Intentionally blank pages are ubiquitous in technical and instructional manuals, directories, and other large, mass-produced volumes of text. The contents of manuals produced by a given product's vendor are often compiled from generic instructions suitable for a variety of products, with additional instructions or chapters included for the specific product or model in question. This automation of manual generation leads to intentionally blank pages to fit the requirements for mass printing.

In digital documents, pages are intentionally left blank so that the document can be printed correctly in double-sided format, rather than have new chapters start on the backs of pages. Intentionally blank pages have also been used in documents distributed in [[ring binder]]s. The intention is to leave room for expansion without breaking the document's page numbering. This allows updates to be made to a document while requiring minimal new pages, reducing printing costs. The only drawback is the increased time required by the reader to manually insert various newly updated pages into their correct locations in the document.

===Standardized tests===
[[File:No test material on this page.svg|thumb|right|250px|Intentionally blank page in the style used in [[standardized test]]s]]
Intentionally blank pages can be useful in [[standardized test]]s such as the [[GCSE]], [[Higher School Certificate (New South Wales)|Higher School Certificate]], [[SAT]], [[Common Admission Test|CAT]], [[ACT (examination)|ACT]], [[MCAT]], and [[Graduate Record Examination|GRE]]. In these exams, there are often individual, timed sections in which test-takers are prohibited from proceeding to the next section until that section's time interval has passed and the examiner allows them to continue. Because all of these separate sections are printed consecutively in the examination booklet, it may be possible for a test-taker who has finished the section early to see through the page and read the problems in the next section. By placing intentionally blank pages between these sections, the test-taker is prevented from cheating in this way. By printing a notice on the page, such as ''"this page has been intentionally left blank",'' test-takers will not be concerned that their test has been misprinted, especially as test instructions often instruct students to check for missing or blank pages and to report any defective test booklets to a proctor. These pages may also be useful as [[scratch paper]].

===Sheet music===
In books of [[sheet music]], relatively short pieces of music that span two to four pages often need to be arranged so the number of page turns for the performer is minimized. For example, a three-page work (starting on the left-hand sheet) followed immediately by a two-page work involves one page turn during each work. If a blank page immediately followed the three-page work (on the right-hand sheet), the two-page work will span the left and right pages, alleviating the need for a page turn during the second work. Intentionally blank pages may also prevent a page turn during a difficult passage.

===Classified documents===
In the United States armed forces, [[Classified information|classified]] documents require page checks whenever custody is transferred or an inventory is conducted.<ref>{{cite web|last=Chaney |first=Scott |title=NAVEDTRA 14127: Intelligence Specialist 3 & 2, Volume 1 |work=Non-Resident Course |publisher=Naval Education and Training Professional Development and Technology Center ([[United States Navy]]) |url=http://www.militarynewbie.com/pubs/NAVEDTRA%2014127%20-%20Intelligence%20Specialist%203%20&%202,%20Volume%201.pdf |date=November 1996 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714094003/http://www.militarynewbie.com/pubs/NAVEDTRA%2014127%20-%20Intelligence%20Specialist%203%20%26%202%2C%20Volume%201.pdf |archive-date=14 July 2011 |access-date=24 June 2014 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> Blank pages are all marked "This page intentionally left blank", so page checks are unambiguous, and every page of the document is accounted for.

==Variations==
Intentionally blank pages placed at the end of books are often used to balance the [[Bookbinding|folio]]s that make up the book (see [[bookbinding]]). Often these pages are completely blank with no such statement or are used as "Notes" pages, serving a practical purpose. In the case of [[telephone directory|telephone-number directories]], these pages are often used to list important numbers and addresses.  These pages may list other books available from the same publisher.

Book publishers have also used stylized designs ([[dingbat]]s) underneath the last paragraph of a chapter to indicate that no other content is to be expected until the next chapter, allowing for the possibility of blank pages without misunderstandings by the readers.

There are also published books that, as a novelty, [[empty book|contain nothing but blank pages]].

==Examples==
*Humorist [[Don Novello]]'s 1977 book ''The Lazlo Letters'' ends with several otherwise-blank pages marked "FREE PAPER!".{{Verify source|date=February 2011}}
*[[Andy Griffiths (author)|Andy Griffiths]]' 1999 children's book ''[[Just Stupid!]]'' begins with a cartoon snail saying to the reader, "This page would be blank if I were not here telling you that this page would be blank if I were not here telling you that..."
*Comedian [[Demetri Martin]]'s 2012 book ''This Is A Book'' contains an otherwise blank page which says, "This page unintentionally left blank."
*[[List of Iranian writers|Iranian novelist]] [[Reza Amirkhani]]'s book ''Man-e-oo'' (His Ego) has one whole chapter of blank pages.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ermia.ir/contents.aspx?id=762 |title= آن چه در وب راجع به من او نوشته‌اند (۱۵) (What has been written about ''Man-e-oo'' on the web (15)|last1= Amirkhani|first1= Reza |date= 18 February 2012 |website= Reza Amirkhani's Official Website |access-date=11 December 2013}}</ref>
*The phrase was a recurring joke in [[Infocom]] text adventure games. In their first title, ''[[Zork 1]]'', inspecting an engraved wooden door resulted in the text: "The engravings translate to 'This space intentionally left blank'."
*[[Idries Shah]]'s book ''[[The Book of the Book]]'' contains 10 pages describing why the following pages are important, and then a large number of blank pages. Its main purpose is to demonstrate the theory that [[Don't judge a book by its cover|you shouldn't judge the content by its container]].<ref name="The book at google books.">{{cite book|last1=Shah|first1=Idries|title=The book of the book.|date=1969|publisher=Octagon Pr.|location=London|isbn=9780900860126|edition=4. impr.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WviNfB2q_oEC&q=shah+The+Book+of+the+Book&pg=PP3|access-date=1 December 2015}}</ref>
*A chapter of ''[[The Tale of Genji]]'' titled ''Kumogakure'' ("Vanished into the Clouds") is left blank but implies the death of Genji.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Chiappa |first1=J. Noel |title=The Tale of Genji (''Genji Monogatari'') |url=http://mercury.lcs.mit.edu/~jnc/prints/genji.html |access-date=22 May 2021 |date=8 January 2013 |quote=There is often a blank chapter between 41 and 42, named ''Kumogakure'', or "Vanished into the Clouds"; it is probably intended to indicate Genji's death.}}<!-- italics original --></ref>

==See also==
* [[Bookbinding]]
* [[Blind folio]]
* [[Cancel leaf|Cancels]]
* [[Endpaper]]
* [[Leiden Conventions]]
* [[Octavo]]
* [[Publishing]]
* [[Self-reference]]
* [[Special:BlankPage]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=80737 Everything2 discussion of the phrase]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070521042812/http://public.srce.hr/~zheimer/blank.htm "This page intentionally left blank"] phrase translated into over 60 languages. (Via Internet Archive.)
*[http://xml.apache.org/fop/fo.html#fo-blank-pages Guide to writing intentionally blank pages] in [[XSL-FO]]

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[[Category:Documents]]
[[Category:Book design]]


[[Merajul Islam]]