I’m trying to find out if it is possible to have a bit more control over how the front matter and remaining pages sections are paginated. I’ve searched the forums and manual, but I can’t seem to find how to create the scenario I have in mind:
For my front matter section (title page, signature page, abstract page, acknowledgements page) I’d like:
no page number on the title page, but this counts as the first page
single-sided
page numbering in Roman numerals (e.g., signature page would be page ii)
For the remaining pages I’d like:
double-sided (i.e., with verso margination and page number placement)
page numbering in Arabic numerals (e.g., first page in the “remaining pages” section would be labeled page 1)
I’ve tried the options under Compile --> Page Settings, but maybe I’m missing something, because I can’t seem to control the front matter and remaining pages sections to the level of detail I’m hoping for.
Any suggestions? Or maybe just create two different projects (one for the front matter and one for the rest of the remaining pages)?
I’m pretty sure everything but the single-sided front matter + verso main text thing is possible, but I’m not a compile expert, so I’ll leave that to someone betting qualified to help on those matters.
If you must go with compiling front matter and main documents separately though, don’t split your project into two. Instead, have your front matter in one folder in your Draft, and the rest of your book’s contents in another folder. The hierarchy would look like this:
In the compile dialogue, choose the Main Text folder as the compile target, then tweak your settings until you like the output. Save that as a custom preset. Then select the Front Matter folder as your compile target change the compile settings to your liking, and then save that as a custom preset. Then you just have to choose a preset to compile each of those sections. This is the way some authors organize multiple books in a series, rather than having separate projects for each book.
HOWEVER! Unless you’re under pressure to get things out, wait for others to chime in… there may be a way to do this without separating out your front matter from your main text.
Thanks a lot for your suggestion! I tried it and it gets me a lot closer than where I was. Choosing between two different presets within the same project is a lot better than having two separate projects.
I’ll keep my eyes open in case someone has a way to do it all in one compile, but thanks again–your suggestion and directions really helped!