Blank Pages

[SMooreBoz -at- AOL -dot- COM]

I've been following with interest the discussion of pages marked "This page
intentionally left blank."   I am a fairly new tech writer who learned the
purpose of "intentional blank" pages from a horrified Technical Publication
Department supervisor when I tried to delete some in one of our manuals.
(Yes, I'm one of those writers who has the luxury/curse of being a wordsmith
only.  I turn my precious lifeblood over to a Technical Publications
Department to do with as they will!)

Pages are intentionally left blank in my product's manuals because the
manuals are "perfect bound" and need to have the same number of pages each
time they are printed.  Blank pages insure room to add more text, and replace
text that has been removed.  Ah, yes.  Of course.

We are considering having customers print their own manuals from a release
CD, and the blank pages are a problem in that scenario.  We are also looking
at changing to 8-1/2" x 11" 3-ring binders and sending update pages.  After
reading several days' TECHWR-L discussion on that topic, though, I think we
will have a lot to discuss.  Thanks for your ever-stimulating discussion!

Susan Moore
AMS Services, Inc.
Bothell WA

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