Hello there,



Is it possible to have a setting in word, automatically add a page to your document if the document totals an odd number of pages?

For example if I have 5 pages, it adds a blank to the end to make it an even 6 pages?

It seems simple, but I don't know if it's possible.

Thanks,
Lorne

You can do that with a field coded as:
{IF{=MOD({PAGE},2)}= 1 {QUOTE 12}}
Simply insert the field code before the final paragraph break. You might also need to ensure Word's option to 'automatically update fields before printing' is checked. To get the pagination to update, you'll need to do something like updating all fields (e.g. via Ctrl-A, F9), a Print Preview, or printing the document.

Note: The field brace pairs (i.e. '{ }') for the above example are all created in the document itself, via Ctrl-F9 (Cmd-F9 on a Mac); you can't simply type them or copy & paste them from this message. Nor is it practicable to add them via any of the standard Word dialogues. The spaces represented in the field construction are all required.

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

Thanks for the reply,

But I can't seem to get that field to stay put? When I put it in using CTRL+F9 it shows the brackets as you explain, but then I paste the code in, hit print, and it disappears in my document for good. And only keeps it on one page.

Any thoughts as to why? I attached my document here.

Thanks,
Lorne

Attached Files

000000-Test For Even Pages.doc (30.5 KB, 10 views)

The code is only supposed to be on the last page of your document.
It is supposed to disappear (not show up) when you have display of field codes turned off.

It simply creates a new, blank, page at the end of the document if there are otherwise an odd number of pages.

I suppose, to keep track of it, you could put an end mark, like -30- at the end of your document before the code.

If you want to check and see that it is still there, press Alt+F9 to display field codes. Then press the combination again to hide them.

Note, I marked this as solved, because the field provided does what you requested. Remember, the field has to be updated before printing to work. If you are looking for something different, let us know.

Thanks for the reply, I have the option selected to update fields before printing. So when I printed to PDF, it didn't add a blank page at the end to make it an even numbered document.

Did you try the attachment I gave? How do I run the field before printing if the automatic option wasn't working?

This is for our specifications documents that are typically anywhere from 1 to 20 pages for each section and combined about 600-800 sheets and we want each section to start on an odd page for front and back printing. That's my ultimate goal. If I can have it be automatic rather then adding in this field in all my sections it would be much more useful. We usually have upwards of 100 sections and putting this field in for 100 sections may get tedious.

I apologize for not knowing how to use this code, so if you can help explain how to get it to work I would appreciate it.

By design, PDFs generally omit blank pages at either end of a document (and sometimes in the middle, too). That has nothing to do with the field code, per se.

The field code works just fine with your attachment. Post #2 tells you how to update the document if 'update fields before printing' isn't enabled.

To get it to work, simply follow the instructions in post #2. Your document has three such fields, none of which has been encoded as per post #2 (i.e. except for the out braces, you have not used field braces for the remainder). Note too that the field must remain at the very end of the document to work properly. If it doesn't, you may end up with page breaks being inserted somewhere you don't expect them to appear.

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

I notice that if there is a header or footer, that will show up on the (otherwise blank) page. This includes (Word 2010) save as pdf. It also creates a page when printing using an Adobe Acrobat pdf driver. I notice your document does have a footer.

When I checked your document, it had the field three times. I do not know what that will do. Here is your test document with one field. The field does work. To update all fields in a selection, press F9. To update all fields in the body of a document, press Ctrl+A and then F9.

Attached Files

000000-Test For Even Pages.doc (30.5 KB, 9 views)