Fold out page in PDF

[David Ward]

When assembling a part as a PDF, what is the best way of dealing with a fold out page (ie one making a three page spread)?

In my specific case, four of the eight parts end with a page I've labelled 9b, which folds out from the page I've labelled 9a. I usually assemble PDFs thus: Cover, followed by a blank page, the music pages numbered from 1 to x, then whatever number of blank pages is needed to make the total divisible by four. In the case in point, either the four parts will be staple stitched with the fold out as a single page extra to be kept loose or taped in as the (chamber) player might choose; or the parts will be coil bound in A4, with pages 9a plus 9b forming a single A3 landscape page to be folded out as appropriate.

However, neither of those possibilities makes clear to me how I might best assemble the PDF.

Maybe I should supply the complete PDF for each of the relevant parts with a blank following the cover, but with no blanks at the end, with added suggestions as to what to do with the fold out page. Or might each of the fold out pages (each page 9b) be best as a single page PDF file (carefully labelled!)?

[MichelRE]

Is the place where you have parts/score printed used to doing music?

I have my scores done at the Canadian Music Centre, which is a national repository of Canadian music, along with printing and distribution services.
I don't know if you have an equivalent in your country.

Anyway, all to say that when I need pages with fold-outs, I just include instructions along with the PDF files I send them.

For example I'll let them know the score is in 12x17 format, hard covered, and I usually include any blank pages required in the frontispiece pages within the PDF itself.

Then, for parts, I might say 9x12, soft covered, off-white paper, violin 2 requires a fold-out page at pages 7-8. They're used to handling this type of thing so it usually comes out perfectly fine. Fold-out pages are usually taped while the rest of the part is centre-stapled.(in reality printed on 12x18 paper that is then folded.)

[David Ward]

Usually my music is printed either by the Scottish Music Centre in Glasgow, who are indeed expert at this sort of thing (I'm expecting to have a telephone call with someone there later today), or by my publishers ditto. Now there is also the business of parts on iPad, although I haven't yet got to grips with exactly how these should be done.

In a recent performance of a piece of mine for two singers and piano, the singers used iPads, while the pianist used, not the bound score with which he was supplied, but rather pages printed from a PDF and spread about the piano as he found best suited him.

I have occasionally, for my immediate personal use, used a very cheap and quick, but really quite good, on-line printer based near London called Doxdirect. They are limited and can't do anything unusual, nor can they print to other than the international A sizes, they can only do either staple binding or wire &c.

[benwiggy]

Details like fold-outs need to be clearly described in instructions to the printer. Adobe did create a format called JDF -- "Job Definition Format", to go with PDF, which was an attempt to create a digital standard for defining print job instructions, but it didn't take off in the print industry in the same way as PDF.

[NeeraWM]

When building PDFs that need foldout pages, I usually place every foldout page at the end of the document, with a blank page behind it (unless it is a recto-verso foldout like one see in, f.e., Barenreiter's Popper Cello Etudes op 73).
Like this they will print recto-verso the main pages and then have the foldout ready to tape.
If it is a professional printer working only with machines, then one needs to create a specific 3-page spread in InDesign (or other DTP software) and the machine "should" handle it.

Re. numbering, I have seen both:
8a < 8-9 > 9a
8bis < 8-9 > 9bis

I have not seen main pages numbered with additional letters, and I think it is for good reasons to avoid confusion.