A front free-endpaper is a blank sheet of paper pasted to the inside front cover of a book. It is also known as an endleaf or endsheet. The front free-endpaper usually has the same paper stock and finish as the book’s text block. The purpose of the FFEP is twofold: to give the book a finished look, and to provide a place for the book’s title, author, illustrator, and/or publisher to be printed.
The front free-endpaper is generally the first page that a reader sees when opening a book. For this reason, many book designers take care to make the FFEP an attractive and inviting page. The title of the book, the author’s name, and the book’s cover image are often printed on the FFEP. In some cases, the illustrator’s name or the publisher’s logo may also be included.
The back free-endpaper (BFFP) is the blank sheet of paper pasted to the inside back cover of a book. The BFFP serves the same purpose as the FFEP; that is, to give the book a finished look and to provide a place for the book’s title, author, illustrator, and/or publisher to be printed.
The back free-endpaper is generally the last page that a reader sees when finishing a book. For this reason, many book designers take care to make the BFFP an attractive and inviting page. The title of the book, the author’s name, and the book’s cover image are often printed on the BFFP. In some cases, the illustrator’s name or the publisher’s logo may also be included.
The front free-endpaper serves two main purposes:
1. To protect the inside front cover from damage.
2. To provide a surface for the book’s title and other information (such as the author’s name, publisher, etc.) to be printed on.
In some cases, the front free-endpaper may also include a map, illustration, or other graphic element.