According to fel-pro, "In some cases, head gaskets or intake manifold gaskets won’t have any directional indicators on them. They may have Blue Stripe coating or be a different color. In these cases, it does not matter which direction the gasket is installed. If it were crucial, it would be marked." See fel-pro link below for the source of this quote. www.felpro.com/content/dam/marketing/North-America/felpro/pdfs/article-bulletins/Fel-Pro%20TechTip_Which%20Direction%20Should%20You%20Install%20A%20Fel-Pro%20Gasket.pdf Most engine builders install the printo-seal stripe to the most irregular surface which is historically the more porous AL intake manifold. As you can see though, both the AL intake and heads are machined smooth, so I bet it does not matter. However, since most people, including myself, apply a VERY thin skim coat of RTV around the intake ports at the head side of the gasket, I prefer that side to be the smooth i.e., not the printo-seal bead side.
