A PRACTICAL START

Start with these steps

  1. Finish arranging the document, then open Page Numbers and choose the final PDF.
  2. Choose the source-page range, starting value, numbering style, position, colour, size and margin. Zoom or expand the preview to inspect placement.
  3. Add page numbers, download the output, and check the first and last numbered pages plus mixed page layouts.

Page selection and Start at answer different questions

The range chooses which positions in the source PDF receive new numbers. Start at sets the number assigned to the first selected page. A title sheet can therefore stay unnumbered while the following page starts at 1.

For example, in a ten-page document with one cover, choose source pages 2-10 and Start at 1. The added labels run from 1 to 9. The source PDF still contains ten pages. If you select a non-contiguous range, check the previewed labels instead of assuming the visible numbers will match the original positions.

Choose a style that stays understandable

A simple number suits many short documents. Other styles can add a Page label or a total. The total-style label uses the last number in the selected sequence: three selected pages starting at 5 produce 5 of 7, 6 of 7 and 7 of 7. It is not automatically the total number of sheets in the source PDF.

Visible numbers are additional page content. They do not automatically replace an existing printed number, update the table of contents or rewrite internal page links. If the source already has a footer, choose a different position or revise the source document rather than placing a second number directly on top of it.

Fit the number inside the visible page

Top and bottom positions with left, centre or right alignment let you work around a logo, stamp or existing footer. The edge margin and font size determine whether the new label fits within the visible page area.

Use a contrasting colour and inspect the live preview. A large font or margin can make a long label fail to fit on a small page. Reduce those settings if the tool reports a placement problem. Check cropped, rotated and landscape pages separately instead of relying only on the first portrait sheet.

Make the preview large enough to judge

Use the preview zoom controls or expand the preview to inspect the edges clearly. Fit width is useful for checking the whole sheet; zoom in when you need to compare the number with small footer text. Scrolling inside a larger preview should not change the numbering settings.

Refresh page preview redraws the current page when you need to reload it. It is not a save action or a way to apply numbers to the download. Your final output is created by Add page numbers and then downloaded from the result page.

Number after merging and organizing

Apply final numbering after you have combined documents, removed sheets and confirmed their order. Otherwise a later rearrangement can leave a visible sequence that no longer matches the document. Keep an unnumbered original in case you need to change the final layout.

Open the downloaded PDF and check the first numbered page, a middle page and the final one. Verify any excluded cover or appendix. If the PDF was digitally signed before numbering, a newly written version can affect that signature’s validation; complete layout changes before the required signing stage.

BEFORE YOU SHARE

Check the finished file

  • The range refers to source positions and excludes the intended cover or appendix.
  • The first and last added numbers are correct.
  • Labels fit inside each page without covering existing content.
  • The downloaded PDF, not only the live preview, has been inspected.

Tools for this workflow

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