Page numbers
Add page numbers or Bates-style prefixes to PDFs.
A practical guide to Page numbers
Page Numbers PDF stamps a configurable number on selected pages while leaving the underlying document content in place. Position, starting value, style, and page scope control the sequence.
Example: number a report after the cover
Skip page 1, start the visible sequence at 1 on page 2, and place the number at the bottom center with enough margin for printing.
Task-specific steps
- 1
Choose the final PDF after all merging, splitting, and reordering is complete.
- 2
Set the starting number, page range, placement, font size, and margin.
- 3
Export and inspect pages near the start and end of the range for collisions with existing content.
Options that affect the result
- Starting number and page scope let a cover remain unnumbered.
- Position and margin place the label near a corner or centered edge.
Limitations to know first
- The tool adds visible labels; it does not rebuild a document's internal page-label scheme.
- Very small margins can overlap headers, footers, crop marks, or printer-unavailable areas.
- Fixed digit widths and one continuous count across several files belong to Bates numbering rather than to simple page numbers.
Questions specific to this task
Can the cover page be excluded from numbering?
Yes. Start the selected page range at page 2 and set the first visible number to 1.
When should page numbers be added in a PDF workflow?
Add them after pages are merged, removed, or reordered. Later structural changes can make visible numbering inconsistent with the document order.