How do I leave the cover unnumbered?

Turn on skip the first page. Numbering then starts on the second sheet, counting from whatever start number you set.

Will the numbers print?

Yes. They are written into the page as content, sitting in the margin about 28 points from the edge, so they behave like anything else on the page.

HowtoaddpagenumberstoafinishedPDF

Numbering is a problem created by assembly. Each source document was numbered correctly on its own; joined together into a tender pack, the sequence restarts three times and no one can refer to anything.

3 minute read · Advorize PDF Tools

Numbering the finished document, not the sources

The alternative is reopening every source file, renumbering, re-exporting and re-merging — and doing it again the next time a section is added. Stamping numbers onto the assembled PDF treats the pack as the document it now is.

It also means the numbers match what a reader sees. Page 14 of the pack is page 14, regardless of which annexure it came from.

Formats worth using

A bare number is right for most documents. Page n of total earns its place in anything that gets printed and handed around, because a missing sheet becomes obvious.

n — 1, 2, 3.
Page n — a little more formal, and clearer in a document with other figures in the margin.
Page n of total — for print, tenders and anything legal.

Covers, annexures and starting numbers

Skipping the first page is the common requirement: a cover should not be page one. Turning that on begins the numbering on the second sheet.

Starting from a number other than one matters when a document is a section of something larger — an annexure that continues from page 40 of the main pack should say 41, not 1.

Where to put them

Bottom centre is the safe default and the hardest to collide with existing content. Bottom right suits documents that will be flipped through in a binder. If your layout already fills the margin, crop the pages first rather than stamping a number on top of a footer.

The tool

Add page numbers

Number the pages of a PDF, in the position and format you want.

Open it

Questions people ask

Yes — in the format box, n becomes the current page and total becomes the page count, so Page n of total produces exactly that.