Merging PDFs joins their page objects. It does not create a new page-number system.

One source can already show numbers. Another can have no footer. A third can restart at page 1.

Add one sequence after the final merge when readers need reliable page references.

Merge First, Number Second

Numbering each source before a merge produces several independent sequences. Each part can start at 1.

The final document can then contain page 1 three times. A table of contents or review comment becomes ambiguous.

Use PDF Merger to create the final page order. Then use PDF Page Numbers once.

This order also gives the numbering tool the correct final page count.

Decide Whether the Cover Is a Numbered Page

A cover is a physical sheet. It is not always page 1 in the reader's sequence.

When you skip the first sheet, the second sheet receives number 1. This keeps later references aligned with the document body.

For a 12-sheet document:

  • Number all sheets and the sequence is 1 through 12.
  • Skip the cover and the body sequence is 1 through 11.

The cover remains in the file. It only remains outside the visible sequence.

Understand What Total Means

The format Page {n} of {total} has two values.

{n} is the current sequence number. {total} is the number of pages that receive a number.

A skipped cover does not receive a number. It should not increase {total}.

This is why the last body page in a 12-sheet file can read Page 11 of 11.

Using Page 12 of 12 would suggest that a numbered page 12 exists. A reader cannot find it.

Use Start At for a Continued Sequence

The Start at setting is useful when two separate files form one document set.

If the first file ends at page 24, start the second file at 25. The files then have one continuous visible sequence.

Do not use Start at to account for a cover. The Skip first setting already handles that case.

Using both can create a correct but confusing result. For example, an 11-page body can run from 5 through 15 while total remains 11.

Select a Position That Avoids Existing Content

Bottom centre works for many documents because most pages leave space there.

Use bottom right when a footer occupies the left side. Use a top position when the bottom margin contains legal text or a document code.

The new number is drawn over the page. It does not move existing text.

Check a content-heavy page before you process a long document. A blank cover does not show possible footer collisions.

Pick a Format for the Reading Task

A bare {n} creates the smallest label. It works for short handouts and printed packets.

Page {n} makes the value clearer in a dense footer. Page {n} of {total} tells readers how much remains.

The format must contain {n}. Without that placeholder, every page would receive the same text.

This simple format is not Bates numbering. Legal Bates numbers can need a prefix, fixed width and leading zeros.

Fix Page Order Before Numbering

Numbering makes the existing order visible. It does not correct that order.

Use PDF Organize to move, rotate or review pages before the numbering pass.

Check section dividers, blank pages and landscape inserts. A blank page can be intentional for double-sided printing.

Do not remove it only because it has no content. Its place can protect the start side of the next section.

Review the First and Last Numbered Pages

Open the result and check four places:

  1. The cover, if the sequence skips it.
  2. The first numbered page.
  3. A page with a busy footer.
  4. The last numbered page.

These checks confirm the start, position, sequence and total. They also show whether the text is too close to an edge.

The PDF Page Numbers guide includes setting examples for covers and continued files.

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