Start PDF page numbering on a specific page
Two settings decide where numbering starts, and they answer different questions:
- Start on PDF page — on which page of the file the first number appears.
- First number — which number is printed there.
Keeping them apart is what makes most numbering jobs simple. “Start on page 3 with 1” and “start on page 1 with 5” are both one change away.
Start on a later page
- Open the PDF in Page Numbers PDF.
- Under Pages, choose PDF page range.
- Set Start on PDF page to the first page that should carry a number — for example 3.
- Leave End on PDF page at the last page, or set it earlier if the last pages should stay unnumbered too.
- Set First number: 1 if the numbering should begin at 1 on that page.
Pages before the start (and after the end) are left exactly as they are, without a number. In the preview they look slightly faded, so you can see at a glance which pages will be numbered.
Start at a number other than 1
Use First number alone. Set it to 5 and the first numbered page shows 5, the next 6, and so on. This is how you continue numbering from another document: if the previous part ended on page 48, start this one at 49. Any whole number from 1 to 99,999 is accepted.
Number only part of the document
The range also works in the middle of a file: number pages 4 to 20 only, for instance, and leave an appendix without numbers. A range is one continuous block; it is not possible to pick separate pages such as 1, 3 and 7.
How it shows in “1 / N” formats
When the format includes a total, the total is the last number printed, not the number of pages in the file. Numbering PDF pages 3 to 12 of a 12-page file, starting at 1, prints 1 / 10 on page 3 and 10 / 10 on page 12. Start at 49 instead, and it prints 49 / 58 up to 58 / 58.
Check before you save
Every page in the preview shows its future number. If a number is wrong, change the start page or the first number; nothing is written until you press Add Page Numbers. If a value doesn’t fit the document — an end page beyond the last page, for example — the field says so and saving waits until it is fixed.
Good to know
- Numbering follows the order of pages in the file. If pages are in the wrong order, fix the order first, then number.
- Arabic numerals are used; Roman numerals for front matter are not available.
- Page numbers are added once; they do not update if pages are later added or removed.