How to Add Page Numbers to a PDF
Long reports, books, and legal documents need page numbers for navigation and cross-reference. If the source document doesn't have them — common with PDFs assembled from multiple files — PDFPuddle adds them in seconds.
Position options
Bottom Centre is the conventional position for books and reports. Bottom Right is common in legal briefs and technical documents. Top Centre suits documents where the bottom edge is reserved for footnotes or signatures.
Customizing the numbering
Start from any number — useful when the PDF is a section of a larger document and the first page should be page 47. Font size 10–12 is standard for body text; 14–16 for large-print documents.
Skipping the cover page
PDFPuddle adds numbers to every page including the first. To skip the cover, split the cover off using Organize PDF (notation: d1,2,3,4...), add page numbers to the rest, then merge the cover back on with Merge PDF.
Pagination conventions
Standard convention: cover page unnumbered (or roman numeral i), front matter in roman numerals (ii, iii, iv), main content in arabic (1, 2, 3). For mixed numbering schemes, split into sections and number each separately.