Last updated 28 August 2026
Numbering that matches the document
Two settings do most of the work here and they are easy to confuse. Skipping pages controls which pages get a number printed on them; the starting number controls what that first printed number says. A report with a cover and a contents page usually wants both: skip two, start at one, so the first page of actual content reads as page one. Position matters less than consistency — bottom centre is the safe default for anything that will be printed and bound, while bottom right suits documents read on screen because it sits where the eye already is when scanning to the end of a page. The numbers are drawn into the existing pages rather than the document being rebuilt, so everything else in the file stays exactly as it was.
Common questions
What is the difference between skipping pages and the starting number?
Skipping controls which pages get a number printed at all; the starting number controls what the first printed number says. Skip two and start at one, and the third page of the file is labelled page one — which is what a report with a cover and contents usually wants.
Will it change anything else in my PDF?
No. The numbers are drawn onto the existing pages rather than the document being rebuilt, so text, images, links and page sizes are left as they were.
Does it work on scanned PDFs?
Yes. A scanned page is an image inside a PDF page, and the number is drawn on top of it exactly as it would be on a text page.
Is my file uploaded?
No. The PDF is read and rewritten in your browser using a JavaScript PDF library. Nothing is sent anywhere, which is the point when the document is a contract or a payslip.