Page numbers
Stamp numbers, starting where you want them to start.
or drop it here
Nothing is uploaded. Your file never leaves this tab.
What page numbering is
Stamping a sequence onto a document’s pages as drawn content. Two settings that are usually conflated are genuinely independent: which physical sheet the stamping starts on, and what number is printed there.
What this tool does that others do not
Start page and first number are separate
Most documents do not want a number on the cover, and many want the sequence to begin at something other than one — a chapter extracted from a longer report, for instance. Conflating the two is what makes other tools require a workaround.
“1 of 10” counts numbered pages
The total reports how many pages carry a number rather than how many sheets exist, so a skipped cover does not silently inflate it.
Helvetica, which costs nothing
One of the standard PDF base fonts, in mid grey. Base-14 fonts do not need embedding, so the stamp adds almost nothing to the file size.
How to use it
Choose the position
Footer centre is the safe default; check it against any page with a full-width figure near the bottom.
Set where stamping starts
Setting it to page 2 leaves the cover clean, which is what most documents want and what most tools make you work around.
Set what the first number is
Leave it at 1 to number the body from one, or set it to match the sheet if the printed number has to agree with the physical page.
Worked example
Real input, real figures.
A document with a cover page
You give it
Start numbering at page 2, first number 1, format "n of total", on a 10-sheet document.
You get
The cover is untouched and page two reads "1 of 9" — nine numbered pages, not ten sheets. Setting the first number to 2 instead gives "2 of 9" so the printed number matches the sheet.
Against a typical page-number stamper
| Aspect | This tool | A typical stamper |
|---|---|---|
| Skipping a cover | A separate setting | Not offered, or conflated |
| First printed number | Independent of the start page | Always 1 |
| Total in “n of total” | Counts numbered pages | Counts sheets |
| File size cost | Near zero — base-14 font, not embedded | An embedded font |
Guide
What it will not do
- No roman numerals and no prefix. The three formats are a plain number, "Page n" and "n of total". Roman numerals for front matter are on the list.
Numbering that starts where the document does
Most documents do not want a number on the cover, and many want the numbering to start at something other than one — a chapter extracted from a longer report, for instance. Both are separate settings here: which physical page to start stamping on, and what number to print there.
The count in "1 of 10" follows the same logic, reporting the number of numbered pages rather than the number of sheets, so a cover page does not silently inflate the total.
Questions people ask
Straight answers. Each one links directly: copy the address after opening it.
How do I skip the cover page?
Set "start numbering at page" to 2. The first sheet is left clean and page two carries the first number, which by default is 1 — set "first number" to 2 instead if you want the printed number to match the sheet.
Can I use roman numerals or a prefix?
Not currently. The three formats are a plain number, "Page n", and "n of total". Roman numerals for front matter are on the list.
What font is used?
Helvetica, embedded as one of the standard PDF base fonts, in mid grey. It adds almost nothing to the file size because base-14 fonts do not need embedding.
Nothing leaves your device
Your file is read into this tab and worked on there. It is never uploaded, which is why there is no queue, no daily limit and no account, and why the tool still works with the network switched off.
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