Add Page Numbers

Pick where the numbers go

Six positions cover the usual conventions.

Bottom right

The default for reports, contracts, and anything read on screen.

Bottom center

Books, theses, and documents bound down the middle.

Bottom left

Left-bound copies where the right corner is hidden by the binding.

Top right

APA student papers and reports with a footer already in use.

Top center / top left

Documents that carry the number in a header.

Choose the number style

Pick the style the venue expects, then set the font size.

• 3 / 12 shows the number and the total; Page 3 of 12 spells it out
• 3 alone, Page 3, or - 3 - for books and classic layouts
• Arabic (1, 2, 3), lowercase Roman (i, ii, iii), or uppercase Roman (I, II, III)
• Helvetica at 10 points by default, 24 points from the edge; 12 points for large print

Skip a cover page or number only a range

Type a page range such as 2-999 to leave the title page unnumbered, or 3-20 to number one section. The total shown in "3 / 12" is the last number printed in that run, so a chapter numbered 1 to 12 reads 12, not the length of the whole file. The first number can be anything: start at 5 if the file continues an earlier volume.

Thesis numbering: Roman front matter, Arabic body

Run the tool twice on the same file. First pass: pages 2-8, lowercase Roman, first number 2, so the abstract and table of contents read ii, iii, iv. Second pass on the numbered output: pages 9-999, Arabic, first number 1, so chapter 1 starts at page 1. The title page stays blank. The thesis page numbering guide walks through the conventions.

Paginate merged files, scans, and submissions

Merging several PDFs breaks any numbering they had, so number the file after you merge it and the count stays continuous. The same applies to scanned course packs, contracts with exhibits, portfolios, and application documents where a reviewer expects to see "page X of Y" on every sheet.

Replacing page numbers that are already there

The tool draws on top of the existing page and does not detect old numbers. If a document already has numbering you want to replace, run it through Crop PDF first and trim roughly 40 points from the bottom edge to remove the old footer, then add fresh numbers.

Free, private, and no watermark

The numbers are real vector text, not an image, so they print crisply and remain searchable. Nothing is re-rendered or compressed, and the output file, paperkit-numbered.pdf, is created locally in your browser with no upload, account, or watermark. Pages that carry a rotation attribute receive the number in their own orientation.