PDF Page Labels

About Page Labels

Page labels are what a reader shows in its page box, and they are entirely separate from a page's position in the file. A scanned book whose front matter runs i to iv and whose body starts at 1 needs labels; without them the reader's page 5 is the body's page 1, and every cross-reference in the document is off by four.

This is not the same as printing numbers onto the pages. Page Numbers draws ink; this changes what the reader says. A book that already has its numbers printed by the publisher needs labels rather than a second set of numbers stamped on top, and that is the usual case for a scan.

Roman for the front matter and arabic for the body is the convention this is built around, but any of the schemes the format defines is available: decimal, upper and lower roman, letters, or a prefix with no number at all — A-1, A-2 for an appendix.

Where it helps

• Changes what the reader shows rather than drawing on the page, which is what a scan of an already-numbered book needs.
• The two-part case — roman front matter, arabic body — is one setting rather than an exercise in number trees.
• Every scheme the format defines, including a prefix with no numeral.
• Shows what the first few labels will actually be before you commit.
• The document stays in your browser.

Limits

• Support varies: Acrobat and most desktop readers honour labels, and several browser viewers ignore them and show positions instead.
• Two ranges at most — a document needing four differently numbered sections needs a tool that takes a list.
• Nothing is printed on the page, so a printed copy carries no numbers unless it already had them.
• Existing labels are replaced rather than merged.
• Password-protected files must be unlocked first.

Frequently asked questions

How is this different from Page Numbers?

Page Numbers draws a number onto the page as ink, which prints. Page labels change what a reader shows in its page box and print nothing. A scanned book that already has printed numbers wants labels; a plain export that has none wants numbers.

Why does my browser still show page 5?

Some viewers — including a few built into browsers — ignore page labels and show the position in the file. Acrobat, Preview and most desktop readers honour them. Nothing is wrong with the file.

Can I label a document in several sections?

Two ranges here: front matter and body. A document with more sections needs each range written into the number tree, which is beyond what this offers.

What is the "no number" style for?

A prefix on its own — every page labelled Draft, or Exhibit A — which is occasionally what a legal or archival workflow wants.

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