What to Do When Page Numbers Are Hard to See or Overlap
Key points
- Move it to a spot with space
- Increase the font size slightly
- You can redo it from the original PDF
When it overlaps
If text or figures sit at the bottom of the page, numbers can overlap them.
- Change position to "Top center" or "Top right"
- Pick the side with more margin
When it's hard to see
- Change the font size from "Normal" to "Large"
- On documents with dark backgrounds it may be harder to read
How to redo
Rather than processing the numbered PDF again, go back to the original PDF without numbers and set it again, so numbers aren't added twice.
Checking
Zoom in on a few pages at the start, middle and end.
Extra note
On documents with almost no margin, numbers may not fit. Ask the recipient whether it can be submitted without numbers.
Use "Add Page Numbers to PDF" (free)Tools that go well with this
- Merge PDFs: Combine several PDF files into one, in the order you choose.
- Rotate & Reorder PDF Pages: Fix sideways pages, change the page order, or remove pages.
- Extract or Delete PDF Pages: Keep only the pages you need, or remove the pages you don't.