Adding Page Numbers to a PDF
What this tool does
This tool stamps a running page number onto every page of a PDF. You upload a file, choose how the numbers should look, and the text is drawn straight into the document with pdf-lib — the output is a fresh PDF with the numbers baked in, not a separate overlay you have to manage. Six anchor points cover the top and bottom of the page at the left, centre, or right, and you set the font size, colour, and how far each number sits from the page edge.
When to use it
Reach for it whenever a document needs consistent pagination: a multi-chapter report, a contract heading to signature, printed handouts, or a merged file whose original numbering no longer lines up. Because the value the count begins from is adjustable, it also covers the case where one logical document has been split across several files — you can number the second file so it continues where the first left off. A title page that should stay clean can be dropped from the sequence entirely.
A worked example
Suppose you have a 12-page proposal with a cover sheet. Turn on "Skip First Page" so the cover stays blank, choose the "Page 1" format, and anchor it at the bottom centre. Numbering now begins on the second sheet, which reads "Page 1", and continues to "Page 11" on the last page. Switch the format to "1 / N" instead and every page shows its position out of the total, such as 3 / 11, so readers can see at a glance how much remains.
Notes and edge cases
A few details are worth knowing. The margin is measured in points from the nearest edge, so raising it lifts the number away from an existing header or footer rather than printing over it. The starting value applies to the first numbered page and climbs by one from there; with a skipped cover, that value lands on page 2. Labels are drawn in Helvetica and stay crisp anywhere from 8 to 36 points. The whole job runs on your own device through pdf-lib, and a password-protected PDF is caught up front and reported rather than turned into a broken file.