Number the attachments, skip the cover: a PDF submission workflow

Check file count, page order, paper size, size limits and any signature or form requirements before editing. A printed page number can differ from its position in the PDF viewer. This example creates one PDF with a cover and two attachments, showing 1 and 2 only on the attachments.

The merged original below reads COVER → ATTACHMENT A → ATTACHMENT B. Open the cover and attachments in Merge PDFs in that order. Pages inside each file keep their order. Save the result and use Organize PDF if individual pages need to move.

1. Open the merged file in Split PDF and save range 2-3 as one PDF.
2. Open that extract in Add page numbers, start at 1 and choose bottom center. Save it.
3. Merge the original cover followed by the numbered body.

The numbering tool numbers every input page; it does not skip a cover automatically. Save each intermediate file and open it in the next tool. Existing printed numbers are not removed.

The sample has two A4 pages and one Letter page. The numbered result retains 210 × 297mm, 210 × 297mm and 215.9 × 279.4mm. Check each page in PDF document info. Rotation changes direction, not paper size.

If every page must be A4, preferably export again with that paper size from the original application. Rebuilding an existing PDF from images can remove searchable text and links. Read our text and image PDF comparison before choosing that approach.

Check for three pages, no added number on the cover, and 1 and 2 at the bottom of the body. Test small text and links, the upload size limit and clipping in print preview. Added numbers explain the small change in extracted character count below.

This test uses simple synthetic documents. Preservation of signatures, bookmarks and form fields is not guaranteed. Use the default on-device mode for private documents; read the upload and retention notice before choosing server processing.