Page numbers

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In printed documents, page numbers are vital to direct users to a particular page from:

the table of contents

a list of references, such as a list of tables or a list of figures

the alphabetical index

cross-references

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Basic rules and examples

Usually, number all pages of a document continuously. Avoid all sorts of complex numbering schemes.

No:

3–25

Yes:

134

Note:
Using chapter numbers followed by page numbers can make sense if you supply your document in a loose-leaf folder and want to be able ship updates of individual document sections independently. If you’ve restarted page numbering in each section, users can exchange the pages of one section without affecting the numbering in other sections.

Don’t use Roman numerals. Many users have trouble reading them.

No:

XVIII

Yes:

18

Avoiding differing numbers

If you plan to make your document available electronically, always begin counting page numbers on the title page (however, don’t include the page number on the title page). If you start with page 1 on any other page (for example, on the first page after the table of contents), the page numbers that are printed onto the pages are different from the page numbers that are shown in the users’ viewer, such as Adobe Reader. This can be very confusing.


Table of contents

Alphabetical index

Cross-references and links

Designing: Where to position headers, footers, and page numbers?