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How to Add Page Numbers and Sections in Adobe InDesign
Most of the work I’ve done over the past few weeks has been focused on print design projects, many of which involved multi-page materials like flyers, brochures, manuals, catalogs and workbooks. In other words, this is the type of work that is best managed using Adobe InDesign. Some of these include multiple sections, each with different page numbering styles. Maybe you've been wondering how you add page numbers to your document or how you divide your document into sections etc. Here's some of my experience on how I do this.
Create Sections
Some of the workbooks include multiple sections, each with different page numbering styles. For example, the pages before the table of contents might use Roman numerals, while the pages afterward follow standard numbering (1, 2, 3, and so on). To set this up, you need to divide your document into two sections: one for the Roman numerals and another for the standard numbering. Here’s you do this: In the Pages panel, select the starting page of a new section. Open the panel’s dropdown menu and choose Numbering & Section Options. Configure the numbering style for that section. To start a new section, repeat the same steps, selecting the first page of the next section. It’s also a good idea to add a prefix for each section to avoid conflicts when exporting to PDF (this will be explained in more detail later). For simplicity, I usually assign A to the first section, B to the second, and so on. This keeps things organized and easy to manage. One thing to keep in mind when creating new sections in your document, is that by default the 1st page of a new section always starts on the right side. To avoid spreads and pages to shuffle, you need to uncheck the 'Allow Document Pages to Shuffle' and 'Allow the Selected Spread to Shuffle' option first ☝🏼
Adding Page Numbers & Section Markers
Adding page numbers is straightforward. First, use the Type Tool to create a text frame in the location where you want the page number to appear. While the cursor is active in the text frame, go to Type > Insert Special Character > Markers > Current Page Number. I typically place page numbers on the Parent Pages, so they automatically appear on all pages that use that Parent Page. Similarly, you can also insert a Section Marker. The process is almost identical. Now you go to Type > Insert Special Character > Markers > Section Marker. However, make sure you’ve assigned a name to each section in the Section Marker field within the Numbering & Section Options window since this name will appear into the marker field.
Export Certain Page Ranges to PDF
Another common task I handle is exporting PDFs, not just for the entire document but often excluding the cover pages (the first and last pages). To do this, go to File > Export… (Cmd/Ctrl + E), select Adobe PDF (Print), and in the export window, specify the range of pages you want to include. For example, if the back cover is page 70, I might enter 2-69 as the range. However, to ensure accuracy, use a + symbol before the page number since the + references the actual page position in the Pages panel. In this case, entering +2-69 will export the correct range. However, if you have used section prefixes, it becomes even easier to use them in front of the page number and enter something like A2–B69, mimicking what you see in the Pages panel.
