In a PDF which has a visible page number on each page there are essentially two types of page number: the imprinted visible page number and electronic page numbers.
Imprinted page numbers. Normally each page will have a page number usually at the bottom of the page.
Electronic page numbers. A person viewing a PDF can go straight to a page by entering its electronic page number in the box at the top (or, in some viewers, the bottom) of the viewer panel.
It goes without saying that electronic and imprinted page numbers should be the same. In the PDF, whilst both imprinted page numbers and electronic page numbers are viewable, it is the electronic page number which will be used to jump to a page. By contrast in a hardcopy, where only the imprinted page number is shown, it is the imprinted page number which will be used when the reader turns to a page. Inevitably some people prefer to mainly view the PDF while others prefer to use a hardcopy and it causes confusion and delay if electronic and imprinted page numbers do not match.
Before saying more about how to ensure that imprinted page numbering matches electronic page numbering it is necessary to say something about what is called physical electronic page numbers and logical electronic page numbers. Every page in a PDF has a physical page number. The first page in a PDF is physical page number 1. The next page is physical page number 2, and so on. It is also possible to give pages logical page numbers (or "page labels" as they are sometimes called) which can be different from the physical page numbers.
If the full eBundle contains a large number of documents it may be useful to have, in addition, a Core Bundle. A Core Bundle for a Final Hearing (trial) is a cut-down version of the full Final Hearing eBundle so every document in the Core Bundle will also be in the Final Hearing eBundle. Each page of the Core Bundle will have imprinted on it its original page number from the Final Hearing eBundle. These page numbers will, of course, not match the physical electronic page numbers, but you can set logical electronic page numbers so that they still match the imprinted page numbers. Most PDF software, including Adobe Acrobat and PDF X-Change Editor, has the ability to recognise logical electronic page numbers if you set the "use logical page numbers" option. Providing this option is set then, when the user enters a page number into the box at the top or bottom of the viewer panel, they will be taken to that logical electronic page number. Physical electronic page numbers can then be ignored - the physical electronic page number might be displayed at the top or bottom of the viewer panel in small type next to the logical electronic page number but it can be ignored and the fact that logical electronic page numbers always match imprinted page numbers means that everyone, whether using eBundle or hardcopy, can use the same number to refer to a page.
Note, however, that using logical electronic page numbering can have some potential drawbacks. Many people, for convenience, use a general browser such as Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge to browse PDFs and these browsers do not have a "use logical numbers" option and can only use physical electronic numbers so using having logical electronic page numbering different from physical electronic page numbering limits the software which a reader can conveniently use.
Disclaimer
This information page is designed to be used only by clients of John Antell who have entered into an agreement for the provision of legal services. The information in it is necessarily of a general nature and will not be applicable to every case: it is intended to be used only in conjunction with more specific advice to the individual client about the individual case. This information page should not be used by, or relied on, by anyone else.
The information on this page about specific computer techniques is provided for information purposes only. Every reasonable effort has been made to ensure that the information is accurate and up to date at the time it was written but no responsibility for its accuracy, or for any consequences of relying on it, is assumed by me. Any sample screen layouts are based on the version of software current when the screen shot was taken and may be different now. You should satisfy yourself, before using any of the techniques, software or services described, that the techniques are appropriate for your purposes and that the software or service is reliable.
This page was lasted updated in March 2024. Disclaimer