The page number landed on top of the company address in my footer; how do I move it clear?

Why the overlap happened

Company documents often carry a fixed footer: address, trade licence number and phone in one or two lines at the foot of every page. The tool's default puts the number at the bottom centre, 10 mm from the edge, which is exactly where most templates put their footer.

PDF page numbering cannot spot this on its own. It works out a point on the page and draws the number there as new text on top of the content, without reading what lies underneath. That is what lets it work on any file, even a scan, but it means picking the empty space is up to you.

Three ways to fix it

1. Lift the number above the footer. The margin is the distance from the page edge to the text baseline. On A4, a 10 mm margin puts the number 28.35 points up, 15 mm puts it at 42.52 points and 20 mm at 56.69 points. Estimate where the top of your footer is and choose a margin that clears it.
2. Move the number to the top. If the header area is empty, this is the easiest fix. Choose Top as the vertical position and the footer is left completely alone.
3. Use a free corner. Many footers are centred, which leaves both bottom corners empty. Choose Right or Left with Bottom, and reduce the font size a little if the space is tight.

How to check before you download

After you press Add numbers, a preview of the numbered pages appears. Look at a page where the footer is at its longest, for example one with an extra line of notes. If the number still touches the text, change the setting and run it again. Any change to the settings clears the previous result, so you cannot download a stale copy by mistake.

When the footer differs between pages

Sometimes page one has a tall footer with bank details and the rest have a short one. Number in two passes: first number pages 2 to the end with a start number of 2 and the setting that suits them, then open the downloaded result and number page 1 alone with a bigger margin. In that second pass the total is 1, since it is a single page, so if your format shows the total, type it into a custom template such as Page {n} of 12. Pages outside each pass's range are never touched.

• If you see a warning that the number is wider than the available space or the margin is larger than the page, reduce the font size or the margin.
• The number's colour can be changed. A lighter shade than the footer text helps the eye tell them apart when they sit close together.
• The tool does not remove or move your footer. It only adds.