Custom page numbering: even and odd numbers using different prefixes

Report · Jul 27, 2017

Hi all, I’m trying to create the following:

300 page InDesign digital document

Pages 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, etc. (all odd pages) need to be numbered Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5, etc.

Pages 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, etc. (all even pages) need to be numbered A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, etc.

I have set this up as a single/non-facing pages doc because it’s a mobile doc, but maybe I need to just set it up as facing pages and use the master pages for numbering?

I want the page numbers to be the “actual” numbers so that they jive with the page numbers in a PDF. Or should I use Adobe Acrobat to make the page numbering work?

Any advice is appreciated! Thanks! Heather

Report · Jul 27, 2017

You could either set it up as facing pages or simply build two master pages. Either way, you will have to avoid using the currentpagenumber metacharacter placeholder (cmd+opt+sh+n). You would have to build a simple textframe that gets over-ridden to add customized text each page.

The textframes could have a paragraph style applied with numbering turned on and prefixed with a Q on one style and an A on the other style. The difference between the two numbered styles would have to have the numbering defined as two separate lists.

Another idea...

You could set it up as two documents. The master page could hold the letter Q on the first document followed by a currentpagenumber marker. The second document could have a master page textframe that holds the letter A followed by a currentpagenumber marker. Then you would have to interleave the exported PDF pages together in Acrobat.

Mike Witherell

Report · Feb 25, 2022

how do you interleave the pages in Acrobat?

Report · Jul 27, 2017

Does it only matter what page number is marked on the page? Or do you need the internal page numbering data to use these numbers as well? If the former, then set up using facing pages and just add an A to the beginning of the page number on the left hand page and a Q to the beginning of the page number on the right hand page.

Report · Jul 27, 2017

heatherc34716025 wrote
Hi all, I’m trying to create the following:
300 page InDesign digital document

Heather, is your "digital document" a PDF or an EPUB or a Publish Online document?

Report · Jul 28, 2017

Hi

You say:

I want the page numbers to be the “actual” numbers so that they jive with the page numbers in a PDF. Or should I use Adobe Acrobat to make the page numbering work?

and

Pages 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, etc. (all odd pages) need to be numbered Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5, etc.
Pages 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, etc. (all even pages) need to be numbered A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, etc.

I'm very confused! How could it be? Or do you mean that the PDF will display spreads, page 5 being A5 and Q5 facing?

In this case, I would just create a non-facing document, with a unique landscape page split in half, looking like a spread.

No issue with numbering then, just 2 blocks with A+Number and Q+Number.

Example:

Otherwise, if I didn't get you correctly, and that you want to keep a facing-page document, I would forget about auto-numbering and go for numbered paragraphs.

Create 2 different lists for odd and even.

Although there is one limit to this method: You must override those elements on all your pages. So I suggest you place them on a specific layer and when you have finished your job, don't forget to lock all layers except this one, select all pages and override all items.

See example below:

Report · Jul 28, 2017

Hi Vincent,

As I see reading Heather's previous comment, your approach isn't relevant!

What she seems to try to get isn't a simple "visual" page numbering but a "real" one and plays with it into the exported pdf file!

Imho, she'll need a section associated to a specific numbering for each page …

Of course, it could be done in 1 click with Javascript! … [personally, not for free!]

The more interesting problem is that numbering alas seems to be irrelevant on mobile devices! [texted on Acrobat reader / iPad]

… [quickly done!] Maybe another approach on epub format or publish Online could be cool! [tested on iPad]:

Dropbox - IDAF-2363337_Test_PDF5.epub

https://indd.adobe.com/view/b23a9782-2036-44d5-985a-8dd5399258fa

(^/)

Report · Jul 28, 2017

Wow, I knew I came to the right place. GREAT help, everyone. However, I'm narrowing down into my problem.

Final output is a PDF to be used through the Adobe Acrobat app on iPad, iPhone, and secondarily on other devices (laptops, Surfaces, Android phones). I'm just working with the Q pages at this point for testing purposes.

Even when I set up the desired numbering in InDesign, the prefixes, etc. are lost in Acrobat. So I didn't worry with the prefixes/page #s in ID and simply exported to PDF. In Acrobat, I used Page Labels to manually number the page, beginning a new section on each page. It works! I now can navigate the document on a desktop by "Go to Page" and type "A4" and it will go to A4. (See screen shot) But it's super tedious work. Am I missing a way to automate this?

Also, "Go to page A4" works on a laptop, but it is not working in the free Adobe Acrobat app on iPad. Those are still numbered 1-300, so to get to A4, you have to enter 8 (page 8). Is this likely just a limitation of the app?

I haven't even dealt with Bookmarks. I'm wondering if that's the way to go...