Newbie struggling with having page number 1 on Page 2

[Carolyn32257242he70]

Hi there... please can someone help me?  Page 1 is my front cover I need page 2 (the first page of text) to be numbered page 1.
I have a [None] Master page applied to the front cover (page 1, that I want to show NO number) and Parent A applied to pages 2 onwards (where I want the numbering to start). I have the numbers working ok, but they start from 2, (even though there is no number on page 1, where [None] is applied).

When I go Layout > Numbering and "start new section from page 1" I am shown a box that says "A Page in this section already exists in another section. Click Cancel and specify an unique section prefix (which is NOT what I want)..." etc.  
I have followed along with various youtube videos that just say to do the above and "great job! Your page 2 now starts at Page 1!" I'd be congratulating myself if this were indeed the case, but alas NOTHING I have tried has worked and my head is itchy from scratching it in wonder.

If someone could please be kind enough to shed some light on what this newbie is doing so epically wrong, I would greatly appreciate it! Many thanks!

[Eugene Tyson]

If you get that warning you can pretty much ignore it.

I would typically, out of simplicity, change the Cover page (your page 1 in the document) to a Numbering Section starting with A or something.
So all your Parent Pages from Section A come before Page 1 
This avoids that conflict.

You're getting this (which is ok)

----------------------

----------------------
Result is this

  

----------------------

----------------------

For Page 1 (actual at the top do this)

 So it looks like this

 

[Frans v.d. Geest]

Please remember: we read from left to right, so a uneven numbered page can never be a left page. An uneven numbered page is always a right page and an even numbered page always a left page. You can check yourself looking at any book or magazine you have(!).

[Carolyn32257242he70]

Hi Frans, Thanks so much for this 🙂 I'm going to have to try to figure out what it means. I do want the left page to be page 1 (currently now it reads as page 2), so yes that's how I would like it to be, odd number on left, even number on right). However I'm so new I can't imagine how confused I will be looking through my document as I'm trying to work through it, if all the A pages have "B" under them (I'm assuming this will carry on forward through the document).

 don't know why I can't just make it start from the page that I want it to. It seemed pretty easy on the video I watched. Maybe I have to delete it and start again and actually start the numbering FROM page 2.  Thank you anyway, I will try to apply what you've said and see how I go. Many thanks!

[rob day]

Page 1 is my front cover I need page 2 (the first page of text) to be numbered page 1.

Hi @Carolyn32257242he70 , Also, if page 1 is your cover, page 2 would have to be the inside cover—not page 1 of the text:

When the book is bound, the spreads get imposed and folded at the spine—page 1 is the cover, page 2 is the inside cover, page 3 is the first text page, etc... Eugene is showing how to start the page 3 auto numbering at 1.

[Carolyn32257242he70]

Hi Rob... Yes I was thinking that actually the first page of actual text would be page 3... like this is where the "table of Contents" would be. It still is impossible for me to make these numbers start in any other place though than "the cover". I am in the process of deleting the whole thing and starting again to see if I've done a step wrong. I'm sure I'll look back on this one day and laugh (though this is not that day!) Thank you!

[Eugene Tyson]

I showed you already how it's done - not sure why it's still confusion. 

[rob day]

impossible for me to make these numbers start in any other place though than "the cover".

Just to clarify you are using the Special Character Current Page Marker for the page numbers on your Parent Pages right?:

With page 3 selected in the Pages panel:

[Carolyn32257242he70]

Hi Rob, yes this is exactly what I'm trying to do and have done so far. Using the special character to start the numbering: > Marker > current page number, and then going to the page that I want to show visibly as page 1 (because it's the first page with any real text on it (any "welcome" or "table of contents" or whatever that doesn't need a number at all)) and trying to implement the Number and Section Options > Start Page numbering at 1" - this is exactly how I'm trying to do it. But it still keeps the number as whatever the actual number of page that the document is in the physical layout. This is how I learned on the tutorial, (and works for them) but for me, I get the message "A Page in this section already exists in another section" etc. So I don't know how to fix it. I tried deleting the document and starting again (this didn't work so clearly I just have the whole process wrong somehow). 😓

[rob day]

Can you share your problem document? You can attach your INDD file to your reply.

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

Other than for booklets/pamphlets, there are many reasons that non-standard page numbering is not used/avoided.

The front cover is typically not numbered. The inside front cover, if it contains any content, may be numbered ii or B or the like if any number is needed. The first inside, right-hand page should be 1, or if you use front matter, typically i. Then restart the actual content numbering ("Page one") at a right hand page, as 1. All this is done using section control and setting the numbering for each section, as show in detail above.

It is confusing and completely non-standard to number a book from Cover == Page 1.

[Eugene Tyson]

Well, InDesign doesn't allow you (typically) to start an odd page on the Left Hand Side

That's because InDesign is primarily a tool for typesetting - and it's how it's done for books - Page 1, Page 3 etc are always right hand pages.

Just because Indesign doesn't typically allow it doesn't mean it can't be done. 

And I wish InDesign was a bit more flexible in this - but I can see why it's not at the same time. 

I think in about 25 years experience - I've only come across a handful of times where people wanted page 1 to start on the left.

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

The only way around ID's rigid numbering system is something close to manual numbering of the pages. (Actually, for shorter projects, simple manual numbering cuts through a lot of hassle and setup.)

But you can also place a small text frame on each relevant Parent page and then flow in a numbering list of any kind or order, so that pages are semi-automatically assigned the next number in the list. Projects discussed here have had reversed page numbering, two (or more) page numbers on a single document page, one number on a spread, etc. — all things more or less impossible with the standard numbering system, which is very rigid about what pages and numbering are.

But — again — these nonstandard appoaches need a strong justification. Just sort of choosing to do things oddly isn't always a good idea.

[Eugene Tyson]

I did it there in the screenshot above

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

Should have noted that; was grinding through the stock answer. 🙂

[Eugene Tyson]

Yeh - you have start a new section on the left hand side and number it as 1 - then you have to allow spreads to shuffle and force it back to the left - then move the bottom page up beside it - then lock the spread combination, then all the pages reflow.

It's not intuitive. 

[Carolyn32257242he70]

Unfortunately cannot afford to risk manual numbers as it will be around 100 pages and I might need to slip a page in here and there to make it flow in a more comprehensive way, so will need the numbering to automatically fix as I shuffle or insert. If I'm clearly missing some understanding and you know of a tutorial that takes me through it at a more advanced level please just send me a link and I will gladly be schooled on youtube (because your knowledge seems so advanced, it's a bit like French to me (I'm so sorry!!) Do you know anywhere that explains it in a video I could watch?) 😂🙏🏼 

[Carolyn32257242he70]

Ah, well now I'm confused because someone else said above that odd numbers are ALWAYS on the left and even numbers always on the right?  I really am ok with whatever side InDesign wants to put the numbers - but I just want the first page with the content to be page number 1, not 2 or 3.

I'm not determined that one particular side has to be number 1 at all, I just want there to BE a page number 1 😄 Where I am, page 1 doesn't exist because InDesign is insisting that the cover is page 1, and the first page (with the beginning of the content) is page number 2.

It just looks weird. I suppose it doesn't really matter, but for a professional look I feel like page 1 should be able to be seen - somewhere in the interior after all of the other fluff has been seen to (like the "How to use this book" page or "Table of contents" or whatever else you want to put before the actual meat of the book, iykwim), THEN appears page 1.  

I know for sure it's just my inexperience with this program that is the problem, I'm sure everyone else is going ok with it but I can't get it to let me have page 1 as anything other than the cover. In fact I think it would be MORE intuitive if it were more difficult to HAVE a number on the cover, than to insist that the cover be page 1. 

I do really appreciate all the responses I'm getting. 🙏🏼

[Carolyn32257242he70]

My mistake, the person said that an uneven number can never be a left page, I thought they said the uneven pages were always left - my mistake (sorry Frans!)

[rob day]

Ah, well now I'm confused because someone else said above that odd numbers are ALWAYS on the left and even numbers always on the right?

That is definately wrong for a printed and bound document. Consider this case where I have forced page 1 to the left of the spine. If I export the document to a PDF and the printer binds the 12 page document, page 1 (the cover) has to be moved to the right of the spine.

If I display the PDF as 2-up continuous with a cover page, all of the spread pages get reversed when the pages are bound:

[Carolyn32257242he70]

You're amazing! Yes, I did get that wrong (when I wrote about the uneven numbers to the left and even to the right, so I'm sorry if that caused a mess). I was reading too quick. It was Frans who said it right and me who misunderstood. Thank you so much Rob!

[Carolyn32257242he70]

Hi Eugene, please can you tell me how you got this to be "i" and then Page 1, 2 following etc?  If you could lay out the steps for me? I'm so sorry to ask, but I'm at my wit's end and about to just let it all start from page 2 and hope nobody notices!

I have tried to do this: from page 1 (Numbering > section prefix is (but should it be automatic or start numbering from page 1?) I don't think I'm getting it right because nothing changes. Page 2 is STILL marked as page 2 and not page 1.

🙏🏼

[James Gifford—NitroPress · Accepted solution]

You control page numbering by assigning sections. Each section can have its own numbering scheme and start at any defined number, from "Continue Automatic Numbering" to "Restart at 1" or"Start at 37."

If you create or assign no sections, the whole document is "Section 1" and numbers from the first page.

The very simple solution to make your first right-hand text page start at 1 is to assign that third physical page a new section start — select the page in the Pages panel, right-click, select Numbering and Section Options, then check the New Section box and set the numbering below to 'Start Page Numbering at 1."

[Carolyn32257242he70]

James!  This has worked for me! Thank you SO MUCH!  I still have a number on the page before (but I can assign that as [NONE] I think and fix that - but now I have page numbers starting from where I want! I have NO IDEA if I'll be able to get this to work again next time I try a new document, but for now, thank you thank you!! 

Many thanks!

[Carolyn32257242he70]

Do you think this only worked because previously I was trying to make the LEFT hand page (page 2), page 1? Or does that not matter? Does it only like to have uneven numbers be on the right, and the even numbers on the left? (Hopefully this is not a stupid question, I'm sorry 🫣)

I have now left page 2 blank (as inside cover) and now page 3 is the page that will be Number 1, is this why it allowed it? Sorry for carrying it on, but maybe it will help me understand why it wouldn't allow it before, but now it has? Thank you once again, and to all of you who have tried to help me, I'm so grateful. 

You've all been so nice and patient!!