Page number in indesign

[PeterW79]

I'm making a coupon booklet.
I want numbering only on the front of each coupon.

The problem is that if I remove the page number on the back, it continues to count as if it is still there.

I want the count of the pages to be on the front pages only.

Anyone have a solution for me?

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

Page numbering in InDesign is quite rigid, and there is no way to make it skip pages (as you want), number in reverse, duplicate numbers and other variations that are asked about from time to time.

The only way you can number only alternate pages (right-hand or recto pages, for your project, and most) is to use a manual numbering string.

• Put a page number text frame on the right-hand Parent page, where you want it.
• Create a page number paragraph style, and apply it to the blank content of this frame.
• Either by manually typing it, or using Excel to create it, create a list of numbers, one per paragraph, from 1 to whatever your highest coupon page will be. (Hint: it's easy, especially in Excel, to create a longer list that you can then trim than to have to keep typing numbers as the project grows.)
• Export this so that you have a text file with one sequential number per line, or per paragraph. Save it as PAGENUMBERS.txt or similar.
• In the first document page of your file, Place the numbers file in the page-number text box.
• You should now have sequential numbering, on right pages only, all through your document. Adjust the frame and the numbering paragraph style as needed.
• If you created a long numbers list, you will get an 'overset text' warning on print and export. You can ignore it, or, if it bothers you or causes any problem, go to your last page, put the cursor after that last number, and delete away until it's the end of the string.

Questions welcome if any of that's unclear.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

There is even no need to create numbers in Excel - just set start number in the ParaStyle and add required number of empty paragraphs - InDesign will still number them. 

1. Hit Enter few times to create a few empty paragraphs - but not the one on the number pad, 
2.  Hit Ctrl+A, 
3.  Hit Ctrl+C, 
4.  Hit Ctrl+End, 
5.  Hit Ctrl+V, 
6.  Go to step 2. and repeat few times. 

Or the same can be done in a Notepad, then copy&pasted to InDesign. 

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

I forget the autonumber gambit every time. 🙂

[Peter Spier]

I usually use a different approach to this problem. If the backs of the tuickets are all the same  I do a one-page file for the back and print that as many times as needed, then make a non'facing pages doc for the fronts of as many pages as required for the numbering, and print it on the blank sides of the previously printed backsides.  This is far more efficient on the printer than duplexing.

If you use the auto-numbering paragraph trick you can set this up as an n-up job and cut the tickets apart after printing.