How to make the PDF page number match the bundle page number

The short answer

A PDF viewer has its own page box. Type 512 and it goes to the 512th sheet of the file, unless the file carries page labels that say otherwise. When the number printed on a page differs from the number the viewer uses, a judge who types the page number cited in a skeleton argument arrives at the wrong page.

LHT DMS, a desktop program for Windows and macOS, paginates a bundle from page 1, so that the printed number and the PDF page number are the same. Where they cannot be the same, it writes page labels into the PDF, so that the viewer's page box follows the printed numbers.

Where the mismatch comes from

Three situations produce it:

• A bundle in volumes. Volume 2 begins at printed page 501, but the viewer calls its first sheet page 1.
• Front matter. A cover and an index come before the page printed as 1.
• A change after pagination. A page is removed, or a late page is added, and every later sheet moves by one.

Four cases, and what to do in each

1. A bundle you compile yourselfOn the Compile tab, leave Start Num at 1. The bundle is paginated from its first page, so the printed number and the PDF page number are the same. If the bundle is split into volumes, leave Continuous numbering across volumes ticked: the printed numbers run on, and each volume's page box follows them.
2. A PDF that should start at another numberOn the Process Pages tab, set PDF page 1 to the search page you want. Setting 15 on a 20-page PDF makes the first sheet page 15 and the last page 34.
3. A bundle whose page 1 is not the first sheetOn the Process Pages tab, use forward page labelling. Setting PDF page 3 to search page 1 makes the third sheet page 1 and the first two sheets i and ii. No page is added, removed or moved; only the labels change, and the result is saved as a new file.
4. Pages inserted or removed after paginationDo it on the Organise tab. Every page that remains keeps its own label: delete page 12 and the sheets either side still read 11 and 13. Pages inserted after page 12 are labelled 12A and 12B.

▶ Watch the demonstration

What you get

• Typing the printed page number into the viewer's page box takes you to that page.
• The viewer shows both, for example 10 (1/20): the label, then the position in the file.
• Pages extracted from a bundle on the Organise tab keep their numbers: an extract of pages 512 to 515 still reads 512 to 515.
• Compression keeps the page labels, with the bookmarks.
• No page content is changed by labelling.

England & Wales and Malaysia

In England & Wales, the General Guidance on Electronic Court Bundles requires pagination to run from page 1, with the index counted, so that it matches the PDF page numbers. A bundle to be filed there should be paginated from 1. Forward page labelling is not for that purpose.

In Malaysia there is no equivalent requirement, and a bundle is commonly filed with its cover and index ahead of the page printed as 1. The lawyer who receives such a bundle, or the judge, can relabel their own copy with forward page labelling, so that the page box follows the printed numbers.

What is changed

Only the page labels inside the PDF, on your own computer. On the Process Pages tab the original file is never overwritten; the result is saved as a new file. Nothing is uploaded to Legal Hi Tech or to any third party, and the software uses no generative AI.

Questions

Related guides

Size limits: how to split a bundle into volumes. Signed pages: how to replace signed pages without rebuilding the bundle. Once the bundle is built: how to write bundle page references into your Word documents. The full list of what the desktop app does is on the features page, and more answers are in the FAQ.

LHT DMS is independent software from Legal Hi Tech Limited.