The program offers two numbering modes to match the number order to your needs. Choose the one that best suits your printing and finishing workflow.
Not sure which mode to choose?
Choose “Stacked numbers” if you stack the printed sheets and cut the entire stack. Choose “Sequential numbers” if numbers should follow one another on successive items on a single sheet.
An item is one finished element, such as a ticket or voucher. Four items per sheet means four such elements on one PDF page.
How does stacked numbering work?
In “Stacked numbers” mode, consecutive numbers appear in the same position on successive sheets. After cutting the stacked sheets, each stack of items contains a separate, continuous number range. Join the stacks in range order to reduce manual sorting of tickets, coupons, vouchers, tokens, or forms.
Example: 12 tickets, with 4 per sheet, giving 3 sheets. The first sheet contains 0001, 0004, 0007, and 0010. On the second sheet, each increases by one. The gap between numbers on one sheet equals the total number of sheets in the print run.
After cutting, you get four stacks: 0001–0003, 0004–0006, 0007–0009, and 0010–0012. Preserve sheet order and printout orientation. The diagram shows a 2 × 2 layout; check number positions in the generated PDF.
When should I choose stacked numbers?
- When printing several tickets, vouchers, or coupons on one sheet.
- When preparing a larger print run and cutting many sheets together.
- When you want ordered sets after cutting that can be joined without sorting each item.
For cutting an entire stack of sheets, “Stacked numbers” is usually the best choice. Print a short test batch and check the order after cutting before producing the full run.
How does sequential numbering work?
In “Sequential numbers” mode, each successive item receives the next number. With four tickets per page, the first sheet contains 0001–0004, the second 0005–0008, and the third 0009–0012. This is sequential PDF numbering following the order of items on the sheet.
When should I choose sequential numbers?
- When number order on each individual sheet matters most.
- When separating items manually, sheet by sheet, while preserving their order.
- When you need standard consecutive numbering and do not plan to cut the entire stack and then join the resulting item stacks.
Choose “Sequential numbers” when you want to collect consecutive numbers from one PDF page before moving to the next.
Stacked or sequential numbers?
Stacked numbers
Order after cutting: print multiple items per sheet, cut the stack of sheets, and join the resulting stacks by number range.
Sequential numbers
Order on the page: collect consecutive numbers from successive items on one sheet, then move to the next sheet.
Example: numbering 1,000 tickets for printing
You have a ticket design and place four items on one PDF page. To number 1,000 tickets automatically, set the range from 1 to 1000, or a count of 1000 with a starting number of 1. This produces 250 sheets. In this example, numbers use leading zeros: 0001–1000.
- Stacked numbers: the first sheet contains 0001, 0251, 0501, and 0751; the last contains 0250, 0500, 0750, and 1000. After cutting, you get ranges 0001–0250, 0251–0500, 0501–0750, and 0751–1000. Join the stacks in this order.
- Sequential numbers: the first sheet contains 0001–0004; the last contains 0997–1000. If you cut the entire stack together, one stack will contain 0001, 0005, 0009, and so on. To obtain a continuous sequence, you need additional sorting or to separate items sheet by sheet.
The same principle applies to numbering vouchers and coupons in PDF. A different number of items per sheet changes the sheet count and number ranges. Before printing, check the first and last sheets and the result of a test cut.
Prepare a numbered PDF for printing
- Number length, leading zeros, and text before or after the number are explained in Number formatting.
- Check print scaling, crop marks, and sheet order in Printing and cutting.
- Preparing your design and downloading the finished document are explained in Files and settings.