Two numberings
The viewer counts differently from the document
While a document has one part nobody notices. The trouble starts after it is assembled.
The viewer's counter
It shows the position from the start of the file. Add a cover page and it shifts, and it never appears in print.
The printed number
It is on the page. It survives sending, printing, and someone opening the file in a completely different program.
Which page to start from
If the first sheet is a cover, the run usually starts at the second. That choice belongs before the numbering, not after.
The order of work
Merge, then delete what should not be there, then number. Doing it the other way round means numbering twice.
The usual order
- First merge all the parts into one document
- Then delete the pages that should not be in it
- Finally add the numbering and any watermark