Headers and footers
You can add headers and footers, e.g. with page numbers and dates, to an existing PDF document if required.
To do this, Blender the toolbar and then click on the Header and footer entry in the Pages category and then on the Add header and footer option.
In the screen that now opens, you can set all the details for the output of the headers and footers.
First of all, there is the font and size. These settings apply equally to headers and footers and cannot be separated from each other. If desired, you can also adjust the font color to the document.
In the margin area at the top right, you can set the exact position of the lines laterally and in height.
To place text as a header or footer, Acrobat offers left, center and right alignment. In general, you can enter text freely in the fields provided. To insert page numbers and dates, first click on the Format for page numbers and dates link. In the window that opens, select the desired type of display from the drop-down lists and confirm your entries with OK.
To insert the date and/or the page number, first click with the mouse in the desired area (e.g. in the middle of the footer text) and then click on the corresponding button Insert page number or date.
You can also use the Page range options link to specify whether the headers and footers should be displayed on all pages or only on selected pages. For example, you can exclude the title page and only start from page 2 or only specify the even or odd pages.
In the Preview area, you can scroll to the next or previous page using the small up or down arrow and display a preview of the positioning of the header and footer elements.
After clicking OK, the headers and footers are then inserted into the PDF document. If you then realize that you don't like something about it, click on Update in the Headers and footers area of the toolbar. The familiar settings screen will then open again and you can change your settings.
To remove headers or footers, click on the entry of the same name in the toolbar . In this way, you can also remove those that have already been created in the source document, e.g. in Microsoft Word, in the resulting PDF file.
Add background
Another option for enhancing PDF files is to add a background. To do this, click on Background in the toolbar under the Pages section and then on Add background.
In the window that now opens, you can select a color for the background by clicking on the small square. If you want the color to be a little lighter, you can specify this with a value for the opacity.
The result is immediately displayed in the preview.
Instead of a color, you can also use a graphic as the background image. To do this, select the File radio button and use the Browse button to find the desired file. You can now rotate the graphic and adjust the opacity and scaling. In the Position area, you can also define values for exact positioning in relation to a reference point (top, middle, bottom). You can use the Options for page area link to specify exactly which pages these settings should apply to.
Inserting a watermark
Unlike when inserting a background, Acrobat offers you the option of entering text when adding a watermark.
To do this, activate the Text radio button and enter the desired wording. The text can be formatted, rotated, scaled, positioned and its opacity adjusted as required. You can also specify whether the watermark should be placed in the foreground or background of the page.
As an alternative to text, you can also use a graphic as a watermark.
Backgrounds and watermarks that have already been inserted can be subsequently edited using the Update entry in the toolbar or deleted from the PDF file using Remove.
Inserting layers
Unlike a background, a file can also be loaded into a PDF file as an additional layer. This is useful for a letterhead, for example, where only the text is written first ...
... and then printed on pre-printed stationery on the Office printer.
If the letterhead is to be printed out, only the text layer is displayed; when it is sent by email, both layers are displayed.
You can import a layer into an existing PDF document with the layer navigation bar displayed by clicking on the Import as layer entry in the Options button.
Find the desired file for the layer and name it in the field for the import options. If required, you can also modify the opacity.
After clicking OK, the layer is available in the document and can be shown or hidden as required.
Create bookmarks
Bookmarks are particularly useful in larger documents as they make it much easier to navigate within a document. As a rule, these bookmarks are already created when the layout document is exported.
However, if this is not the case, you can also create your own bookmarks later in Acrobat. There are two methods available to you:
- Use the selection tool to mark the text of the chapter heading and then click on New bookmark in the navigation window. The selected text is then immediately adopted for the bookmark.
- Do not select anything on the corresponding page and click on New bookmark. Now you have to assign your own name for the bookmark.
To create a hierarchy, first create a bookmark for a subordinate chapter and then drag it to the top of the parent section by holding down the left mouse button. Acrobat then displays the nesting graphically and thus logically.
You can rename the bookmarks or edit the spelling using the context menu of the right mouse button. You can also easily delete a bookmark that is no longer needed by clicking on the small trash can.
Bates numbering
In certain cases, different PDF documents should not be merged into one PDF file in order to maintain their independence, but should still be brought into a visible and logically comprehensible connection with other documents. In this case, so-called file numbering is used. Acrobat meets this requirement of electronic file management with the Bates numbering tool.
To use this tool, click on Bates numbering>Add Bates numbering in the toolbar under the Pages section.
In the window that opens, click on Add files and select the required files on your hard disk. You can specify the order by clicking on the Up or Down button.
Once you have made these settings, click OK. The familiar window for headers and footers will now open, with the difference that a button entitled Insert Bates number is now offered instead of Insert page number. Clicking on this again opens a dialog in which further options such as the number of digits, the start number and a prefix or suffix to assign to a specific process can be set. You can also insert a date if required.
You can check the result of these settings in the preview below.
After clicking OK, the header or footer you have just created will be added to the selected documents. The numbering is incremented logically across all documents.
If necessary, you can delete the numbering from the document(s) via Bates numbering>Remove. You can remove any inserted date in a second step via Header and footer>Remove.
