PDF readers show "Page 5 of 80" in the navigation. For a complex document — front matter, body, appendices — "Page 5" doesn't tell you whether you're in the introduction or chapter 3.
Page labels let you customise that. "Intro 2", "Chapter 1, page 3", "Appendix A-5" — they appear in the page navigation instead of raw numbers.
What page labels do
Page labels are metadata. The physical page count stays the same (page 5 is still the fifth page). But the display label can be anything — "Cover", "i", "Ch1-3".
Readers use labels in their page navigation pane and the "Go to page" dialog.
Set labels in the editor
Open the PDF in Flint's editor and find the page labels panel. Assign labels per range: - Pages 1-2: "Cover" - Pages 3-5: roman numerals i, ii, iii - Pages 6-end: "Chapter X, page Y"
Verify in a reader
Open the labelled PDF in Adobe Reader. The page navigation shows your labels. Type into "Go to page" — labels are searchable too.
Not all readers support labels well. Most modern ones do; some lightweight readers fall back to numeric.
FAQ
Are page labels the same as stamped page numbers?
No. Labels appear in the reader's navigation. Stamped numbers appear on the page itself. Both can coexist.
Can different sections have different label formats?
Yes — apply different label patterns to different ranges. Roman for front matter, Arabic for body, A1-A99 for appendix.
Will labels survive merging?
Depends on the merge tool. Flint's merge preserves labels from source files. Other tools may not.
Are labels accessible?
Yes — screen readers respect them. Useful labels improve accessibility just like clear headings do.
Page labels make complex documents navigable. Set yours in Flint's editor and the navigation gets meaningful overnight.