PAGE SELECTION
Printed page numbers and PDF positions are different
Map a printed page label to its position in the file before entering a page range.
A PDF can begin with a cover and contents pages before the printed numbering starts. Typing page 10 into an extraction field selects the tenth page in the file, which may not be the sheet labeled 10. RSPageSelect uses positions beginning at one, so verify the mapping before preparing an excerpt.
Find where the printed sequence starts
Open the source and locate the first page carrying the printed label 1. Count its position in the complete file, including the cover and any introductory pages. In a simple example, three unnumbered introductory pages mean that printed page 1 occupies file position 4. That offset is useful only while the printed numbering continues without inserted or missing pages.
Translate the requested excerpt into positions
In that example, printed pages 10 through 12 occupy file positions 13 through 15. Enter 13-15 in RSPageSelect, not 10-12. Check the actual pages in the viewer rather than applying an offset blindly to a document with separate sections or unusual labels. The extraction field has no access to the meaning of the printed number appearing in the page content.
| Printed label | File position |
|---|---|
| 1 | 4 |
| 10 | 13 |
| 12 | 15 |
Inspect the first and last extracted pages
Prepare the selected-pages PDF, open the saved result and inspect its beginning and end. Verify that the intended printed labels and surrounding content are present. A three-page output proves the number of selected positions, not that they correspond to the requested printed pages. Checking the boundary pages catches the common case where a correct-length range starts at the wrong position.
Keep a small selection note
Record the source filename, requested printed labels and entered positions when the excerpt will be reused. If a new source revision adds a cover or appendix, repeat the mapping instead of reusing the old positions automatically. Preserve the complete original so that an incorrect excerpt can be rebuilt. A clear note is especially useful when another person requests pages by the labels visible on the document.
Put the example to work
Open the tool, enter your own inputs and review the result. The writing a page range that does what you expect guide explains the workflow and its limits.
Open RSPageSelect