Thesis PDF submission — page numbers, margins and size limits
2026-10-05
Submission portals check formatting closely. When the body and appendices were written separately the numbering stops lining up, and figure-heavy work runs past the size cap. Both can be fixed at the PDF stage without touching the source document.
Merge first, then renumber
Combine the title page, body and appendices into one file, then add page numbers across the whole thing. Numbers already present in the separate files are superseded by the new run.
Front matter usually should not be numbered. You can set both the page to start on and the number to start from, so numbering can begin at 1 on the third physical page.
When it exceeds the size cap
Work with plots and micrographs passes 50 MB easily. For a review copy, medium compression leaves figures perfectly judgeable. For a print-ready final version, stay at the lighter setting.
Check equations and tables afterwards. Anything that was placed as an image rather than text degrades faster than the surrounding body text.
Final checks
- Page numbers match the table of contents
- Document properties carry no leftover author or template details
- Author names are removed if the review is blind
- The filename follows whatever pattern the portal specifies