Working with page templates in PDF by Zaweba

Page templates are one of the less familiar corners of the PDF format. A template is a page held in the document that can be hidden from the reader and used as a pattern for new pages. Forms that need an extra continuation sheet, logbooks that grow a page at a time and order forms with a repeatable second page all use the idea.

PDF by Zaweba handles templates from Pages > Page templates. There you can name templates, hide them and show them, and add pages made from them. A page made from a template shares the template's contents and resources, copies its comments, and leaves out its form fields.

What a template is for

Imagine a timesheet where most weeks fit on one page, but a busy week needs a second sheet. Rather than keep a second page in every copy, the document can carry a hidden template of the continuation sheet. When it is needed, a page is added from the template.

The same goes for inspection reports that need one page per item, visitor logs that fill up over time and booklets where a standard notes page appears several times. The template keeps one master version, and pages made from it stay consistent.

Naming, hiding and showing

Start by naming the template clearly. A name such as "continuation sheet" or "notes page" makes it obvious what it is when you or someone else opens the list later.

Hiding a template takes it out of the normal run of pages, so a reader scrolling through does not see a stray master page in the middle of the document. Showing it again brings it back into view so you can check or change it. A sensible habit is to show the template while you are setting it up, then hide it once it is right.

Adding pages from a template

When you add a page from a template, the new page uses the same contents and resources. Because they are shared rather than copied, adding several pages from one template does not multiply the size of the file in the way that pasting in copies of a page would.

Comments on the template are copied to each new page. That is useful when the template carries guidance notes or standard stamps you want on every sheet. Form fields are left out. If the template was a form page, the new page shows its layout but not its interactive fields, so plan for that if people will be typing into the new pages.

Where templates fit

Templates sit naturally beside other page work. Use the Organise pages grid to check where new pages have landed and move them if needed. If your document uses page labels, look again after adding pages, so numbering ranges still start and stop in the right places.

They also pair well with comments. A template with a sticky note or a stamp gives every new page the same instruction or marking, without you placing them by hand each time.

Where templates catch people out

The first is forgetting that form fields do not come across. If you expect someone to fill in the new pages on screen, test it before sending the document out, and add fields where they are needed.

The second is editing the template and expecting existing pages to look different. Shared contents mean pages made from the template use the same resources, but treat any change to a template as something to check across the pages that came from it, rather than assuming.

The third is leaving templates visible by accident. A master page sitting in the middle of a report confuses readers. Once a template is ready, hide it, then scroll through the document once to make sure nothing looks out of place.

Templates are a small feature, but in the documents that need them they save a lot of copying and keep every added page the same. PDF by Zaweba gives you the controls to name, hide, show and use them without any other program.