Adding page numbers ONLY in TextEdit

Question

Level 1

8 points

Adding page numbers ONLY in TextEdit

I am familiar with how to find things via the menu bar. I have attempted to find an answer to this question via the 'TextEdit Help' link, in Preferences – everywhere! And 'intuitive' all things Apple are (or may be) I can't for the life of me find a way to add page numbers to my TextEdit documents +without having all the other garbage printed that comes along with selecting the 'print headers and footers' option+ by way of +my printer's+ driver dialogue – nowhere +I can find+ within the application itself!

Surely there is an 'intuitive' solution to this – without having to revert back to Word as my default word processing app!

And btw, shouldn't it be a bit easier for someone who has been working on a Mac since 0S 7 to find an answer to a pretty basic question like this without having to post to a Support forum page?! Typing "page numbers"+"textedit" (or "textedit page numbers" or any other variation on the theme) in the app-specific 'Help' page doesn't do the trick!

MACPRO, Mac OS X (10.6.4)

Posted on Aug 25, 2010 5:00 PM

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Answer 1

CT

Level 7

24,239 points

Aug 25, 2010 5:13 PM in response to MM_inAZ

Well, TextEdit isn't intended to be a word processor, strictly speaking.

But, anyway...

From TextEdit Help:

"To add page numbers to printed documents:

Choose File > Print.

If the Print dialog contains only two pop-up menus and some buttons across the bottom, click the disclosure triangle to the right of the Printer pop-up menu.

Select 'Print header and footer.'"

charlie

P.S. I found the help by typing "Page Number" in the little Help search window.

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Answer 2

thomas_r.

Level 7

32,031 points

Aug 25, 2010 6:12 PM in response to MM_inAZ

To be honest, TextEdit bites big time as a word processor. It's fine for editing fairly simple text documents, but not much more than that. I mean, look at the way the printout varies depending on the width of the window! Bleh!

I respect your desire to avoid Word, but what you're doing is like replacing a car with a bicycle and then asking why it takes so much longer to get everywhere. 🙂 Try a decent word processor. Pages is, IMHO, wonderful, but not free. NeoOffice is a good free replacement for MS Office that I use for opening all MS Office files people send me. There are many other options as well, especially if compatibility with Word isn't a major concern.

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Answer 3

CT

Level 7

24,239 points

Aug 25, 2010 6:25 PM in response to thomas_r.

Thomas A Reed wrote:
I mean, look at the way the printout varies depending on the width of the window! Bleh!

Use "Wrap to page" option in the Format menu to avoid that.

But I agree, TextEdit is supposed to be a simple little utility, not a full blown word processor.

charlie

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Answer 4

MM_inAZ Author

Level 1

8 points

Aug 26, 2010 2:30 PM in response to CT

Thanks all for your thoughts.

Charlie, I found the same info you reference when I did my initial search for that 'easter egg' god-Steve +may have+ sequestered in some secret hiding place I hadn't already uncovered dropping-down from each menu option already. Printing headers and footers requires all sorts of additional crap related to both the document AND the World-Clock-moment-in-time we actually print the document! (+Oh so helpful an option indeed!+ NOT.)

And Tom, I somewhat agree about TextEdit (sorta) suckin' as a word processor. However, as I continue to write a bazillion pages for a pair of class instructional guides I've been struggling with (+not the least because of OS-related software issues and conflicts+ Snow ***** seems to have with other major Big Time third party applications) I feel like I'm able to do pretty much all I'd like to do +EXCEPT FOR adding page numbers+ without all that other header/footer garbage TE seems obsessed with including.

There is SO MUCH WRONG with how this company (Apple) seems to be DEvolving, from a once brilliant and innovative computing company to god-Steve's obsession with becoming the entertainment-providing Center of the Universe!

I think +the workaround here+, for myself and others who WANT/NEED *page numbers* in their TextEdit (multi-page) documents is to simply start at the top of each page, (temporarily) Justify Right, type-in the appropriate number, select the number and make it a value of gray: DONE!

At least one good thing about the Mac OS (or perhaps it's just 20+ years working exclusively on a Mac and somewhat understanding how 'it' thinks) I can normally, +given enough time invested+, come up with a workaround. (Oh, THANK YOU Steve!)

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Answer 5

thomas_r.

Level 7

32,031 points

Aug 26, 2010 3:08 PM in response to MM_inAZ

because of OS-related software issues and conflicts+ Snow _ seems to have with other major Big Time third party applications

What might those applications be? I'm using quite a few "Big Time" third-party applications just fine, as are many other people. You may have something wrong with your system.

There is SO MUCH WRONG with how this company (Apple) seems to be DEvolving

Don't go there. You're treading ground that will throw this entire thread off-course, giving you no hope of ever getting any useful responses and just making a bunch of folks annoyed with you. Not to mention that such nonsense is a violation of the [terms of use of these forums|http://discussions.apple.com/help.jspa#terms].

If you want to ask Apple to add this feature to TextEdit, use the [Apple feedback page|http://www.apple.com/feedback>. But honestly, you're trying to use a hammer to drive a screw, here. Use the right tools or don't complain when the wrong tools don't do what you need done. TextEdit is NOT a word processor. It's a text editor, which is a very different thing.

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