Determining the number of pages in a long document requires nothing more than checking a software function if the project originates on your computer. If you receive a multi-page document as a printed original and need both a copy and a page count of the material, your office copier can save you from the tedium and the potential for error of tallying the document manually. Depending on the functions and features of your specific copier model, you may be able to count and number the pages of your duplicate in one process.

Check the copier's current page count. If you must log in through the machine's control panel and use a specific account number to make copies, verify the current reading for your account. Otherwise, obtain the overall running tally for the machine.

Insert the pages you want to copy into the machine's automatic document feeder, or ADF. Consult the user documentation to verify the maximum number of sheets your ADF can handle and whether to insert originals face up or face down. If the document looks thicker than the recommended ADF maximum, divide the stack of sheets roughly in half and process it in two phases.

Copy the stack of originals. Remove them and the copies when the machine finishes processing the master document.

Verify the current tally on the copier's counter or your account. Subtract the original count from the number displayed after you made the copies to get the total number of pages in the document.

Tip

If your copier includes the ability to print page numbers on its output, you can use this function to number the copy you make. Check the last page of the copied result to determine the number of sheets in the original.

If you use image reduction modes to print multiple pages of your original onto the copied sheets, multiply the output tally by the number of originals you apply per page to count the original document.

If the copier includes the ability to store documents on an onboard hard drive, it may also provide you with a page count of a stored original.

Warning

Monitor the hardware to assure that no employees make copies until you obtain your post-processing tally. If you use account logins and yours differs from the employees', however, an intervening copy job won't disrupt your count.

Any misfeeds that occur during the copy run may affect the tallies the machine displays.