# What is a running header?

Source: https://epublab.com/glossary/running-header/ (updated 2026-11-03)

A running header (or footer) is text repeated at the top or bottom of every page of a printed document, such as the book or chapter title and the page number. It is page furniture, not part of the text.

## Why it matters when you convert a PDF to EPUB

In a PDF, running headers are ordinary text, so a naive converter pastes "Chapter 3 · 47" into the middle of sentences every page. EPUBLab compares pages to detect text that repeats at the same place and removes it, page numbers included.