Header vs Footer
If you read a nice type set book, you will always note a series of word segments and numbers running both at the top of the page and bottom of the page all along the book. These contain general information about the book such as the author, the title of the book, and the page numbers. The one at the very top of the page is known as the header, and the one at the bottom of the page is known as the footer.
What is a Header?
In typography, header is the text included in the top portion of the page separated from the main body of the text. Almost all the word processing software offers an option to include a header and change and maintain it throughout the document. A header usually includes information such as the title of the book, the author and/or the name of the chapter reading. It may also include the page numbers. A header used continuously throughout the document is known as a running header, in publishing. In publishing, the left hand page (verso) includes the title and the right hand page (recto) includes the title of the subsection or the chapter. In academic writing, the header may contain the name of the author and the page title.
What is a Footer?
Footer is the bottom portion of the page which is separated from the main body of the text. Like the header, the footer may also run throughout the document and it is usually reserved for the page numbers. Any annotations to the main text may also be included at the bottom of the page as a reference, which is called a footnote. The page footer is different from the footnotes. Footnotes are relevant only to the text of the specific page.
What is the difference between Header and Footer?
• The header is the top most portions separated from the main body containing text for general information about the text.
• The footer is the equivalent to the header which is placed at the bottom of the page, and it is usually reserved for the page numbers and the footnotes to the main text.
• However, there are no hard and fast rules, and it is the preference of the authors/owners.