NO SECTION BREAK

Set the top margin for 1.5 inches.

Edit the header and set it for Different First Page.

On the first page header, put something in the header which is invisible and take an extra half-inch. Something like a blank borderless text box or an empty paragraph or two. That substitutes for the 2 inch top margin for page 1 without any section break.

Do not put any page number in the first-page footer.
Do insert a page number in the main footer.

Put your line numbering in both the first-page header and the continuation page header.

I know it is annoying but I gave you those links because they help you understand what is happening.



I am a lawyer. I have been producing pleadings in Word for more than thirty years now.

I understand that you are not producing letterhead, but the concepts are the same. You are faking a different margin on the first page by putting something in the header. That unneeded section break is the cause of much of your frustration.