Bates Numbering

Bates numbering gives every page in a set of documents a unique, sequential identifier, such as ABC000001 to ABC004812. Lawyers use it in discovery and court filings so anyone can cite an exact page; auditors, investigators and records officers use it for the same reason. The rules are simple, but doing it by hand across dozens of files is not. This tool stamps the numbers, continues them across files, and adds any other header or footer text you need.

Setting up the numbers

• Prefix: usually a case, client or party code, such as SMITH or DEF. Letters, digits and hyphens are typical.
• First number: 1 for a new production, or the next number after an earlier production.
• Digits: the number is padded with zeros to this length, so labels sort correctly and look uniform. Six digits handle up to 999,999 pages.
• Suffix: optional, for example a volume marker.

The hint under Digits shows exactly how the first label will look.

Several files, one sequence

Add every file of the production and arrange them in order; the arrows move files up and down. The list shows each file’s page count and the Bates range it will receive, before anything is stamped. If a file is password-protected or damaged, the list says so; unlock protected files first with Unlock PDF.

With Name files by their Bates range on, each output file is named after its first and last label, for example SMITH000001-SMITH000045.pdf. That’s how many productions are delivered, and it makes cross-referencing a log easy. Several files download together as a .zip.

Headers and footers

Six positions are available: left, centre and right, in the header and the footer. Type plain text, or combine it with tokens:

• {bates}: the Bates label,
• {page} and {pages}: the page number and page count within the file,
• {file}: the file name without .pdf,
• {date}: today’s date as YYYY-MM-DD.

Examples: CONFIDENTIAL – SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER in the header centre, Page {page} of {pages} in the footer centre and {bates} in the footer right.

Making stamps readable

• White box behind the text keeps numbers legible on scans with dark edges or text that runs to the margin.
• Distance from the edge moves stamps inward if they would be cut off when printed.
• Do not stamp the first page leaves cover sheets clean; numbering then starts on the second page.

Stamps on rotated pages are placed the way a reader sees the page, so a landscape page gets its number in the visible bottom-right corner, reading upright.

Before producing

Stamps sit on top of the page: check a few pages that the text doesn’t cover content. Courts and agencies sometimes specify placement, font size or prefix format; follow those rules. Keep the unstamped originals and a log of which range went to whom.

Confidential material stays local

Productions often contain privileged or personal information. Every file is read and stamped in your browser; nothing is uploaded. For more processing before production, see Redact PDF, Merge PDF and Watermark PDF.

A worked example: responding to a request for documents

A small firm must produce 14 PDFs, 610 pages in total, with the prefix KLINE.

1. Add the files in the order of the production log.
2. Set prefix KLINE, first number 1, 6 digits; the list shows KLINE000001 to KLINE000610 across the files.
3. Add CONFIDENTIAL in the header centre and leave {bates} in the footer right; turn on the white box for scanned pages.
4. Stamp, and record the ranges from the file names in the production log.