Bates Numbering for PDF
Stamp sequential Bates numbers across an entire document set, with custom prefixes, confidentiality labels and a downloadable Bates log.
Drop your PDFs here to Bates stamp them
or click to browse. Files are numbered continuously in the order you arrange them.
What is Bates numbering?
Bates numbering is the practice of stamping a unique, sequential identifier onto every page of a document set so that any single page can be cited without ambiguity. It takes its name from the Bates Automatic Numbering Machine, a self-incrementing rubber stamp patented in the 1890s and used in law offices for the best part of a century. The machine is long gone, but the convention it created is still the backbone of legal discovery, and the numbers are still called Bates numbers.
A Bates number normally combines a prefix identifying the producing party or matter with a zero-padded sequence, giving identifiers such as ABC000001, ABC000002 and so on. The padding matters: fixed-width numbers sort correctly in any file system and database, whereas 1, 2, 10 does not. The critical property is that numbering runs continuously across the whole production, not restarting for each file, so that ABC000417 refers to exactly one page in the entire set.
This tool applies that numbering in your browser. Arrange your documents in the order they should be produced, set the prefix and padding, and the counter carries across every file automatically. You can add a confidentiality designation on the opposite corner, and download a Bates log recording the beginning and ending number for each document.
How to add Bates numbering to PDF files
- Upload your document set: Drag in every PDF that belongs to the production. All of them are numbered as a single continuous run, so add them together rather than one at a time.
- Put the documents in order: Use the arrows beside each file to arrange them in production order. The numbering follows this order exactly, so getting it right before you stamp saves renumbering later.
- Set the Bates format: Enter a prefix such as a party name or matter code, an optional suffix, the number to start at, and how many digits to pad to. The live preview shows exactly what the first page will read.
- Choose the position and appearance: Pick where the number sits on the page, then set the font, size, colour and margins. Bottom right is the conventional placement because it keeps the number clear of most document text.
- Add a confidentiality label if required: Type a designation such as CONFIDENTIAL or ATTORNEYS EYES ONLY and choose a position for it, usually the opposite corner from the number.
- Stamp and download: Click Apply Bates Numbers. Each file shows its beginning and ending Bates number. Download the stamped PDFs individually or as a zip, and download the Bates log as a CSV for your production records.
Why continuous numbering across files matters
The single most common mistake in Bates stamping is numbering each file separately. If three documents are each stamped starting from one, the set contains three different pages numbered ABC000001, and the identifier no longer identifies anything. Every reference in a deposition, a motion or a privilege log becomes ambiguous, and the usual remedy is to renumber the entire production.
This tool treats the queue as one production. The counter starts at the number you specify, runs through the pages of the first document, and continues straight into the second without resetting. If the first file has 12 pages and you start at ABC000001, the second file begins at ABC000013. That is why the file order matters and why the tool shows you the range each document occupies once stamping is done.
It also means you can pick up where a previous production left off. If you have already produced pages through ABC001500, set the start number to 1501 and the new documents continue the same series.
Choosing a prefix and digit padding
The prefix usually identifies the producing party, the matter, or both, and is typically three to six characters. Keeping it short leaves room for the number without crowding the page, and using letters rather than punctuation avoids trouble in file names and databases later.
The digit padding should be generous enough to cover the whole production without ever rolling over. Six digits covers 999,999 pages and is the most common choice, and it is the safe default. Padding to five digits and then discovering the production runs to 120,000 pages means the numbering width changes partway through, which breaks sorting and looks careless. The cost of an extra digit is nothing, so err on the high side.
A suffix is optional and less common, but it is useful for marking a volume, a custodian, or a production round when the prefix is already carrying the party name.
Where Bates numbering is used
- Litigation discovery: the standard way to identify produced documents so both sides can cite the same page unambiguously.
- Depositions and exhibits: exhibits are referenced by Bates number in the transcript, which is what makes the record navigable afterwards.
- Privilege logs: withheld or redacted material is listed by the Bates range it would have occupied.
- Regulatory submissions: responses to regulators and government requests are routinely produced with sequential page identifiers.
- Medical and insurance records: claims files and record sets are numbered so specific pages can be cited in reports and correspondence.
- Corporate transactions: due diligence data rooms number documents so parties can reference the same page across time zones.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is this Bates numbering tool free?
Yes, completely free with no account, no watermark and no page or file limits. There is no per-page charge, which is what most dedicated Bates stamping software bills on.
Are my legal documents uploaded to a server?
No, and for this tool that matters more than for most. Everything runs inside your browser, so privileged and confidential material is read from your own disk and written back locally. Nothing is transmitted, stored or logged anywhere.
Does the numbering continue across multiple files?
Yes, and that is the point. The queue is treated as a single production. The counter runs through the first document's pages and continues straight into the next without resetting, so every page in the set carries a unique identifier.
Can I continue from a previous production?
Yes. Set the Start at value to the next number in your series. If you have already produced through ABC001500, start at 1501 and the new documents carry on the same sequence.
What is a Bates log and why would I need one?
A Bates log records which numbers each document occupies, listing the file name, page count, beginning number and ending number. It is what lets you find a specific page later and is routinely exchanged with the production itself. Download it as a CSV once stamping finishes and open it in any spreadsheet.
How many digits should I use?
Six is the usual choice and covers nearly a million pages. Choose enough padding to cover the whole production without the width ever changing partway through, because a change in width breaks sorting in file systems and document databases.
Will the stamp cover up my document text?
It should not, if you keep the default bottom-right position and margins. Because the number is drawn as real text into the page rather than the page being re-photographed, it stays crisp and remains selectable and searchable in the stamped PDF.
Does it handle landscape and rotated pages correctly?
Yes. Pages carrying a rotation flag, which is common in scanned exhibits, are handled so the number lands in the corner you actually see and reads the right way up rather than appearing sideways on the wrong edge.
Can I add a confidentiality designation as well?
Yes. Enter text such as CONFIDENTIAL or ATTORNEYS EYES ONLY and place it in any of the nine positions, typically the corner opposite the Bates number so the two do not collide.
Can I Bates stamp a password protected PDF?
Not while it is encrypted. Remove the password first with our Unlock PDF tool, apply the numbering, then re-protect the file if the production requires it.
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