In legal discovery, audits and large reviews, every page needs a unique identifier so it can be cited precisely, as in "see ACME-000147". Bates numbering provides that: a prefix and a sequential number stamped on each page. Bates Numbering adds those identifiers to a PDF in the bottom-right corner, starting from whatever number continues your production.
How to use Bates Numbering
- Add the PDF, ideally the complete, final set of pages.
- Enter a Prefix, like a party or matter code.
- Set the Start number, which the first page receives.
- Select Apply Bates Numbers and check the first and last numbers.
How the numbers are built
- Prefix plus six digits: Each identifier is your prefix followed by a six-digit number padded with zeros, so a prefix of ACME- and a start number of 1 gives ACME-000001, then ACME-000002, and so on.
- Taken from page position: The number comes from the page's position in the document, so every page has a predictable identifier.
- Placement: Numbers are set in a small gray font aligned to the bottom-right margin, including on landscape and rotated pages.
Numbering across several documents
- One sequence per production: Bates sequences usually run across a whole production instead of restarting in each file.
- Merge first: The simplest approach is to merge the documents first with Merge PDF and number the combined file once.
- If files must stay separate, number the first, note its last identifier, and start the next file one number higher.
- Keep a log: Recording each file's range in a production log makes later references easy to verify.
- Where to read more: The guide to Bates numbering legal documents covers prefixes, ranges and production logs in more detail.
Before you stamp
- Finish the page set first: Bates numbers are meant to be permanent references, so finish the page set first.
- Remove and redact: Take out privileged or unrelated pages with Remove Pages and apply any redactions before numbering. Then you won't need to fill gaps or renumber later.
- For ordinary page numbers without a prefix, Add Page Numbers offers more positions.
- Where to read more: The PDF privacy guide covers preparing documents for disclosure.
When people use Bates Numbering
Legal discovery productions
Label every page produced to opposing counsel so both sides cite documents identically.
Regulatory and audit submissions
Give auditors and regulators a precise way to reference any page in a large submission.
Large document reviews
Track review decisions page by page across thousands of pages with stable identifiers.
Limitations to know
Bates Numbering places a prefix and six-digit number in the bottom-right corner only, in a fixed small gray font. Numbering follows page position, so skipped pages leave gaps, and each job numbers a single document.
Bates Numbering: common questions
Can I change where the Bates number appears?
No. Numbers are placed in the bottom-right corner, the conventional position for Bates labels.
Can numbers have more or fewer than six digits?
The number part is always padded to six digits, which covers productions of up to 999,999 pages.
What if I skip pages on the grid?
Skipped pages receive no label, but numbering still follows page position, so the sequence will have gaps. Remove unwanted pages first for a continuous sequence.
Can I continue numbering from a previous production?
Yes. Set the start number to one more than the last number already used.