Bates numbering for PDFs

What Bates numbering is for

When documents are exchanged in a lawsuit, everyone needs to point to the same page without ambiguity. Bates numbering does that by giving every page in a production its own label, in one unbroken sequence: ABC000001, ABC000002, ABC000003 and on. A deposition question, a brief or an exhibit list can then cite "ABC000046" or "ABC000046–ABC000048" and nobody has to guess. The name comes from the Bates Automatic Numbering-Machine, a hand stamp patented by Edwin G. Bates in the late 1800s that printed a number and moved on to the next with each press. Today the numbers are added to PDFs electronically, but the idea is the same.

How a Bates number is built

A Bates number has up to three parts: a prefix, often letters identifying the producing party, the client or the matter; the number itself, padded with zeros to a fixed number of digits so every label has the same length and sorts correctly; and an optional suffix. Fixed-length numbers matter more than they seem: as plain text, "ABC10" sorts before "ABC9", but "ABC000010" sorts after "ABC000009". Here are some common styles, numbering the 168-page example below:

Prefix	Digits	Suffix	First page	Last page
"ABC"	6	none	ABC000001	ABC000168
"SMITH-"	7	none	SMITH-0000001	SMITH-0000168
"DEF"	8	none	DEF00000001	DEF00000168
"ACME "	5	" CONF"	ACME 00001 CONF	ACME 00168 CONF

Choose enough digits for the whole case, not just this production: six digits go up to 999,999 pages, which is plenty for most matters. If a number outgrows the digits you chose, it is written in full and the tool tells you.

Numbering several files in one sequence

A production is rarely one PDF. Add all the files, put them in the order they should be numbered, and the numbering runs straight on from one file to the next. With prefix ABC, six digits and a start of 1:

File	Pages	Bates range	Saved as
Contract and amendments.pdf	45	ABC000001 – ABC000045	ABC000001-ABC000045.pdf
Email thread.pdf	3	ABC000046 – ABC000048	ABC000046-ABC000048.pdf
Invoices 2025.pdf	120	ABC000049 – ABC000168	ABC000049-ABC000168.pdf

Each file keeps its own pages and is stamped separately, named for its range, which is how productions are often delivered and logged. Turn on Also make one combined PDF to get the whole set as a single file as well, which is handy for reading through or for sending to someone who wants one document.

Conventions vary, so check yours

There is no single rule for Bates numbering. Courts, local rules, ESI protocols and agreements between the parties each set their own expectations: the prefix, how many digits, where on the page the number goes, whether a confidentiality legend sits beside it, how withheld or privileged documents are handled, and whether spreadsheets and other files are produced natively instead of as PDFs. This page explains how the tool works; it isn't legal advice, and the requirements of your matter come first.

Practical tips

• Number final versions only. Once a page has a Bates number it has been cited by that number; re-numbering a production later causes confusion. Remove or delete stray pages and rotate sideways scans before you stamp.
• Keep the number clear of content. The bottom right corner, a quarter inch (18 pt) from the edge, is usually blank. On scans with dark edges, turn on the white box behind the number so it stays legible.
• Keep a record of each production's first and last number, so the next one can start where it left off.
• Know the limits. This tool stamps numbers on PDFs; it doesn't create slip sheets, privilege logs or load files for review platforms. Password-protected PDFs can't be stamped until the protection is removed, and stamping a digitally signed PDF invalidates the signature.

For ordinary page numbers such as "Page 3 of 12", use add page numbers. To join documents before numbering them as one, use combine PDF, and to mark a production CONFIDENTIAL across each page, use watermark PDF.