Bates numbering PDFs for a legal production

A Bates number gives every page in a production its own identifier, so both sides and the court can point to the same page. This guide covers the choices to make before you stamp, how to number a set of PDFs, and what to check before the files go out.

Updated November 2, 2026 · Practical guidance, not legal advice

Open Bates numbering

What a Bates number is

A Bates number is a prefix followed by a zero-padded sequence number, such as DEF000001. It’s stamped on every page, and numbers never repeat within a matter: the first page of the second file continues from the last page of the first, and a later production continues from the last number of the one before it.

Your court’s rules, an ESI protocol or an agreement with the other side may already set the format and placement. If one does, follow it; everything below is the usual practice when nothing is specified.

Decide the format before you stamp

Bates number format choices
Prefix	Identifies who produced the pages, often a short party or matter code such as DEF or PLTF. Keep it the same for the whole matter.
Digits	Pick enough for the whole matter, not just this production. Six digits cover 999,999 pages; large matters often use eight. Changing the width later makes numbers sort out of order.
Start number	1 for the first production. For each later production, start at the last number already used plus one.
Suffix	Usually left empty. Some protocols add one for a volume or a re-production.
Placement	Commonly the lower right corner, in the margin. Leave the other corners for a confidentiality legend if the protective order calls for one.

Finish the files first

Put the documents in their final production order. Numbering follows that order, so reordering afterwards means stamping again.
Finish redactions before you number. Use Redact PDF, which deletes the content under each box rather than covering it.
Take out the documents you're withholding, and decide how they'll be logged, before you stamp the rest.
Keep an unstamped copy of every file. Stamps are drawn into the page content, so to redo them you start again from that copy.

Number a set of PDFs

Open Bates numbering and add the PDFs. Put them in production order with Move up and Move down, or Sort A→Z if the file names already sort that way. Each file's range is shown next to it.
Under Bates numbers, enter the Prefix, Start and Digits, plus a Suffix if you need one. The number goes on the right of the footer; to move it, insert the Bates number chip into another header or footer box.
If the protective order calls for a confidentiality legend, type it into another box, such as Footer left.
Check the preview of page 1. Under File names, choose First number if each file should be named after its first Bates number.
Select the Number button, then download the ZIP. With two or more files it includes bates-ranges.csv: each file with its first and last number and its page count.

Numbering continues from one file to the next, so the second file starts one after the last page of the first. If you stamp only some pages, under Pages, the other pages still use their numbers, so the sequence has no gaps.

To combine numbering with other steps, use Batch process. Its Court production recipe flattens form fields and then adds Bates numbers; you can add Remove hidden data or Compress to it.

Check before you produce

For each file, the last number minus the first number plus one should equal its page count.
Each file starts exactly one after the previous file ends: no gaps and no repeats.
Open a few pages, including landscape and oversized ones, and make sure the stamp doesn't cover text. If it does, reduce the margin or the font size and stamp again from your unstamped copies.
Save bates-ranges.csv with the production. You'll need its last number to start the next production.

Where your files go

Numbering runs in your browser tab, so the documents aren’t uploaded to be stamped. That matters for privileged and confidential material. See Privacy for details.