Bates numbering gives every page in a set of documents its own identifier: ACME000001, ACME000002, and so on. Law firms use it to label pages in discovery and court filings, so anyone can cite "ACME000417" and everyone finds the same page. Auditors, accountants and investigators use it for the same reason — a page reference that doesn't depend on file names or on each document's own page numbers.
How a Bates number is built
A Bates number has up to three parts. The prefix identifies the party or matter, such as ACME or SMITH-. The number is zero-padded to a fixed width so pages sort correctly; six digits (000001) is the most common choice. An optional suffix marks something about the set, such as -CONF for confidential material. Prefix and suffix are printed in capitals, up to 20 characters each, and the tool shows a live preview as you type.
Numbering across several files
Add up to ten PDFs at once. Numbering runs continuously in the order the files are listed: if the first document ends at ACME000120, the next starts at ACME000121. Put the files in the right order before you run the tool. You get one numbered PDF back for each file, bundled as a ZIP when there are several.
To continue a production you started earlier, set Start at to the next number — 1201 if the last batch ended at 1200.
Placement and size
Bottom right is the convention and the default, because it rarely collides with page content. If a document already has a footer there, choose one of the other five positions: top or bottom, left, center or right. Text size can be Small (8 pt), Medium (10 pt) or Large (12 pt). The number is added as real text, so nothing else on the page is changed and the numbers themselves are searchable.
Number the final version
Bates numbers are meant to be permanent references. Number each document only once it is final — after redactions, and after privileged pages are removed — and keep the unnumbered originals. If you redact as well, redact first and number second, so a black box never covers a Bates label.
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Step by step
- Add your PDFs — Open Bates numbering and add the documents in the order they should be numbered.
- Set the format — Enter a prefix, the starting number, the number of digits and an optional suffix, and check the preview.
- Choose position and size — Bottom right at Medium is the usual choice.
- Download — Download the numbered PDF, or a ZIP with one numbered PDF per file.