Bates numbering — what it is, the conventions, and how to stamp a production set
Updated 22 August 2026
Bates numbering stamps every page of a document set with a unique, sequential identifier — typically a prefix, a zero-padded number and sometimes a suffix — so any page can be cited and found. Bates Numbering stamps one file or an ordered set continuously, with an optional second line such as CONFIDENTIAL, writes the stamps as real searchable text, and downloads the numbered PDFs with a CSV index of each file's first and last number, all on your device.
Bates numbering for discovery and document productions: prefixes, padding, continuous numbering across files, confidentiality lines, and a step-by-step in your browser with a CSV index.
UnboundPDF is a free suite of 54 PDF and image tools that run entirely in your browser — merge, split, compress, edit text, OCR in 126 languages, redact, sign, convert and archive to PDF/A. Your document is read and written by the page on your own device; there is no document-upload endpoint in the core tools, no account, no watermark and no daily cap. Every result can be checked — with the Network tab, or with the Document Passport the Workspace writes for a chain of steps.
- Open Bates Numbering and add the PDFs in the order they should be numbered (drag to reorder).
- Set the prefix (e.g. ACME), the start number and the padding (e.g. 000001), position and size; add a second line if required.
- Choose per-document or continuous numbering across the set, run, and download the numbered files with the CSV index.
Open Bates Numbering to do this in your browser — the steps above are the whole procedure; the rest of this page is what to expect at each one.
Why productions are Bates-numbered
In litigation and regulatory responses, both sides must be able to point at a specific page unambiguously. A page number restarts in every document; a Bates number never repeats across the whole production. Agreements between parties usually fix the prefix and the padding in advance — follow them exactly, because a re-numbered production is a new production.
Position, size, and the second line
Bottom-right is the convention, small enough not to collide with page content; the tool shows the stamp on the first page before you commit. A second line — CONFIDENTIAL, ATTORNEYS' EYES ONLY — goes where the protective order says; it is stamped as text too.
The CSV index
Every run produces a CSV: file name, first Bates number, last Bates number, page count. Attach it to the production letter, or keep it as the map from numbers back to files.
Rotated pages
Landscape pages and pages with a rotation flag get the stamp in the reader's visible corner, not the page's internal corner — measured, because a stamp in the wrong corner is the kind of error nobody notices until a hearing.
Troubleshooting
A file was still loading when I clicked. The action now waits for every file; if a run ever shows a gap in the index, re-run — continuous numbering is deterministic for the same order. Numbers overlap content. Reduce the size or change the corner. Encrypted file. Unlock it first with Unlock PDF.
Related
Exhibit Stamper · Redaction Log · Add Page Numbers (for ordinary documents) · Workspace
Frequently asked questions
What does a Bates number look like?
Commonly PREFIX followed by a zero-padded number — ACME000001 — sometimes with a suffix for a party or volume. Six digits cover a million pages; pick padding that will not run out mid-production.
Are the numbers searchable?
Yes. They are written as text into each page, so a reader's search or a review platform finds them; they are not pictures of numbers.
Can I number several files continuously?
Yes — continuous mode carries the count across the set in the order you arranged, and the CSV index records the first and last number of every file so you can cite ranges.