Set a prefix (a party name or matter code), a starting number and a padding width, and the tool stamps PREFIX-000001, PREFIX-000002 and so on across every page as real text in the footer. Six digits and bottom right match what most US federal courts and review platforms expect.
For a production spanning many files, stamp them in order and start each file at the number after the previous one ended. The planner below writes that schedule for you.
The Bates Manufacturing Company patented a self-advancing numbering stamp in 1893, and litigators used the physical thing for a century. The software version does the same job: every page in a production gets a label nobody else in the case has, so a deposition transcript can say "turn to SMITH-000412" and everyone in the room turns to the same page. The tool above applies those labels on your machine, which matters more here than almost anywhere else on this site.
How to add Bates numbers to a PDF
Add the PDF
Drop the file or browse. It is read into browser memory; discovery material and privileged correspondence stay on your machine.
Set the prefix
A producing party's name, a matter code, or a short tag agreed with opposing counsel. The tool inserts the hyphen. Leave it blank for bare numbers.
Set the starting number and padding
1 for the first file in a production, otherwise the next unused number. Six digits is the convention; four suits small matters and seven very large ones.
Pick the position
Bottom right is the near-universal standard. Bottom left is used when the right side is reserved for a confidentiality designation.
Check the preview and press Add Bates numbers
The preview shows the first label exactly as it will print. Every page is stamped with pdf-lib and the file downloads.
Helvetica text objects that print at any resolution, remain selectable, and survive re-conversion.
Enough for any single production. Seven digits exists for the rare matter that passes a million.
Stamping runs in the browser. This is the honest answer to a firm's policy on cloud tools.
Anatomy of a Bates label
A label has three parts, and each is a decision that affects every later reference to the document.
- SMITH, the prefixIdentifies the producing party
- -, the separatorInserted automatically
- 000412, six digitsSorts correctly everywhere
- Bottom right, dark greyOut of the way of content
- Prefix. Party name (
SMITH), case number (1-24-cv-04521), matter code (ABC-2026) or an agreed short tag. Keep it under about twelve characters so the label fits inside a footer margin without crowding. - Padding. Zero-padding is what keeps
000412sorting after000041in filenames, spreadsheets and review platforms. Without it, text sorting puts 412 before 41. - Position. Bottom right because pages are held by the left edge and the right corner stays visible. Bottom left when the right is reserved for CONFIDENTIAL or ATTORNEYS' EYES ONLY. Bottom centre for reports read in hand.
One sequence across many files
A production is rarely one PDF. It is a vendor agreement, an email thread, three exhibits and a spreadsheet export, and every page across all of them needs a label no other page has. The method is simple and worth writing down: stamp the files in production order, and start each one at the number after the previous file ended.
For very large productions, merge related files first so each Bates range corresponds to one deliverable rather than a dozen fragments. Merging copies pages without altering them, so it changes nothing about the stamps you then apply.
Where Bates stamping sits in the workflow
- Redact before stamping. Use Redact PDF on the pages that need it, then apply the labels to the final page set. A redacted page is rebuilt as an image, and stamping afterwards keeps the label as clean, selectable text on top.
- Never insert a page after stamping. A page added later has no label, or a duplicate one, and the fix is to renumber the whole production. Assemble first.
- Stamp the produced copy, not the working file. Keep an unstamped original for internal review and future re-productions with a different prefix.
Where the stamped file works
The output is a standard PDF 1.7. It opens in Acrobat, Preview and every browser, and it loads into Relativity, Everlaw, DISCO, iManage and the other review platforms that handle PDFs. Because the labels are text rather than images, platforms that index page text can search for a Bates number directly, and the stamps print crisply at production resolution.
Identify a page across a production
- Unique across every file produced
- Prefix names the producing party
- Zero-padded so tools sort them correctly
- Cited in transcripts, motions and exhibits
Count pages within one document
- Restart at 1 in every file
- No prefix, no party, no uniqueness
- Useful for reading, useless for citing across files
- The job for Add page numbers instead
Why this runs in your browser
Discovery material is the most sensitive document class most people will ever handle: privileged communications, client financials, medical records, trade secrets under a protective order. Uploading it to a stamping website so a footer can be added is precisely the kind of third-party disclosure that firm policy and protective orders exist to prevent.
The tool is right above
Everything on this page runs in your browser. Scroll up, drop the file, and keep it on your machine.
Common questions
What paralegals and litigators ask before the first stamp goes on.
01What are Bates numbers?
Sequential, unique labels stamped on every page of a legal document set, typically a prefix identifying the producing party followed by a zero-padded number. They let every party cite a specific page unambiguously during discovery, depositions and trial.
02How many digits should I use?
Six is the courtroom convention and covers 999,999 pages. Four suits small matters where a shorter label reads better. Seven is for productions expected to exceed a million pages.
03Can I continue a sequence across several files?
Yes. Stamp the first file starting at 1, note its last number, and start the next file at that number plus one. The planner on this page produces the schedule from a list of files and page counts.
04Does the prefix need a hyphen?
No. The tool adds the hyphen between prefix and number automatically. Leave the prefix empty for bare numbers.
05Where do the labels appear?
Bottom right by default, which is the standard. All six corners and centres are available; bottom left is common when the right corner carries a confidentiality designation, and the optional second line puts that designation under the number.
06Should I redact before or after stamping?
Before. Apply redactions with the Redact tool, confirm the page set is final, then stamp. That keeps every label visible and the sequence contiguous.
07Are my files uploaded anywhere?
No. The stamping runs in your browser. Privileged material never leaves the device, which is why this tool is compatible with the cloud-tool policies most firms have.
08Is it free?
Free. Every tool, unlimited use, no page-count fee, no signup.