How to Add Bates Numbers to a PDF: Step-by-Step Guide

Applying Bates numbers is quick once your documents and numbering scheme are ready. Here's the full process.

Step-by-Step: Applying Bates Numbers

1. Gather your PDFs in the order you want them numbered. Sequencing typically follows the order files are processed, so confirm your file order before starting.
2. Upload the document or document set.
3. Set your prefix — often a case identifier or party abbreviation (e.g., SMITH-).
4. Set the starting number and digit padding (e.g., starting at 000001 with 6-digit padding).
5. Choose stamp position — bottom-right is the most common convention, but confirm what your specific case or court requires.
6. Apply and download the stamped documents.

Keeping a Batch Sequential and Continuous

When processing multiple documents in one production, numbering needs to continue across files without gaps or restarts — the last page of document one flows directly into the first page of document two. Confirm your tool handles this automatically for a batch, rather than restarting the sequence at 1 for each separate file, which would create duplicate Bates numbers across your production.

Double-Check Before Finalizing a Production

Once a Bates-numbered set has been produced to opposing counsel or filed with a court, the numbering is effectively locked in as the official reference for those documents. Review the stamped output — starting number, sequence continuity, and stamp placement — before finalizing and distributing, since renumbering after the fact creates confusion and potential conflicts with prior references.