Bates numbering explained: format, rules and how to apply it

A Bates number is a unique identifier stamped on every page of a document set, usually a short prefix followed by a zero-padded sequence number, such as ABC000001. It lets everyone in a case refer to a page precisely and proves which pages were handed over. The Bates numbering tool stamps them on PDFs in your browser; this guide covers the conventions behind the format.

What a Bates number is

The name comes from Edwin G. Bates, whose numbering machine, patented in the 1890s, stamped a number on a sheet and advanced automatically for the next one. Law firms adopted it for numbering documents, and the term stuck long after the stamp became software. A modern Bates number has up to three parts:

• a prefix identifying the producing party, client or case, such as SMITH or ABC-;
• a sequence number, zero-padded to a fixed width, such as 000123;
• an optional suffix, sometimes used for a volume or confidentiality code.

Unlike ordinary page numbers, Bates numbers run continuously across every document in a set rather than restarting in each file.

Why lawyers use them

In litigation, each side produces documents to the other during discovery, often thousands of pages. Bates numbers give each page a permanent address. A deposition can refer to SMITH004512 and everyone opens the same page; a court filing can cite a range such as SMITH004512–SMITH004530. They also create a record of exactly what was produced and when, because a production letter or log lists the first and last number of each batch. The same idea is used in audits, regulatory submissions and large business archives.

Choosing the format

The format is usually agreed between the parties or set by a court order, a protocol or a client's instructions, so check those first. In the US, Rule 34 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure sets out how documents are requested and produced, but it does not prescribe a Bates format. Common choices are a short, meaningful prefix with no spaces, so it survives filenames and databases; enough digits for the whole case, since six or seven digits cover up to about a million or ten million pages and the width should never change mid-case; and a position, usually the bottom right corner, clear of the existing content.

Rules that keep a set reliable

• Never reuse a number. If a page is withdrawn, its number stays retired, and the gap is explained in the log.
• Never renumber a produced set. Corrections get new numbers, often with a suffix or a new volume.
• Number after redacting and before producing, so the stamp reflects exactly what was handed over. How to redact a PDF so the text is actually gone covers redaction.
• Keep a log of each file's first and last number and the date it was produced.
• Do not cover content. A stamp over text can make a page disputed.

Applying Bates numbers to PDFs

Add the PDFs in the order they should be numbered; arrows let you reorder them. Set the prefix, starting number, number of digits (1 to 12) and an optional suffix, and the tool previews the first label. Choose one of six positions, font size and margin, and keep the white box option on so the number stays legible over dark or busy pages. Numbering continues from one file to the next. Each file downloads with its range in the name, and a summary table gives the first and last number of each file, ready for a production log. The starting field then shows the next number, so the following batch picks up where this one ended.

It has honest limits. It stamps numbers only; it does not add per-page confidentiality legends, though the header and footer tool can stamp fixed text on every page. It does not create load files for review platforms. Its built-in font covers Western European characters, so other characters in a prefix are replaced. Files never leave your device. For ordinary page numbers that restart in each document, use PDF page numbers instead, and to total a set before choosing digits, use the page counter.