How do I add Bates numbers to a PDF for free?
Open BatesTool in your browser, add your PDFs, set a prefix, start number, and padding, then stamp and download. The free tier covers small productions and requires no software install.
How-to
How to add Bates numbers to a PDF
Bates numbering a PDF takes four decisions: prefix, starting number, padding, and position. Here is the full workflow for a single file or a multi-file production, done in the browser with no upload and no install.
Decide these four things first
- Prefix. Identify the producing party or case, for example SMITH- or ACME-.
- Start number. One for a first production, otherwise one above the last number produced.
- Padding. Zero pad to a fixed width so labels sort correctly. Six digits is standard.
- Position. Bottom right is the convention because it survives stapling and scanning.
Stamp the PDF, step by step
- Open the BatesTool stamping tool. Nothing installs and no account is required to start.
- Drag your PDFs into the queue, then drag the rows to set the production order.
- Enter the Bates prefix, such as SMITH-, and the starting number.
- Set zero padding wide enough for the whole matter, usually six digits.
- Choose the stamp position. Bottom right is the litigation convention.
- Optionally enable an exhibit label and a confidentiality designation.
- Click Stamp and watch the page-by-page progress.
- Download the stamped PDFs, or merge them into one file, and save the production index CSV.
Numbering a multi-file production
Order matters. The counter runs continuously through the queue, so the first page of file two picks up right after the last page of file one. Reorder the queue before stamping, not after.
The production index CSV records the exact range for every file, which is what opposing counsel and your privilege log need.
Continuing a sequence later
Save the matter instead of writing the last number on a sticky note. A Case Matter stores the prefix and the next available number, so the following rolling production resumes without a gap or a duplicate.
Questions and answers
Can I Bates number multiple PDFs at once?
Yes. Add every file to the queue and order them the way the production should run. The counter continues across files so the sequence never restarts mid-production.
Are my PDFs uploaded to a server?
No. BatesTool stamps PDFs entirely in your browser using client-side processing, so privileged and confidential files never leave your device.
What number should I start at?
For a first production, start at 1. For a later production in the same matter, start one above the highest number already produced. Case Matters track that number for you automatically.
How many digits should the Bates number have?
Pick a width that covers the whole matter, not just the current batch. Six digits handles up to 999,999 pages and keeps every label sorting correctly.
Can I add Bates numbers to scanned PDFs?
Yes. The stamp is drawn over the page image, so scanned documents number the same way as text PDFs. No OCR is required for stamping.
Can I get a list of which Bates range belongs to which file?
Yes. Every run exports a production index CSV mapping each filename to its starting and ending Bates number, which you can attach to a privilege log or use as a load file.
Can I merge the stamped files into one PDF?
Yes. Turn on the merge option before stamping and the output is a single PDF named for the full Bates range, alongside the same production index CSV.
Add Bates numbers now
Drop in your PDFs, set the prefix and start number, and download stamped files plus the production index. Nothing is uploaded.