How to add Bates numbers to a set of PDFs
Open Page numbers, add the files in order, choose Bates under Style, type what goes before the number and how many digits it has, and press Add the numbers. One sequence runs through every page of every file.
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How to do it
- Open Page numbers and add every PDF in the set.
- Drag the files into the order the numbers should run, or use the arrows.
- Choose Bates under Style, and a place under Where.
- Type the prefix in Before the number, then set Digits and First number.
- Press Add the numbers and save each numbered file.
What Bates numbers are for
A Bates number gives every page in a set of documents its own label, such as CASE-000001, so that any single page can be cited and found by its number alone, whichever file it sits in. The name comes from the Bates numbering machine once used to stamp paper. Law offices use it for discovery and court bundles, and it is just as useful for arbitration papers, due diligence, insurance claims and any large exchange of documents where people must point to pages without confusion.
Where a court or tribunal sets its own format for numbering pages, follow its rules. The other styles in Page numbers give a plain running number, and First number lets a second volume carry on from the first.
Prefix, digits and first number
Before the number is the label at the front: a case code, a party’s initials or a matter number, such as ABC-. Digits sets how long the number is, padded with zeros: 6 gives 000001, which leaves room for 999,999 pages. First number is where counting starts, usually 1.
When a second set follows one already produced, carry on rather than starting again. If the first set ended at ABC-000412, give the next one First number 413, with the same prefix and digits, and the two sets read as one.
Order is everything
Bates numbers run through the files in the order they are listed on the page, and through each file’s pages in order. Put the files in the order of your index before pressing the button: drag a row by its handle, or use its arrows. Each file comes back as its own PDF, named with the first number on it, and the result line gives the range each file got, so the index can be written straight from it.
If pages inside a file are in the wrong order, fix that first with Organise pages: once numbered, a moved page carries its old number with it.
Where the number sits
Where offers the bottom and top of the page, at the left, centre or right. Bottom right is a common place for Bates numbers, clear of the document’s own page numbers and letterheads. The number is small and plain, on a small white patch so it stays readable over a scan or a dark border. If a page already has something printed in that corner, choose another place for the whole set rather than mixing positions.
After numbering
To have one file, join the numbered files with Merge in the same order. To add the matter’s name along the top of every page, use Header and footer on the numbered files. If the set must be filed as PDF/A, make the archive copy after numbering, and if it must carry a digital signature, sign last of all, because any later change breaks it.
A worked example
A law firm’s clerk has to produce 14 PDFs of letters and invoices for an arbitration, numbered as one set with the prefix XYZ-. She opens Page numbers, adds all 14, and drags them into the order of her index. She chooses Bates under Style and Bottom, right under Where, types XYZ- in Before the number, leaves Digits at 6 and First number at 1, and presses Add the numbers. Each file comes back named with its first number, and the result lines read XYZ-000001 to XYZ-000023, XYZ-000024 to XYZ-000031, and so on, ready to copy into the index.
Questions people ask
Are the documents uploaded?
No. The numbers are added in your browser, on your device. For confidential or privileged papers, that means they never pass through anyone else’s server.
Can I skip the cover page?
Not with Bates: every page in the set gets a number, as the practice expects. The other styles can leave a cover unnumbered.
How many digits should I use?
Six is a common choice and covers up to 999,999 pages. Whatever you choose, keep it the same for the whole matter.
What if I get the order wrong?
Your originals are never changed. Put the files in the right order and number them again from the originals.
Can I number one big merged file instead?
Yes. Merge first, then number the single file; its pages run XYZ-000001 onwards in the same way.
Your file stays on your device. Foolscap does the work inside your browser, so nothing is uploaded and there is nothing for anyone to keep. How you can check