Add Bates Numbers to PDF
Stamp every page with a Bates number, a prefix plus a zero-padded count like ABC000001, across one or many files.
Select a PDF fileor drop them anywhere on this page, or paste
Opens in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
Add Bates Numbers to PDF, free and private
Add Bates numbers to a PDF for free. Every page gets a unique Bates stamp made of a prefix and a zero-padded number, such as ABC000001, ABC000002 and so on. You set the prefix, an optional suffix, the start number, the digits, the font size and the corner. Add several PDFs and they are numbered as one continuous run.
Legal documents should not pass through a third-party server. The stamping runs in your browser, so your PDFs are never uploaded.
How to add Bates numbers to a PDF
- 1
Add your PDFs
Press Select PDF files or drop one or more PDFs onto the page. With several files, use the ‹ › buttons to put them in production order. Press + Add more to add files later.
- 2
Set Prefix, Suffix, Start At and Digits
Type the prefix for the party or matter (ABC by default) and, if you need one, a suffix such as -CONF. Set the number for the first page (1 by default) and how many digits to pad to, from 1 to 10 (6 by default).
- 3
Choose the position and style
Click a corner in the Position grid or drag the number on the preview to another corner. Bottom right is the default and the most common spot. Pick a font and colour, set Size (pt) from 6 to 24 (10 by default) and the distance from the edge.
- 4
Check and apply
The preview shows each page of the first file with its Bates number as you type. Press Apply Bates numbers. The result shows the first and last number stamped. One file downloads as a PDF. Several files download as one ZIP.
Why use PDFToolz for this
Several PDFs in one run
Files are numbered in the order shown, and each one picks up where the last one ended. Each file keeps its name with -bates added, such as exhibit-a-bates.pdf.
Prefix, number and suffix
Padding keeps every number the same length, so ABC000009 sorts before ABC000010 in any file list or review platform. A suffix such as -CONF adds a marking after the number.
Continue an earlier sequence
Set Start At to any whole number, so a new batch can pick up where the previous volume of a production ended.
Stamped into the page
Each number is drawn into the page content, in near-black type unless you pick another colour. It is not a comment or form field, so it prints everywhere and can't be dragged off or deleted like an annotation.
Free and private
No sign-up and no page limit, which helps when a production runs to thousands of pages. Privileged files are never sent to or stored on a server.
Bates numbering examples
Each Bates number is your prefix, then the page number padded with leading zeros to the digits you set, then the suffix. The tool adds no separator, so end the prefix with a hyphen or underscore if you want one. Spaces at the start or end of the prefix and suffix are removed.
- Prefix ABC, Start At 1, Digits 6: ABC000001, ABC000002, ABC000003.
- Prefix SMITH-, Start At 1, Digits 6: SMITH-000001, SMITH-000002.
- Prefix DEF_PROD_, Start At 1, Digits 7: DEF_PROD_0000001.
- Prefix ABC, Suffix -CONF, Digits 6: ABC000001-CONF.
- Prefix ACME, Start At 2501, Digits 6: ACME002501, ACME002502. This continues an earlier volume.
- Empty prefix, Digits 8: 00000001, 00000002. Numbers only.
- Numbers longer than the padding just get longer. With Digits 3, page 1000 is stamped ABC1000.
Add Bates numbers to several PDFs at once
Every page in a production needs its own number. Add all the files, put them in order with ‹ ›, and press Apply Bates numbers once. If file one has 214 pages and ends at ABC000214, file two starts at ABC000215. The result shows the full range, such as ABC000001 to ABC000530 across 3 files.
To continue a production stamped earlier, set Start At to the number after the last page of that batch, with the same prefix and digits.
Checking the Bates stamps
The stamp sits 24 points (about 8.5 mm) in from the edges of the chosen corner, on the page as your viewer shows it. Rotated pages and pages with a crop box get the stamp in the right corner too. There is no white box behind the number, so look through the result. If it overlaps page content, run the original file again with another corner or a smaller font size.
- The font covers Latin letters with accents, Greek and Cyrillic. Chinese, Japanese and Korean characters are not supported, so keep the prefix to letters, digits, hyphens and underscores.
- For a CONFIDENTIAL label, use the suffix, or Add Header / Footer or Watermark PDF in a spot that does not overlap the number.
- Files that block printing or copying can be stamped as they are. A file that needs a password to open must go through Unlock PDF first.
Frequently asked questions
Bates numbers are unique sequential IDs stamped on every page of a document set, usually a prefix plus a zero-padded number such as ABC000001. They let lawyers cite any page without doubt. The Bates numbering guide in the PDF glossary covers the history and more examples.
It is another name for Bates numbering, which means stamping each page with its Bates number. The name comes from the Bates Automatic Numbering-Machine, a hand-operated stamp from the late 1800s that offices used to number paper pages.
Add the PDF, set Prefix, Start At and Digits, pick a corner and press Apply Bates numbers. Every page is stamped in order, then you download the file.
Yes. Add all the files, put them in order with ‹ ›, and apply once. The numbers run on from one file to the next. Each file keeps its own name with -bates added, and they download together as a ZIP.
Six digits, as in ABC000001, is a common choice and covers almost a million pages. You can pad from 1 to 10 digits if your matter uses another scheme.
End the prefix with a hyphen or underscore, such as SMITH-, to get SMITH-000001. Spaces at the end of the prefix are removed, so a space separator is not possible.
Yes. Set Size (pt) anywhere from 6 to 24. The default is 10 pt.
No. The PDFs are stamped on your device, so no server ever holds a copy.
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