Bates numbering explained: prefixes, padding and legal document sets
When a legal team produces ten thousand pages of discovery, "page 57" is meaningless — page 57 of which document? Bates numbering solves this by giving every page in the production one continuous identity: SMITH-0001, SMITH-0002, and so on. The convention dates back to printed Bates stamps, and it survives because it works: a cited identifier can only refer to one page in one set.
This guide covers what the Paperly Bates Numbering tool does, how each option maps to real filing conventions, and where the honest limits are. Like every Paperly tool, it runs locally in your browser — sensitive case files are never uploaded.
What a Bates number looks like
A Bates number has up to four parts, each controlled by an option in the tool:
| Part | Option | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Prefix | Prefix (text) | EXHIBIT- |
| Counter | Start number + one per page | 0001, 0002, 0003… |
| Padding | Digit padding (1–8 digits) | 4 digits turns 7 into 0007 |
| Suffix | Suffix (text) | -A |
With prefix EXHIBIT-, a start of 1, padding of 4 and no suffix, page one reads EXHIBIT-0001. Add suffix -A and every number gains it: EXHIBIT-0001-A. Padding exists so identifiers sort correctly in software — text sorts 10 before 9, but zero-padded numbers sort 0009 before 0010.
Why padding matters more than it seems
- Sorting: e-discovery platforms and file browsers sort lexicographically. EXHIBIT-10 vs EXHIBIT-9 sorts wrong; EXHIBIT-0010 vs EXHIBIT-0009 sorts right.
- Consistency: a set where every identifier has the same width looks professional and is easier to cite verbally.
- Future growth: padding to 6 digits on a 400-page set looks excessive — until the production grows. Choose padding for the largest size the set could reach.
The tool accepts padding from 1 to 8 digits. Four is the default and covers sets up to 9,999 pages; six digits covers a million.
Continuing an existing sequence
Productions often arrive in batches. If a previous batch ended at SMITH-0184, upload the new batch and set the start number to 185 with the same prefix and padding — the new pages continue the sequence seamlessly. The start option accepts 0 to 999999, so long productions can be continued many times.
Keep one discipline when continuing: reuse the exact prefix, padding and suffix of the earlier batch. A mismatch (SMITH-185 vs SMITH-0185) breaks sorting and looks like an error to opposing counsel.
Choosing padding and text size together
Padding and text size decide how the stamp reads in two different contexts: in software and on paper. Padding decides how identifiers sort in e-discovery platforms and file listings; text size decides whether a human can read the stamp on a printed page at arm's length. Optimize both for the end of the workflow — a stamp that sorts perfectly but cannot be read on a photocopy fails the same way as a legible stamp that sorts wrong.
- Dense medical records: 6-digit padding for growth, 8 pt text to fit narrow footers.
- Court exhibits: 4-digit padding, 12–14 pt text for comfortable citation from the podium.
- Long-running productions: 8-digit padding headroom and a size that survives faxing or re-scanning.
One sequence per document (honest limit)
The current version stamps one continuous sequence across the whole uploaded document. It cannot restart numbering at each section, per exhibit tab, or per folder boundary. If your set needs per-exhibit restarts, process each exhibit as a separate PDF with its own prefix — EXHIBIT-A-0001, EXHIBIT-B-0001 — then merge them. The numbers stay unique because the prefixes differ, which is precisely how many firms handle tabbed exhibits.
Where the number is placed
Numbers are drawn into the footer margin of every page and become part of the page content — they print and display everywhere, and they cannot be removed without editing the page. The text size option (6 to 18 points) lets you match the stamp to the document: 10 points suits standard letters; smaller sizes fit dense medical records with little footer space.
Because the stamp lands in the footer, pages whose content already reaches the bottom margin can overlap. Spot-check a few pages after processing; if a stamp collides with a footer line, reduce the size or trim the bottom margin with the Crop PDF tool before numbering.
A complete exhibit workflow
- Collect the exhibit pages into one PDF (scan or merge the source files).
- Crop scan margins if the pages are images that fill the sheet edge-to-edge.
- Run Bates Numbering with your case prefix, correct padding and start value.
- Verify the first and last page stamps against your production log.
- If the set must also show page-of-total counts, run Add Page Numbers with the "N of M" format — both stamps can coexist.
Bates numbers versus page numbers versus watermarks
Three stamping tools exist in the toolbox and they answer different questions. Choosing the right one first avoids re-processing documents later:
| Tool | Answers | Typical user |
|---|---|---|
| Bates Numbering | Which page of which production is this? (unique identifier) | Legal and medical document sets |
| Add Page Numbers | Which page of this document is this? (3 of 27) | Reports, contracts, submissions |
| Watermark PDF | Whose document is this and how may it be used? | Drafts, confidential material, branding |
The stamps also compose: a production can carry Bates identifiers, page-of-total counts and a status watermark at once, because each occupies its own margin band. Apply them in a deliberate order — crop first, then Bates numbers, then page counts — so no stamp lands where a later trim would remove it.
Troubleshooting
- Wrong padding after the fact — padding is fixed at stamp time. Re-run the tool on the original file with the corrected padding; there is no undo inside a stamped PDF.
- Encrypted file rejected — unlock it first with the Unlock PDF tool (you need the password).
- Sequence must restart per section — not supported in one pass; number sections separately with distinct prefixes, then merge.
- Stamp too small to read on scans — raise the size toward 14–18 points; scanned pages are often low-contrast and need a heavier stamp.