PDF Bates Numbering — Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about using PDF Bates Numbering.
Is my PDF uploaded?
No. Bates stamping happens entirely in your browser using pdf-lib. Your document never leaves your device — important for privileged or confidential legal materials.
What’s the difference between Bates numbering and page numbering?
Bates numbering is sequential across an entire production with custom prefixes (SMITH-000001, SMITH-000002...). Page numbering just adds page count per file. Bates labels are legally unique identifiers; page numbers reset per file.
Can I number across multiple PDFs in one production?
Currently, each upload starts fresh. To Bates-number across multiple files, merge them first with our Merge PDF tool, then apply Bates numbering, then split if needed.
How many digits should I use?
6 is most common in US litigation. For very large productions (100,000+ pages), use 7. For smaller cases, 5 is fine. The padding determines how the numbers display: 6 digits means 1 displays as 000001.
Does this work for image-based PDFs?
Yes — Bates numbers are added as a layer over the existing content, regardless of whether the underlying content is text or image-based.
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