About Bates numbering
Bates numbering stamps a unique sequential identifier onto every page of a document set so any page can be cited exactly — the convention litigation teams, corporate counsel and records departments have used since the Bates automatic numbering machine gave it its name. Each stamp here is built from four parts you control: a prefix, a zero-padded number, an optional suffix and a starting value. Drop several PDFs at once and the count carries across them, so the second file begins where the first stopped, which is what a production set requires. Choose the corner, the point size and the ink colour, check the live preview at true scale, then stamp. People also search for this as Bates stamping, legal page numbering or discovery numbering.
Bates numbering specs
| Price | Free ($0) — no paid tier |
|---|---|
| Account | Not required |
| Watermark | None |
| Where it runs | In your browser, on your device |
| File upload | No file is uploaded |
| Input | PDF (1 or more files) |
| Output | PDF (one file per input file) |
| File size limit | Limited only by your device's memory |
| Works offline after the page loads | Yes |
How to use Bates numbering
Drop in one or more PDFs
Drop every PDF in the production onto the upload area. They appear under "Files (in numbering order)" with page count, size and the Bates range each will receive; the X button removes one.
Build the stamp
Set Prefix (starts at ABC), an optional Suffix, the Start number and the Zero-pad width. Width 6 with prefix ABC and number 1 gives ABC000001.
Place and style it
Position chips are Top left, Top right, Bottom left, Bottom center and Bottom right. Font size runs 6–96 pt; Font color is Black, Brand, or a Custom hex value you type.
Check the live preview
The live preview draws the stamp at real point size, 28 pt in from the page edges, and lets you page through the first document to see how it sits over existing footers.
Stamp the set
Press Stamp Bates numbers. Every input downloads as its own file — yourfile-bates.pdf — with the numbering continuous across the whole run.
Frequently asked questions about Bates numbering
How do I set the prefix, suffix and number format for a Bates stamp?
A Bates stamp here is assembled as prefix, then the zero-padded number, then suffix, and each part has its own field. The Prefix field starts at ABC and normally carries the producing party's abbreviation; the Suffix field is empty by default and is where confidentiality tags go, so prefix ABC, number 1, pad width 6 and suffix -CONFIDENTIAL produces ABC000001-CONFIDENTIAL. Both fields accept any text, and non-Latin characters in either one switch the whole job to an embedded Unicode font automatically rather than failing partway. The number itself is always ASCII digits. The status line and the per-file list preview the exact first and last stamp each PDF will receive, so you can check the format on real page counts before anything is written.
How many digits should I zero-pad Bates numbers to?
Zero-pad width controls how many digits the number occupies, from 1 to 12, and defaults to 6 — the width most legal productions use, giving ABC000001 through ABC999999. Padding matters because it keeps alphabetical order and numerical order identical: unpadded, ABC10 sorts before ABC9 in every file manager, database index and document-review platform, which quietly scatters a production set. Choose a width that comfortably exceeds the page count you expect across the whole matter, not just this batch, because renumbering later invalidates every citation already made against the old numbers. Six digits covers a million pages; four is enough for a small matter but leaves no headroom. Whatever you pick applies to every file in the run.
Can I start Bates numbering at a number other than 1?
Yes — the Start number field takes any whole number from 0 upward, and everything downstream follows from it. This is what you use for a rolling production: if the first tranche ended at ABC004312, set the start to 4313 for the second tranche and citations stay continuous across deliveries. It is also how you resume after re-running a batch, or how you leave a deliberate gap for material still under privilege review. The tool never inspects numbers already stamped inside the PDFs, so nothing is deduplicated for you — the start value is the single source of truth. The per-file list shows the resulting first-to-last range for each document before you press the button, which is the moment to catch an overlap.
Does the numbering run continuously across several PDFs?
Continuous numbering across a set is the whole point of the tool, and it is on by default. Drop several PDFs and they are listed under "Files (in numbering order)"; the run begins at your Start number, consumes as many numbers as the first file has pages, and the second file picks up at the next one. Each row shows that file's page count and the exact first-to-last stamp it will receive, and the status line spells out where file 2 begins. Remove a file with its X button and every range recomputes instantly. Each input is saved as its own output, named yourfile-bates.pdf, so the documents stay separate exactly as a production requires — they are never merged into one file.
Where does the number sit on the page, and can it cover my text?
The stamp goes in one of five positions — Top left, Top right, Bottom left, Bottom center or Bottom right — always 28 points, about 10 mm, in from the page edges. It is drawn on top of whatever is already there, so if your documents carry footers running to the very bottom of the page, the stamp can overlap them. The live preview shows that at true scale and at the real point size before anything is written, and you can page through the document to check. Font size runs from 6 to 96 points and starts at 9; colour is Black, the PDFChamp brand red, or any hex value you type. On rotated pages the stamp rotates with the page, so it stays upright in the corner you picked instead of running down the margin.
Are my documents uploaded anywhere when I stamp them?
No file leaves your device at any point in this tool. Each PDF is read from disk by the browser, loaded and modified in memory with pdf-lib, and written straight back to your downloads folder; there is no server round trip, because this page has no server component at all. That matters here more than almost anywhere else on the site — the documents people run through Bates numbering are discovery productions, privileged material and client files, and handing them to a third party for processing can itself be the problem. You can verify it in about ten seconds: open your browser's network panel, stamp a document, and watch for the upload request that never appears. The tool also keeps working with the connection off once the page has loaded.
Why in-browser processing matters
Every PDFChamp tool runs inside this page: the file you choose is read by JavaScript in your own browser and is never sent to a server, so nothing is uploaded, queued, or stored anywhere. That removes the upload wait, the processing queue, and the question of what happens to your file afterwards — the about page compares this architecture with server-side PDF tools.
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