What is Bates Numbering?
A Plain-English Guide
Everything lawyers, paralegals and legal assistants need to know about Bates stamps — and how to apply them for free.
What is Bates numbering? It's how lawyers give every page in a legal document set a unique, permanent identifier so all parties can reference any page unambiguously. If you're new to legal work, you've probably heard "pull up Bates number 4,521" — this guide explains what that means and how to apply Bates stamps for free.
The Problem Bates Numbering Solves
Imagine a civil lawsuit between two companies. Over the course of discovery, each side produces tens of thousands of pages of documents — emails, contracts, invoices, memos, financial records. Both sides are looking at the same pile of documents.
Now imagine a deposition. The attorney says "look at the email on page 3 of exhibit 14." But which exhibit 14? The plaintiff's? The defendant's? What if the pagination inside the document doesn't match the exhibit pagination?
Bates numbering solves this by giving every single page a unique, permanent identifier that all parties agree to use. Once a document is Bates stamped, everyone — attorneys, witnesses, judges, court reporters — can refer to any page unambiguously.
What a Bates Number Looks Like
(identifying party or matter)
(zero-padded)
The prefix usually identifies the producing party, the matter, or the document set. Zero-padding (00001 instead of 1) means documents sort correctly alphabetically — SMITH00009 comes before SMITH00010, not after SMITH00100.
Common prefix formats
- Party name: PLAINTIFF00001, DEFENDANT00001
- Client/matter: JONES-2024-00001
- Document type: EMAIL00001, CONTRACT00001
- Firm abbreviation: ABC00001 (for ABC Law Firm)
When Are Bates Numbers Used
Where Does the Name "Bates" Come From?
Bates numbering is named after the Bates Manufacturing Company, which in the late 1800s produced a mechanical stamp — the Bates Automatic Numbering Machine — that automatically incremented a number with each impression. Legal professionals adopted it for document management, and the name stuck even as the process moved from physical rubber stamps to software.
How to Apply Bates Numbers Today
Modern Bates stamping is done digitally — a number and optional prefix is printed directly onto each page of a PDF. There are three ways to do it:
Bates Stamping Software Compared
| Tool | Cost | Platform | File Upload? | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ResourceCentral Bates Stamper | Free | Any browser | ✗ Never | Solo attorneys, small firms, any OS |
| Adobe Acrobat Pro | $239/yr | Windows, Mac | Local only | Firms already paying for Adobe |
| Bluebeam Revu | $349/yr | Windows only | Local only | Construction litigation, heavy annotation |
| Kofax Power PDF | $179 one-time | Windows, Mac | Local only | One-time purchase preference |
| Relativity / Concordance | $50–200+/mo | Web-based | ✓ Server upload | Large-scale e-discovery review |
Step-by-Step: Bates Stamping With ResourceCentral
- Go to resourcecentral.online/legal-pdf-stamper/
- Upload your PDF (it stays in your browser — nothing is sent to any server)
- Enter your prefix (e.g.
SMITH) - Set your starting number (e.g.
1for a new matter, or continue from a previous production) - Choose the position — bottom right is standard for most jurisdictions
- Click Stamp and download the numbered PDF
Bates Numbering Best Practices
- Use enough zero-padding. If you expect more than 9,999 pages, use 5 digits minimum (00001). Most matters use 6 digits to be safe.
- Never reuse numbers. If you produce supplemental documents, continue from where you left off — don't restart at 00001.
- Keep a production log. Record what Bates range corresponds to which document set so you can answer opposing counsel's questions.
- Don't stamp original files. Always work from a copy. Keep unstamped originals intact.
- Agree on the prefix format. In multi-party litigation, confirm the format with opposing counsel before production to avoid duplicate numbers.
Free Bates Stamper — No Adobe Required
Works in your browser. No upload. No account. Safe for privileged documents.
Open Bates Stamper — Free →FAQ
Is Bates numbering required by law? +
Bates numbering is not universally required by statute, but many courts require it for document productions under local rules and standing orders. It's also standard practice in virtually all litigation involving document-heavy discovery. Check your specific court's local rules and any case management orders.
Can I Bates stamp multiple PDFs at once? +
The most reliable approach is to merge your PDFs into a single file first, then stamp the combined document. This ensures continuous numbering across what was previously multiple files. ResourceCentral's Bates Stamper works on merged PDFs of any size.
What's the difference between Bates numbers and page numbers? +
Page numbers are internal to a document and restart with each new document. Bates numbers are sequential across an entire production and unique within a case — no two pages in the entire matter share the same Bates number. This is what makes them useful for referencing specific pages across thousands of documents.
Can I Bates stamp PDFs on a Chromebook or Linux? +
Yes. ResourceCentral's Bates Stamper runs in any browser — Chrome, Safari, Firefox — on any operating system including Chromebook, Linux, Mac and Windows. Adobe Acrobat Pro has no Linux client and cannot Bates stamp on ChromeOS. See Bates stamping on Chromebook, Mac and Linux for a full guide.
Is Bates stamping safe for privileged documents? +
It depends on the tool. Server-based tools upload your documents to a third-party server, which may implicate privilege under ABA Model Rule 1.6's duty of confidentiality. ResourceCentral's Bates Stamper processes everything in your browser — the document never leaves your device — making it safe for privileged and confidential documents.