How to Bates-stamp a PDF
- Drop your PDF above. Bates style and bottom-right placement are already selected.
- Set your format. Prefix, usually the producing party's abbreviation. Digit width, where 6 is the convention. An optional suffix, and the number to start from. To continue an earlier production, start at the next number.
- Click Add Bates numbers, then Download. Every page picks up the next number in sequence.
What Bates numbering is (and why it still matters)
Bates numbering, also called Bates stamping after the 19th-century numbering machine, gives every page of a production a unique sequential identifier. In discovery, review and filing, "see ABC000147" points at exactly one page, where "page 12 of the March contract" does not. The convention outlived the ink stamp because the need for it didn't go away. Courts, opposing counsel and review platforms all still expect a fixed-width, prefixed page identifier.
Sleek PDF stamps a prefix, a zero-padded running number and an optional
suffix: ABC000001 through ABC000250 across a
250-page production. Bottom-right is the default, matching the standard placement. Set the digit width to keep the numbers aligned, and
set the starting number to carry one range across several batches.
If the instruction to Bates-stamp something arrived without the background (what the prefix is for, why the padding matters, what to do when a production runs across several batches), the guide to Bates numbering conventions and rules covers it in a couple of minutes.
Why "no upload" matters more here than anywhere
The documents that need Bates numbers are discovery productions, privileged correspondence, medical records and financial statements. Your confidentiality obligations take a dim view of handing that material to an unknown third-party server just to print a number in the corner of each page. So Sleek PDF does the stamping in the browser you already have open, and nothing about the document travels.
Numbering an ordinary document instead? The page numbers tool is the same engine with plain and "Page 1 of N" styles.
Common uses for Bates numbering
- Stamp a discovery production: sequential ABC000001-style numbers before documents go to opposing counsel.
- Prepare exhibits for filing: give every page an identifier a brief or a deposition can cite.
- Continue an existing range: pick up at the next number and keep one sequence across several batches.
- Number confidential records: medical and financial records, stamped without leaving your machine.
Frequently asked questions
How do I Bates-stamp a PDF?
Drop your PDF above. Bates style is already selected and placed bottom-right, per convention. Set your prefix, digit width, optional suffix and starting number, then click Add Bates numbers. The stamped file downloads immediately.
What does a Bates number look like?
A prefix identifying the producing party, then a zero-padded sequential number: ABC000001, ABC000002, and so on. A suffix sometimes follows. The padding is what holds every number to a fixed width, which is what makes a production sort and cite cleanly.
Can I continue an existing Bates range?
Set the start number to wherever the range left off. If the last batch ended at ABC000250, start this one at 251 and the sequence carries straight on across productions.
Is Bates stamping in a browser safe for privileged documents?
Here it is. The stamping runs on your device and no file bytes are uploaded, which you can confirm for yourself in the browser's network tab.
Does it work on scanned PDFs?
Yes. The stamp is drawn onto the page whether that page is text or a scanned image. It won't OCR the scan. It only adds the number.