How to Bates number a PDF

Option 1: Adobe Acrobat Pro

Bates numbering is an Acrobat Pro feature. Acrobat Standard and the free Reader don’t have it.

1. Open Acrobat Pro and go to the Edit a PDF tools. Bates Numbering is in that toolset (in some versions under More).
2. Choose Add, then add every file you want in the sequence and put them in the right order. Order matters: the numbers follow it.
3. Click Insert Bates Number. Set the number of digits (6 is the default), the first number, and a prefix such as SMITH-.
4. Pick the position and font size, check the preview, and run it. Acrobat saves numbered copies of the files.

That gives you numbers on pages. If you also need cover sheets, exhibit stickers or an index, you make those separately and number them in the right place.

Option 2: a free online tool

Sites like Sejda add Bates numbers for free within daily limits. You upload the PDF, set the prefix and first number, and download the result. Sejda says it deletes uploaded files after a few hours.

The catch is the upload. For your own paperwork that may be fine. For client files, medical records or anything under a protective order, sending documents to a third-party server is a decision you may need to justify. Read the tool’s privacy policy before you use it for confidential material.

Option 3: Bindery, in your browser

1. Open Bindery and drop in your PDFs, scans and photos. Dates in file names put them in order; drag to change it.
2. Type the case name. Bindery suggests a Bates prefix from it, which you can change along with the digits and the first number.
3. Choose one sequence for everything or restart per exhibit, and whether cover sheets and the index get numbers.
4. Check the live preview, then export one PDF (or one file per exhibit, with an exhibit list spreadsheet).

The work happens on your computer. Nothing is uploaded, and it keeps working with the Wi-Fi off.

Mistakes that cause trouble later

• Inconsistent padding. SMITH-1 and SMITH-000001 sort differently. Pick enough digits for the whole production up front: six covers 999,999 pages.
• Numbering before the order is final. Every page after a late insertion shifts. Use a tool that renumbers for you, or lock the order first.
• Stamps covering text. Scans and phone photos often run to the edge. Check that the number sits in the margin, not on top of a signature or a date.
• Gaps and duplicates across productions. If you produce in rounds, start each round where the last one ended and keep a log of the ranges.
• Forgetting slip sheets. Decide whether cover sheets and placeholder pages get numbers, and do it the same way every time.