How do I add Bates numbering to a PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro?

Open your PDF in Acrobat Pro. Go to Edit > More > Bates numbering > Add. Choose your files and set the header or footer. Insert the Bates Number and pick the digit count. Apply the settings to stamp numbers on every page.

What is the purpose of Bates numbering in legal documents?

Bates numbering is used in legal documents to give every page a unique number. This helps lawyers, judges, and others find and talk about specific pages easily. It is important for organizing large sets of documents and making sure everyone refers to the same page.

If my scanned PDF is blurry, will Bates numbering still work?

Yes, Bates numbering will still stamp a number on each page, even if the scan is blurry. But the number may be hard to read if the page is very unclear.

Why is Bates numbering not the same as changing page labels in Acrobat?

Bates numbering Page labels. Stamps a number on the page Changes the number you see in the viewer Used for legal indexing Used for navigation Visible on printed pages Not printed on the page

Why do I need Acrobat Pro for Bates numbering?

Bates numbering is a special feature for legal work, so Adobe only includes it in Acrobat Pro. You cannot use it in the free or standard versions.

Automate Bates numbering using Acrobat JavaScript or API — How-to & AI prompts

AI prompts

3 ways to ask · copy any one

AExecute — “help me do it”Show me how to add Bates numbers to PDFs using the Acrobat API...…+

Show me how to add Bates numbers to [my PDF files] using the Acrobat API or JavaScript, including sample code.

when the reply comes backWant to add custom prefixes or date stamps to your Bates numbers?

BImprove — “do it better”How can I make my Bates numbering script run faster or handle more files...…+

How can I make my Bates numbering script run faster or handle more files at once using the Acrobat API?

when the reply comes backNeed help with authentication for the Acrobat API?

CDecide — “help me choose”Should I use Acrobat JavaScript or the PDF Services API for Bates numbering...…+

Should I use Acrobat JavaScript or the PDF Services API to automate Bates numbering for a large batch of documents? Please compare.

when the reply comes backAsk about handling password-protected PDFs in your automation.

How to do it

the tool · the steps · what to avoid

1
Open the PDF file you want to apply Bates numbering to in Adobe Acrobat Pro.
2
Press Ctrl+J (Windows) or Cmd+J (Mac) to open the JavaScript console.
3
Paste a custom JavaScript script that iterates through each page and adds a Bates number using the addWatermarkFromText or addAnnot method.
Best practiceYou can customize the Bates number format and position by adjusting the script parameters for font, size, and location.
4
Edit the script to set your desired starting number, prefix, and formatting for the Bates numbers.
NoteAdobe's JavaScript API Reference documents methods like addWatermarkFromText for text stamping.
5
Run the script in the console to apply Bates numbers to all pages programmatically.
6
Save the PDF with a new filename to preserve the original document.
CautionAlways save a backup before running scripts that modify documents in bulk.

In the appWith the API

You can use Acrobat's JavaScript console to automate repetitive tasks like Bates numbering across large documents.

This runs in the Acrobat app - there is no separate API for this task.

Glossary

words on this page

Bates numberingA way to add unique numbers to each page in a set of documents.ExampleUsing Bates numbering, each page in a collection of court exhibits gets a sequential number.

APIA way for different software to talk to each other automatically.ExampleAn online store uses an API to automatically send shipping details to a delivery service.

AutomationMaking things happen by themselves, without manual work each time.ExampleUsing Automation, you can set up a rule to automatically sort incoming emails into specific folders.

The real tasks

all 2, listed here

Add bates numbering to a package of title documents so each page is uniquely referenced in reports.

Add bates numbering to a closing packet so legal and compliance can reference pages during audits.

FAQ

about this task

You can use the Adobe PDF Services API or Acrobat Services API to add Bates numbers by sending your PDF file and specifying the numbering options in your API request. The API will process the file and return a new PDF with Bates numbers on each page.

Using JavaScript works inside Acrobat and is good for simple or one-off tasks, but the API is better for automating large batches, working from your own software, or handling files in the cloud. The API also supports more advanced workflows.

Yes, the API lets you set options like prefix, starting number, number of digits, and even add extra text or date stamps to your Bates numbers. You can adjust these settings in your API call.

Automating Bates numbering saves time, reduces mistakes, and makes it easy to track lots of documents. It's important for legal cases where every page needs a unique number for reference.

You need to create an Adobe developer account, set up a project, and use the credentials (like API key or OAuth token) in your code to prove your identity when calling the API.

Automate Bates numbering using Acrobat JavaScript or API

When to use it

AI prompts

How to do it

Glossary

The real tasks

Who does this

FAQ

Sources

Adobe help