Internal audit flagged that our productions sometimes have inconsistent Bates ranges and missing source logs. There’s …
Open the PDF file you want to apply Bates numbering to in Adobe Acrobat.
Go to the Tools tab and select Edit PDF.
In the secondary toolbar, click on More and then select Bates Numbering.
Choose Add Bates Numbering.
In the dialog box, click Add Files to select additional PDFs if you want to apply Bates numbering across multiple files, or proceed with the current document.
Click OK to continue to the Bates Numbering dialog.
Click Insert Bates Number and configure the numbering format, position, and font as desired.
Set the starting number and any prefix or suffix if needed.
Preview the Bates numbering placement if available.
Click OK to apply Bates numbering to the document(s).
Best practiceIf you need to remove or change Bates numbers later, use the 'Remove Bates Numbering' option in the same Bates Numbering menu.
You can preview how the Bates numbers will appear on each page before finalizing the changes.
This runs in the Acrobat app - there is no separate API for this task.
| Feature | Purpose | Visibility |
|---|---|---|
| Bates Numbering | Legal indexing, unique ID for pages across documents. | Printed on the page, like an ink stamp. |
| Page Renumbering | Changes the page numbers shown in Acrobat. | Only visible in the Acrobat interface, not printed on the page. |
Bates Numbering is very important for legal documents because it provides a unique, unchangeable identifier for every single page. This helps lawyers, courts, and parties involved in a case to easily refer to specific pages, ensuring everyone is looking at the same document and page. It makes organizing and referencing large amounts of evidence much simpler and more accurate.
Once Bates Numbering is applied, it is stamped onto the page content, similar to a permanent mark. This means it cannot be easily 'undone' or removed directly through a simple feature like you would with other edits. To remove Bates numbers, you would typically need to use advanced editing tools to redact or cover them, or revert to an earlier version of the document if you have one saved. Always save a copy of your document before applying Bates numbering.
Bates numbering is a way to put a unique, sequential number on every page of a document or a group of documents. It helps to organize and track pages, especially in legal, medical, or business settings where many papers need to be referenced precisely. Each number is distinct, making it easy to find and talk about specific pages.