Bates Numbering Software Documentation
A practical walkthrough of how BatesNumbers works, what each setting does, and how to avoid mistakes before you process a production set.
BatesNumbers takes PDFs, images, or ZIP document sets from upload and preview through controlled numbering, final output, and a downloadable Bates index.
What you’ll learn
Quick Start
- Create a new job and upload supported files or ZIP document sets.
- Arrange documents in the order they should receive Bates numbers.
- Continue to Job Setup.
- Configure Bates settings and review the preview carefully.
- Submit the job for processing.
- Monitor the queue/progress indicator, then download your finished outputs.
Create a Job
Upload one or more supported files or ZIP document sets. Files that require conversion are normalized to PDF before Bates numbering is applied.
- File order determines Bates numbering order.
- Uploaded files are processed in the order you upload them. The first file uploaded is numbered first.
- Files inside ZIP files are processed alphabetically by filename.
- Folders inside ZIP files are processed alphabetically, and files within those folders are also initially sorted alphabetically. After the upload is complete, you can continue to Bates Settings and use the Document Options tab to manually reorder individual documents before processing if need be.
- When a ZIP contains folders, BatesNumbers preserves the folder structure in outputs (if enabled).
The job title is typically a case name, matter number, client name, or file reference. If you do not enter one, BatesNumbers starts with a default title based on the first uploaded document. The title is also used for output naming where appropriate.
Supported Files & Document Conversion
BatesNumbers accepts several common document and image formats in addition to PDF. When a source file requires conversion, BatesNumbers creates a PDF representation of that file before applying Bates numbers. Your original uploaded file is not modified.
PDF is the preferred source format when page layout, pagination, fonts, spacing, or exact visual appearance must remain fixed. Editable document formats can depend on fonts, software versions, operating systems, and application-specific rendering behavior.
If a converted document does not look the way you expect, open the original in the application where it displays correctly and use Save as PDF, Export to PDF, or Print to PDF. Then upload that PDF to BatesNumbers.
Use PDF when layout, page breaks, fonts, and positioning need to remain fixed.
BatesNumbers can convert supported Word and RTF documents, but fonts and application-specific layout can affect the resulting PDF.
Text files are rendered as readable printable pages. Rich document formatting is not expected or reproduced.
Supported image formats are converted to PDF so they can be included in the same Bates-numbered production as other documents.
Word documents usually reference fonts installed on the computer rather than carrying every font inside the document. If a font used by the document is not available during conversion, a compatible font may be substituted.
Font substitution can change:
- line wrapping and spacing
- page breaks and total page count
- table or text-box sizing
- the appearance of uncommon symbols or special characters
If a Word document uses uncommon, custom, or non-standard fonts, embedding the fonts before upload can improve conversion fidelity. In Word for Windows, open:
File → Options → Save → Preserve fidelity when sharing this document → Embed fonts in the file
Word may also offer options such as embedding only the characters used in the document or excluding common system fonts. Some fonts cannot be embedded because their font license does not permit it.
If embedding fonts does not produce an acceptable result, create the PDF on the computer where the Word document displays correctly and upload that PDF instead.
RTF can contain fonts, tables, spacing, and other formatting, so many of the same rendering considerations that apply to Word documents also apply to RTF files. If exact layout or pagination is important, create a PDF locally before uploading.
ODT files are editable word-processing documents and are automatically converted to PDF before Bates numbering is applied. As with Word and RTF files, differences in installed fonts or document-rendering software can affect line wrapping, spacing, pagination, and other layout details.
If exact appearance is important, open the ODT file in the application where it displays correctly and use its Export to PDF, Save as PDF, or Print to PDF option, then upload that PDF instead.
TXT files are treated as plain text and converted into printable PDF pages. BatesNumbers preserves textual content, line breaks, tabs, and common character encodings as reasonably as possible, but TXT does not carry rich page layout, font, table, or word-processing formatting.
If exact visual formatting matters, prepare the text in an application of your choice and print or save it to PDF before upload.
Supported image files are converted into PDF pages before Bates numbering. Image dimensions, orientation metadata, and the way an image was created can affect the physical page size of the resulting PDF. If a converted page is unusually large, use the document-level Normalize option to fit it to Letter or Legal size before stamping.
EML files can be uploaded directly and are converted into a readable PDF representation before Bates numbering is applied.
If you are producing email as evidence, consider whether you need only a readable representation of the message or the complete technical message source. Those are not necessarily the same thing.
If complete Internet headers, routing information, MIME details, or raw message source are required, see Email evidence and complete headers below.
When preparing email for a production, decide whether you need a readable representation of the message or the complete technical message source. A normal rendered or printed email view may not include every Internet header, routing entry, MIME detail, or other raw-source information.
If complete headers or raw message source are required, use your email application's View Source, View Original, Internet Headers, or equivalent feature. Then print or save that view to PDF, or save/copy the source as a TXT file and upload the resulting PDF or TXT file.
ZIP files are containers. Supported files found inside a ZIP are handled using the same conversion rules as files uploaded directly. This allows a single production set to contain a mixture of PDFs, editable documents, text files, and supported images.
File and folder ordering rules for ZIP uploads are described in the Create a Job section above.
- Review the complete document list and page counts before processing. Once a job has been processed, you generally cannot add or remove source files from that job.
- Use Document Options to inspect converted documents. The View action lets you open each normalized source PDF and review how Word documents, RTF files, text files, images, and other supported source files were converted before Bates numbering is applied.
- If a converted document does not look acceptable, correct or replace that source before the job is processed for the first time. Return to the Dashboard, locate the job in the job list, and click Edit Files. Delete the previous source file and upload the corrected or replacement file. Because a newly uploaded file is added to the end of the file list, carefully review the document order before continuing. Then click Continue to return to Bates Settings and use Document Options to reorder the documents if necessary. When exact visual reproduction is important, create a PDF locally and upload that PDF instead.
- Use Preview to check your Bates setup. Preview is intended to verify Bates placement, numbering, styling, exhibit labels, and related settings. On larger jobs, Preview uses only a limited sample of documents and pages and may not show the entire production.
- After processing, inspect the completed output files. If Bates placement, numbering, styling, exhibit settings, or other Bates Setup options need adjustment, use Revise Bates Setup to return to Bates Settings, make the changes, and process the revised setup again.
Document Options (Per-Document Controls)
The Document Options tab allows you to review and adjust settings for individual documents before processing. These controls allow individual documents to be handled differently where supported.
- Document order — determines how Bates numbers are applied across the full job.
- Skip first page (per document) — exclude the first page of specific documents from stamping.
- Rotate 180° — correct upside-down scanned documents before Bates stamping is applied.
- Make Room — slightly scales and repositions the document content to create additional space for the Bates stamp in the selected placement area. For example, if the Bates stamp is placed at the bottom right, the page content is reduced just enough to help create clearance and is shifted upward and to the left.
- Normalize — when available, fit unusually large PDF pages to Letter or Legal so Bates numbers stay a readable, professional size. This option may not appear if none of the documents in the job require normalization.
- Global settings in Bates Settings apply across the job.
- The Document Options tab provides additional controls for individual documents when you need exceptions or special handling.
- Some settings are additive rather than true overrides. For example, enabling Make room for Bates number globally applies Make Room to every document in the job.
- To use Make Room only for selected documents, leave the global setting off and enable Make room only for those documents in Document Options.
When enabled for a specific document:
- The first page receives no Bates stamp.
- No Bates number is consumed.
- Page 2 becomes the first stamped page for that document.
Use this for documents that were scanned upside down.
- The entire document is rotated before stamping.
- Bates numbers are applied after rotation.
- This ensures stamps appear correctly oriented in the final output.
Use Make Room when the Bates stamp would otherwise overlap important document content near the selected placement area. This can be especially useful for edge-to-edge documents such as police reports, forms, scans, or large images.
- The document content is scaled down slightly while preserving its proportions to create additional space for the Bates stamp.
- The content is repositioned away from the selected Bates placement area. For example, when the Bates stamp is placed at the bottom right, the document content is shifted slightly upward and to the left.
- Enable Make room for Bates number in Bates Settings to apply Make Room to all documents in the job.
- To apply Make Room only to selected documents, leave the global setting off and enable Make room for the specific documents in the Document Options tab.
- The original source file is not modified. The adjustment is applied only to the generated output.
This option is shown only when BatesNumbers detects one or more documents with page dimensions that may benefit from normalization.
Some PDF files are created with unusually large physical page dimensions, especially when images are converted to PDFs by phones, scanners, or other utilities. This can make Bates numbers appear much smaller than expected.
Use Normalize to fit those pages to a standard Letter or Legal page size before Bates stamping is applied.
- None keeps the document’s original page size.
- Fit Letter fits oversized pages to standard Letter size.
- Fit Legal fits oversized pages to standard Legal size.
- The page content is scaled down to fit the selected page size.
Use document-level settings for exceptions. Use global settings when the same behavior should apply across the entire production.
Job Setup (Bates Settings)
This is where you configure how Bates numbers are applied, preview the results, and choose how final outputs are packaged.
- Prefix — text before the number, typically a case or matter code. Separators such as - or _ can be included (e.g., ABC-, CASE_).
- Starting number — the first number in the sequence.
- Padding — minimum digits (for example, 6 becomes 000001).
- Suffix — optional text after the number, often used for revision markers or document sets (e.g., -R1, _FINAL).
SMITH-0000012024-CV-1234-000001ACME-000001-R1
- Position controls where the stamp is anchored on the page.
- Left/Right Margin and Top/Bottom Margin move the stamp inward from the page edge.
- Font size, font family, color, and bold affect the stamp’s appearance.
- White background behind Bates text can improve readability on dark scans, images, or busy document backgrounds.
Use the preview to confirm the stamp is not too close to the edge and does not overlap important document content.
- Preview uses a sample of documents and pages from the job.
- On larger jobs, the sample is limited for speed and may not show the entire production.
- Reload the preview after changing settings.
- Use it to verify placement, formatting, numbering, exhibit layout, and overall readability.
Final output uses the same saved settings across the full job.
- Exhibits are document-level, not page-level.
- Each document gets one exhibit label, and that label applies to every stamped page in that document.
- Exhibits increment by document order, not by page count.
- Mode can be alphabetic (
A, B, C) or numeric (1, 2, 3). - Exhibit starting value lets you begin from a specific letter or number, such as
A,C,1, or12. - Exhibit prefix is text shown before the exhibit value, typically
Exhibit, resulting in labels such asExhibit AorExhibit 12. If left blank, the system defaults toExhibitwhen exhibits are enabled. - Exhibit placement controls whether exhibit/custom text stays on the first line with the Bates number or moves to the second line.
BatesNumbers always orders stamp components as:
Bates → Exhibit → Custom text
- Additional line text is optional custom text added to the stamp, such as
CONFIDENTIAL, a case number, or another reference. - Separator controls how components are joined when they appear on one line. Available separator styles include bullet, pipe, and dash.
- Exhibit placement controls whether exhibit/custom text stays on the first line or moves to the second line.
SMITH-000001 • Exhibit A • CONFIDENTIAL
Everything appears on one line. This is useful when you want the full stamp compact and readable in a single row.
Line 1: SMITH-000001Line 2: Exhibit A • CONFIDENTIAL
The Bates number stays on the first line. Exhibit/custom text move to the second line when present.
Empty components are automatically omitted. BatesNumbers does not show extra separators or blank lines.
When enabled, BatesNumbers packages the completed outputs into a ZIP. This is recommended for multi-document productions and is still available for single-document jobs if you want one packaged download.
When the source came from a ZIP with nested folders, this keeps the same internal folder structure in the output ZIP.
When enabled, BatesNumbers prefixes each finished filename with its starting Bates number. This is useful for reviewing or sorting multi-document productions by Bates range.
motion.pdf may become SMITH-000101_motion.pdf
Generates bates_index.csv, a structured summary showing Bates ranges by document. This is useful for sorting, filtering, production tracking, sharing ranges with counsel, and quickly locating a document’s start/end range.
document_name, relative_path, start_bates, end_bates, page_count
Generates bates_index.pdf, a clean, landscape summary of Bates ranges by document. This format is useful for printing, production records, and internal review.
Adds text before the file extension of each finished PDF. For example, motion.pdf with _bates becomes motion_bates.pdf.
- Confirm file order is correct.
- Confirm numbering format is correct.
- Confirm preview placement and stamp layout look right.
- Confirm exhibit labels and output options are set the way you want.
- Save as my defaults stores your current Bates settings for future jobs.
- This is useful when your firm or matter type uses the same numbering format, placement, and output options repeatedly.
- Reset defaults restores the standard starting setup for the current job if you want to begin from a cleaner baseline.
Processing & Outputs
Once submitted, your job enters the processing queue. The job page shows progress information so you can see whether the job is waiting in line, actively processing, or completed.
- Queue position when the job is waiting behind other jobs
- Progress indicator showing current stage and approximate completion
- Status/detail messages describing what the worker is doing
- Preparing source files
- Planning Bates assignments
- Stamping PDFs
- Building the Bates index
- Packaging outputs
- Uploading completed files
- Bates-numbered production files, returned either as individual PDFs or as a single packaged ZIP when ZIP output is enabled
bates_index.csv— a structured Bates range index (if enabled)bates_index.pdf— a clean, landscape Bates range summary designed for printing, production records, and internal review (if enabled)
Bates index files are provided separately from the production ZIP. The ZIP is reserved for the Bates-stamped production documents.
Common Pitfalls
This is usually a document-order issue. BatesNumbers follows the job’s document order exactly. If you are already in Bates Settings, open the Document Options tab and reorder the documents as needed before processing. If the job has already been processed, click Revise Bates Setup, then use the Document Options tab to correct the document order and process the revised job.
Per-file numbering is enabled. If you are still in Bates Settings, switch the numbering mode back to Continuous if you want one sequence across the full production. If the job has already been processed, click Revise Bates Setup, change the numbering mode to Continuous, and process the revised job.
Bates numbering may be set to skip the first page globally or for an individual document. In Bates Settings, check Default: Skip Bates numbering on the first page of all documents. For individual documents, open the Document Options tab and check the Omit 1st setting. When enabled, page 1 receives no Bates stamp and no Bates number is consumed; numbering begins on page 2. If the job has already been processed, click Revise Bates Setup, adjust the appropriate global or document-level setting, and process the revised job.
First try adjusting the Bates position or margins and reload the preview. For documents with content extending close to the page edge, such as police reports, forms, scans, or large images, you can also use Make room to shrink and reposition the page content away from the Bates stamp.
To apply Make Room to an individual document, open the Document Options tab, locate that document, and enable Make room. To apply Make Room to every document in the job, enable Make room for Bates number in Bates Settings.
If the job has already been processed, click Revise Bates Setup, make the appropriate Bates Settings or Document Options changes, and process the revised job.
The source job must have come from a ZIP containing nested folders, and Preserve folder structure must be enabled in Bates Settings. If you are still in Bates Settings, enable Preserve folder structure before processing. If the job has already been processed, click Revise Bates Setup, enable Preserve folder structure, and process the revised job.
The Bates index CSV and Bates index PDF are separate output options in Bates Settings. If you are still in Bates Settings, enable Bates Index CSV and/or Bates Index PDF before processing. If the job has already been processed, click Revise Bates Setup, enable the index format(s) you want, and process the revised job.
Bates index files are provided separately from the production ZIP and are not included inside it.
This is commonly caused by unavailable fonts or differences between document-rendering environments. If exact appearance is important, embed fonts when possible or create the PDF locally from the application where the document displays correctly.
See Supported Files & Document Conversion above for detailed guidance on Word and RTF conversion, font substitution, embedding fonts, and PDF best practices.
Editable documents can repaginate when fonts, line wrapping, or rendering behavior differ. If pagination must remain exact, save or print the source to PDF before uploading it.
A normal email view may not include every Internet header, routing entry, MIME detail, or other raw-source information. If the complete message source is required, use your email application's full source, original message, or Internet headers view and save that information as a PDF or TXT file for the production. Replace the existing email document with that PDF or TXT before processing.
See Supported Files & Document Conversion above for more detailed guidance under Email evidence and complete headers.
Event Trail
The Event Trail is an immutable job history. It records setup saves, queue/processing activity, output creation, uploads, and errors. This information is read-only and cannot be modified.
- Shows what happened and when
- Helps explain why a job is still waiting or processing
- Helps troubleshoot output or worker issues
Common Questions
Why are my Bates numbers wrong?
What does continuous vs per-file mean?
What happens when Skip first page is enabled?
- Global setting: skips page 1 for every document in the job.
- Document-level setting: lets you skip page 1 for selected documents when the global setting is off.
What is the Bates index?
bates_index.csv— a structured index showing document name, relative path, start Bates, end Bates, and page count. This format is useful for sorting, filtering, production tracking, and reviewing Bates ranges.bates_index.pdf— a clean, landscape summary of Bates ranges by document. This format is useful for printing, production records, and internal review.
Will I see progress while the job is running?
Which file type gives the most predictable output?
Do I need to convert supported files to PDF myself?
If the job has not yet been processed, return to the Dashboard, locate the job, and click Edit Files. Delete the previous source file and upload the replacement PDF. Because the newly uploaded file will be added to the end of the file list, carefully review the document order before continuing. Then click Continue to return to Bates Settings and use Document Options to reorder the documents if necessary.