⚖️ Bates Numbering WASM
Add sequential Bates numbers to every page of your PDF — the standard format for legal discovery, insurance claims, and document production.
ABC-000001 is the modern standard — prefix ABC, six padded digits starting at 1. Configure any combination below.
Upload PDF
Drop your PDF below. Bates numbers will be applied to every page.
document.pdf
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Number Format
Position
Color
Options
Live Preview
Upload a PDF
Your first page will appear here with the Bates stamp in its final position.
How to Add Bates Numbers
Upload Your PDF
Drop a file. Preview appears instantly with live updates.
Configure the Stamp
Pick prefix, starting number, digits, position, font size, and color.
Apply & Download
Get your Bates-numbered PDF — the original stays untouched.
Frequently Asked Questions
The most common format is ABC-000001 — a three-letter prefix (often the client's initials), a dash, then a zero-padded number. Six digits is the industry standard for litigation, giving you up to 999,999 pages per set before you need more digits. Larger firms use longer prefixes like SMITH-CASE-0000001.
Every page — that's the whole point of Bates numbering. It creates an unbroken audit trail so anyone can cite "page ABC-000547" and know exactly which document and page they mean. That said, you can skip cover pages using the "Start From Page" option if you don't want to number a title page.
Bottom right is the industry default — it's where reviewers expect to find it and where it's least likely to overlap existing content. Some firms prefer bottom center for double-sided printing, or top right for documents that get hole-punched at the bottom. Pick whichever fits your workflow.
Yes — but this tool handles one PDF at a time. The workflow is: apply Bates to the first PDF, note the next number (shown in the preview strip), then upload the second PDF and set its start number to continue the sequence. Batch numbering across many files is coming in a future update.
No. Bates numbers are burned into the PDF as actual page content — they're not annotations, sticky notes, or form fields. This is intentional: legal Bates numbers must be tamper-evident, so anyone can see if a number was altered after production. The original PDF is untouched; a new stamped copy is created.
No. Everything runs in your browser using pdf-lib. Your files never leave your device — safe for privileged attorney work product and confidential client documents.