Stamp sequential Bates numbers on PDFs, entirely in your browser
Click or drag PDF files here — order matters (numbering is sequential)
| Choice | Common Practice | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Prefix | Party or matter abbreviation, 3–6 characters, often hyphenated | SMITH-, DEF-, PLTF-PROD- |
| Digits | 6 digits (999,999 numbers) typical; 7 for large matters | SMITH-000042 |
| Start number | 1, or the next number after a prior production set | Resume at 000146 |
| Position | Consistent spot in the margin — bottom right or bottom center most common | 36 pt from edge, 9 pt type |
| Privilege marker | Suffix or embedded tag on privileged / expert pages | SMITH-000101-P |
| Suffix | Set identifier when multiple productions share a prefix | -A, -B, -RESP |
| Page Size | Points | Inches | Where the Default 36 pt Margin Sits |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Letter | 612 × 792 | 8.5 × 11 | 0.5 in from every edge |
| US Legal | 612 × 1008 | 8.5 × 14 | 0.5 in from every edge |
| A4 | 595.28 × 841.89 | 8.27 × 11.69 | 0.5 in (12.7 mm) from every edge |
The stamp lands at the margin you set from the nearest edges; 36 pt = half an inch, which clears most copier holes and footer text. The tool reads each page's own dimensions, so a mixed set of Letter and Legal pages stamps consistently on both.
Bates numbering assigns one unique identifier per page across a whole document set, in order. The tool loads your PDFs with the open-source pdf-lib engine, walks every page of every file in queue order, computes prefix + zero-padded counter + suffix, and draws it as real text at your chosen position. Because the number is a text object (Helvetica, your size), it stays selectable and searchable — you can find "SMITH-000117" with any PDF reader's search, which is how citations to produced pages get verified.
Total pages = sum of every file's page count. With a start number s, page p of the merged queue gets s + p − 1, zero-padded to your digit width. Six digits accommodate 999,999 numbers; if your last number would exceed the width, widen the digit count before stamping — padding must stay constant across the set.
A three-document production: a 24-page contract, a 12-page email thread, and a 9-page expert report — 24 + 12 + 9 = 45 pages. Stamping with prefix SMITH-, start 101, six digits: the contract gets SMITH-000101 through SMITH-000124, the email thread SMITH-000125 through SMITH-000136, and the report SMITH-000137 through SMITH-000145. On US Letter at the defaults (bottom right, 9 pt Helvetica, 36 pt margin), each label measures 61.02 pt wide, so its left edge sits at x = 612 − 36 − 61.02 = 514.98 pt, baseline 24 pt up from the bottom edge. A second production batch would start at 146: SMITH-000146.
Bates-numbered documents are the definition of sensitive: medical records, trade secrets, personnel files. This page loads pdf-lib (MIT-licensed, maintained as @cantoo/pdf-lib) once from a CDN, then every stamp runs locally through the browser's FileReader and Blob APIs. Zero uploads, zero server-side copies, and the page keeps working offline after it loads.
Bates numbering stamps a unique sequential identifier on every page of a document set — for example SMITH-000101, SMITH-000102, SMITH-000103 — so any page can be cited exactly during discovery, depositions, and filings. It started as a physical stamp invented by the Bates Manufacturing Company in the 1890s; today it is applied to PDFs, where the numbers are real selectable text rather than ink.
Yes. Load the files in the order you want them produced, and the counter runs through the whole set: a 24-page contract, a 12-page email thread, and a 9-page exhibit numbered from 101 with a SMITH- prefix end at SMITH-000145. That single continuous sequence is the entire point of Bates numbering — the numbers must be unique across the production, not just within each file.
No. The tool reads each uploaded file, writes the number onto a copy in memory, and gives you that copy as a download. Your originals on disk are never touched. The stamped numbers are added as real text objects, so they stay selectable, searchable, and legible at any zoom — unlike a screenshot-style stamp.
Six digits (999,999 pages) is the most common choice and covers virtually any production; seven digits is the conservative convention for very large matters. The digit count sets the zero-padding — with six digits, page 42 stamps as 000042 — and it must stay constant across the set, so pick the width your largest plausible production fits.
There is no rule fixing the position; consistency is what matters. Bottom-right and bottom-center are the most common on letter-size documents, with the number placed inside the margin — this tool defaults to bottom-right, 36 points from the edge, 9pt Helvetica. Avoid stamping over content: if footers are busy, move to top-right or increase the margin.
Yes. Stamping happens entirely in your browser with the open-source pdf-lib engine; files are read into memory, stamped, and handed back as downloads. Nothing is uploaded to any server, which matters — Bates-numbered documents are by definition the sensitive kind. Check the network tab: zero requests during stamping.