Category: Guides

What you are actually doing

Adding Bates numbers means stamping a unique, sequential identifier on every page of a document set so that any single page can be cited later without ambiguity. You do four things in order: fix the set order, decide the number format, apply the stamp, then proofread against the source. The stamp itself takes a minute. The decisions around it take longer, and they are the part that gets challenged.

Bates numbering is a labeling job, not a legal review. This page covers the labeling sequence. Whether a page is privileged, relevant, or properly produced is a question for the lawyer on the matter, and nothing here changes that.

Step 1: Freeze the set before you number it

A Bates number is only useful if it stays attached to the same page. So settle the page order first.

• Deduplicate. Two copies of the same email with different filenames will get two ranges and confuse everyone reading the index. Merge and de-duplicate before numbering, not after.
• Put the set in the order the index will use. For a production, that is usually chronological by document date, with attachments immediately behind their parent. For a deposition exhibit set, it is exhibit order. Whatever you choose, write it down before you start.
• Merge into a single PDF. Numbering across separate files works, but a single running sequence across one merged file is far harder to get wrong. If your set arrives as many files, merge them first so the sequence has one source of truth.
• Count the pages. You need the total before you pick a starting number, so you can confirm at the end that nothing was skipped.

Do not start stamping while the set is still moving. Renumbering a set that already went out is the kind of error that shows up in a meet-and-confer call.

Step 2: Choose the number format

Three variables: prefix, digits, and separator.

• Prefix. Usually the producing party’s short name, the matter, or a client code. Conventionally uppercase letters, often with a trailing dash or underscore. Pick one and do not vary it mid-set.
• Digits. A fixed width keeps the numbers sortable and makes gaps visible. Six or seven digits is common for a production because it leaves room to grow. If your set is small, fewer digits is fine as long as the width is identical on every page.
• Start value. Most sets start at 000001 or at the next number after the last production. Ask the lawyer which one applies before you stamp; if there was a prior production, continuing the sequence matters.

On the Bates numbering tool, you set the prefix, starting number, digit count, and position, then apply across the whole file in one pass. Because the file never leaves the browser, you can run a test on two pages, look at it, and re-run with different settings without a round trip.

Decision	Common setting	What breaks if you get it wrong
Prefix	Party or matter code, uppercase, trailing separator	Conflicting prefixes across a set make the index ambiguous
Digit width	Fixed, identical on every page	Variable width breaks sort order and hides skipped pages
Start number	000001, or continue from last production	Restarting mid-matter creates duplicate citations
Placement	Bottom right or top right, outside the text block	Stamping over text destroys the page you are identifying
Blank pages	Numbered, or explicitly excluded by agreement	Silent gaps look like withheld pages
File name vs stamp	Keep original name, track stamp in the index	Renaming to the stamp range loses the source identity

The last row matters more than people expect. You want to be able to answer “which original file is now ABC-000412” six months from now.

Step 3: Place the stamp so it does not cover content

Placement is a readability decision. A stamp in the bottom right corner clears most letter and legal page layouts, but it will sit on top of footers, page numbers, and signature blocks that already live there.

• Run a test on the pages most likely to collide: a page with a dense footer, a page with a signature block, a landscape page, and a scanned page that fills the frame.
• If the footer is busy, move to the top right, or shift the stamp margin in a few points.
• Rotated and landscape pages are the usual failure. Check that the stamp lands the same way the page reads, not sideways.
• Use a stamp color that survives printing and photocopying in grayscale. Light gray at small size is often invisible on a second-generation copy.

If a page cannot take a stamp without covering text, the usual fix is to add a small amount of white margin rather than stamp on top of the content.

Step 4: Proofread against the source, not against the screen

This is the step people skip. Do it anyway.

1. Confirm the page count of the numbered output matches the page count of the input.
2. Read the first number and the last number out loud and check them against the total: last minus first plus one should equal the page count.
3. Spot check five or six pages spread through the set, including the first page of each merged document.
4. Check that every stamp is unique. Duplicates are the error that causes the most downstream pain.
5. Open the file at 100 percent zoom on a page with small text and confirm the stamp is legible.
6. Keep the unnumbered source file. Always.

If the numbers are right but the order is wrong, fix the order and renumber. Do not patch individual pages by hand; hand-patched sequences are where duplicates come from.

When this does not apply

Bates numbering is a working convention, not a rule that fits every set.

• Single-page documents going to a counterparty for signature usually do not need a stamp. A page identifier adds nothing and can make a plain contract look like a production.
• Court or agency rules that specify a numbering format override everything on this page. If the local rules or a standing order say where and how to number, follow those, not this.
• Native-file productions may not be numbered page by page at all, or may be numbered by a load file instead. Check the production protocol before you stamp anything.
• Sets still under review for privilege or redaction should not be numbered and produced in one go. Numbering implies the set is final.
• Confidentiality and privilege calls are not labeling decisions. If a page’s status is unclear, that page waits for the lawyer. No tool resolves it.

One more boundary: a correct stamp does not make a document admissible, complete, or properly produced. It makes it findable. The lawyer on the matter still has to sign off on what is in the set and what is withheld.

How long it takes

For most sets the stamping itself is a couple of minutes; the set preparation and the proof pass take the rest. The practical measure is: one pass to merge and de-duplicate, one pass to stamp, one pass to proof. If you find yourself on a fourth pass, the set order was not settled before you started.

Use the word counter if you need to confirm a cover index or privilege log entry length matches what the filing format allows, and the date calculator if a production deadline is running against a service date and you need the interval in plain days.

FAQ

Should I number blank pages in a Bates set?
Usually yes, so the sequence has no gaps that look like withheld pages. Some agreements allow skipping them. Confirm the convention for the matter before you decide.

Where do Bates numbers usually go on the page?
Bottom right or top right, outside the body text, same place on every page. Check landscape and rotated pages separately, and keep the stamp legible on a grayscale copy.

Can I add Bates numbers to a document set without uploading it?
Yes, if the tool runs in the browser. On this site the file is processed locally and never sent to a server, so the set stays on your machine.

How many digits should a Bates number have?
Enough digits to cover the whole set plus room for later productions, used at a fixed width on every page. A common choice is six or seven digits starting at 000001, or continuing from the last number already produced.

FAQ

Should I number blank pages in a Bates set?

Usually yes, so the sequence has no gaps that look like withheld pages. Some agreements allow skipping them. Confirm the convention for the matter before you decide.

Where do Bates numbers usually go on the page?

Bottom right or top right, outside the body text, same place on every page. Check landscape and rotated pages separately, and keep the stamp legible on a grayscale copy.

Can I add Bates numbers to a document set without uploading it?

Yes, if the tool runs in the browser. On this site the file is processed locally and never sent to a server, so the set stays on your machine.

How many digits should a Bates number have?

Enough digits to cover the whole set plus room for later productions, used at a fixed width on every page. A common choice is six or seven digits starting at 000001, or continuing from the last number already produced.

Counting words in a document takes less than a minute if you use the right tool for the format. Open the file, select all, and read the count your editor already shows. If you are working in a browser or need a count without installing anything, paste the text into a page like the Word Counter and read the number it returns. The steps below cover the three common situations: a document you can edit, a PDF, and plain text. Each step includes the failure mode that makes the count wrong.

Step 1: Open the document in an editor that shows a live count

If the file is a .docx, .odt, .rtf, or .txt, open it in a word processor. Most editors display a running word count in the status bar at the bottom of the window. Click that number to open a dialog with more detail: words, characters with and without spaces, paragraphs, and lines. The failure mode here is trusting the status bar after you have closed and reopened the file. Some editors cache the count until you press a key. Click into the body of the document and press an arrow key once, then read the number again.

Step 2: Select the text you actually want counted

If you want a count for a section rather than the whole file, select that section before you read the count. In most editors, selecting text changes the status bar to show the selected word count. The failure mode is selecting with the mouse and missing a trailing paragraph mark or a line break. Press Ctrl+A or Cmd+A to select everything first, then hold Shift and click the start of the section to adjust the selection. For a section count, place the cursor at the start, hold Shift, and click the end. The status bar should now read something like “Selected: 412 words.”

Step 3: Include or exclude headers, footnotes, and text boxes

The default count in most word processors includes footnotes, endnotes, and text in headers and footers. That is usually wrong for a submission with a word limit. Open the word count dialog and look for a checkbox labeled “Include textboxes, footnotes and endnotes.” Clear it if the limit applies only to the body. The failure mode is assuming the dialog setting applies to the status bar. In several editors it does not; the status bar count always includes those elements. To get a body-only count, select the main text from the first word to the last and read the selected count instead.

Step 4: Handle hyphenated words and numbers the same way every time

Word processors differ on how they treat hyphenated compounds. Some count “well-known” as one word, others as two. Numbers like “2024” count as one word; “$1,200.50” also counts as one word in most editors. If the document has many hyphenated terms, the count can vary by a few percent between editors. The failure mode is comparing a count from one program to a limit set by another. Do the final count in the same program the recipient will use, or agree on a rule: count hyphenated words as one and numbers as one. Then apply that rule by checking a sample paragraph manually.

Step 5: Count words in a PDF

PDFs do not store words the way text files do. Open the PDF in a viewer and try to select all the text. If the selection covers the whole page as one block, the file has a text layer. Copy the selected text and paste it into a word counter or a blank document. The failure mode is a scanned PDF, which has no text layer. Selecting gives you either nothing or a single image. In that case the count has to come from OCR or from the original source file. Do not guess. If you only have the scan, run OCR in a tool that handles it locally, then count the result.

Step 6: Paste into a browser word counter for a second opinion

When you need a count without opening a full editor, or you want to check a selection after pasting from a PDF, paste the text into a browser tool. The Word Counter runs in the page and updates as you type. Paste with Ctrl+V or Cmd+V, then read the word and character counts. The failure mode is pasting formatted text that carries hidden line breaks. Those breaks split words and inflate the count. Paste as plain text first (Ctrl+Shift+V in most browsers) to strip formatting and keep the count honest.

Format trade-offs and what breaks

Format	How to get a count	What usually breaks
.docx / .odt	Status bar or word count dialog	Headers and footnotes included by default; dialog setting not applied to status bar
.pdf with text layer	Select all, copy, paste into counter	Line breaks split hyphenated words; ligatures and special characters miscount
.pdf scanned	OCR first, then count	No text layer means no count; OCR errors merge or split words
Plain text (.txt)	Editor status bar or browser counter	Trailing spaces and tabs counted as characters, not words
Web page or email draft	Browser counter or editor count	Signature blocks and quoted replies inflate the count

Special cases that change the number

Tables: most editors count each cell as separate words. A table with many short cells can add hundreds of words to the total. If your limit excludes tables, select only the paragraphs outside the table. Bulleted and numbered lists count normally, but the bullet character itself does not count as a word. Citations: bracketed references like [1] count as one word. If the style guide excludes citations, remove them before counting. Track changes: a document with tracked changes counts both inserted and deleted text in some editors. Accept or reject all changes before you take the final count.

When this does not apply

This method does not apply when the word limit is defined by a publisher or court rule that specifies its own counting method. Some rules count characters instead of words, or count words in a specific section only. Follow the rule, not the editor default. This method also does not apply to languages without spaces between words, such as Chinese or Japanese, where a word count depends on a segmentation dictionary. In those cases use a counter built for that language. And if the document is a form with fixed fields, the count is whatever the form says it is; do not recount it by hand.

A note on privacy

File tools on Koumen Tools run in the browser, so the document never leaves your machine when you use them. That matters for contracts, medical records, and anything under a confidentiality agreement. The word counter is one of them. If you are counting a client document, keep the file local and paste only the text you need into the counter, or use the editor’s built-in count.

FAQ

How do I count words in a PDF without selecting all the text?
Open the PDF in a viewer that has a word count feature, or copy the text page by page into a word counter. If the PDF is a scan, you must run OCR first; there is no shortcut.

Why does my word count change when I open the document in a different program?
Different programs treat hyphenated words, numbers, headers, and footnotes differently. Pick one program for the final count, or agree on a rule with the recipient and apply it manually to a sample.

Does a word counter count spaces?
Word counts do not include spaces; character counts do. A browser counter usually shows both: words, characters with spaces, and characters without spaces. Use the character count when a limit is set in characters.

Can I count words in a Google Doc?
Yes. Open the document, go to Tools, then Word count, or press Ctrl+Shift+C on Windows or Cmd+Shift+C on a Mac. The dialog shows the count for the whole document or for a selection, and you can check a box to include footnotes.

FAQ

how do i count words in a pdf without selecting all text

Use a PDF viewer that shows a word count, or copy the text page by page into a word counter. If the PDF is a scan, run OCR first. Selecting all often grabs line breaks that split words, so paste as plain text.

why does my word count change in different programs

Programs disagree on hyphenated words, numbers, headers, and footnotes. Count in the program the recipient will use, or set a rule and check a sample paragraph manually to keep the number consistent.

does a word counter count spaces

Word counts do not include spaces. A word counter usually shows words and characters separately, so use the character count when a limit is set in characters rather than words.

can i count words in a google doc

Yes. Open the document and go to Tools, then Word count, or press Ctrl+Shift+C on Windows or Cmd+Shift+C on a Mac. The dialog shows the whole document or just the selection.