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What Is Bates Numbering, and Why Does Every Page Need One?

What Bates numbering is, how the numbers look, the rules courts set for them, and how they work across a merged email PDF volume in practice today.

A simple name for each page

Bates numbering gives each page its own name. The name is a code stamped on the page. No two pages in a set share the same code. That one fact makes large sets much easier to use.

Where the name Bates came from

The name comes from the Bates stamp machine. That was a hand tool that stamped numbers on paper. Each press of the tool moved the number up by one. Law offices used it to mark pages in paper sets.

What a Bates number looks like

A Bates number has two parts that work as one. The first part is a short prefix code. A prefix is a short set of letters at the start. It names the side that made the set.

The second part is a number that goes up in order. The number is padded with zeros at the front. Padding means extra zeros are added to fill the width. So the code may look like ACME-000123 in a set.

Why the zeros matter so much

Zeros keep each code the same length in a set. They also keep the codes in the right sort order. A list sorted by code then matches page order. That match saves time when you search a log.

Why each page needs its own number

In a hearing, time is short and facts must be clear. A hearing is a court session where sides present facts. A judge may ask both sides to look at one page. A Bates number makes that task take seconds.

The same need shows up in a written filing. A filing is a paper or file sent to the court. You can cite a page by its Bates number. The reader can find that page with no doubt.

A cite you can picture

Say you write a note to the other side. You say, see ACME-000123 for the key date. That short line points to one exact page. It does not point to a whole mailbox or file.

It helps far past the court room

Teams use Bates numbers in their day to day work. A lawyer can assign pages by number range. A helper can note a fact by page code. A client can ask about one page by code.

The basic rules courts set for stamps

Courts that set rules tend to ask for the same traits. The stamp must be clear and easy to read. Each number must be unique in the whole set. The numbers must run in sequence with no gaps.

The stamp must sit where it does not hide text. It should not cover a date, name, or amount. It should sit in a clear space, like a page foot. A page foot is the space at the base of a page.

More rules from a real court order

One federal court order sets these points in clear terms. Each page of a document in image form gets a stamp. The stamp is burned onto the image of the page. Burned on means it is part of the page image.

The number must name the side that made the set. It must be the same style across the whole set. It may use a hyphen or underscore, and no other marks. Those are the only special marks the order allows.

Attachments have a place in the run

An attachment is a file fixed to an email. In Bates terms, it is part of its parent mail. Its pages get numbers right after that mail. They do not get a new run of their own.

How Bates works in a merged email volume

Email sets are not like a stack of loose sheets. One mail may be short, and the next may be long. One mail may carry a large file with many pages. You can create the merged PDF first as one file.

Then you stamp a volume with Bates numbers in one run. The run starts at the first page of the volume. It does not restart when a new email starts. That steady run is what makes the set citable.

What the run covers in the volume

MBoxToPDF builds one merged PDF from your mail files. The volume starts with a cover page. Next comes a table of contents with start pages. Then the emails come in date order, oldest first.

Where the stamp sits on the page

On MBoxToPDF, the stamp sits in the page foot. It is shown in dark red so it stands out. It does not sit on top of the mail text. You can spot it fast on each page you open.

Each email starts with a header block at the top. The block shows From, To, and Cc fields. It also shows Date, Subject, and Message-ID. The Bates stamp and the header serve two distinct jobs.

Who sets the prefix and start number

You set both parts before you run the export. You pick a prefix that names your side or firm. You pick the number where the run should start. A set may start at one, with zeros to pad the number.

The cover page shows the full range

The cover page prints the full range of the volume. It shows the first Bates number in the set. It shows the last Bates number in the set. A reader can check the span as soon as they open it.

The CSV index maps each email to its range

A merged set needs a map back to each email. Starter and Pro give a metadata CSV index for that job. CSV is a plain table file that most tools can open. It has one row for each email in the set.

Each row gives the first Bates number for that email. It also gives the last Bates number for that email. Those fields are named bates_start and bates_end. With them, a cite can be traced to its message.

What else the index row holds

Each row shows the date the mail was sent. It shows who sent it and who got it. It shows who was copied and what the subject was. It lists the names of files fixed to the mail.

A worked walk from cite to source mail

Say a note cites a page near the end of a set. You open the CSV index in a sheet tool. You find the row whose range holds that page code. That row names the email that holds the page.

This map is why the index is worth keeping. Keep it with the PDF in your case folder. Send it with the set if the ask calls for it. Guard it as you would guard the set itself.

Table: Example Bates ranges for a small set

This table shows how ranges look in a small set. The prefix is ACME for each row in the table. Each email takes the next range with no gap. Attachments are shown as part of their parent mail.

Common mistake one: The count restarts

A restart is a fault that can break page stamps. It can happen when a set is built in parts. Each part starts at one, and codes repeat at once. Two pages then share one name, which breaks the system.

Common mistake two: Gaps in the run

A gap means some codes in the run were skipped. A page may have been dropped when files were joined. A mail may have failed and been left out in silence. The codes then jump, and a reader will ask why.

Check the first and last code against the page count. Open the CSV and look for flags in the rows. On this tool, locked or broken mails are flagged in the CSV. They are not dropped in silence from your set.

Common mistake three: The stamp covers text

A stamp in the wrong place can hide key words. It may cover a date at the foot of a mail. It may cover a sum in a file fixed to a mail. A court rule may bar stamps that hide content.

Keep the stamp in a clear space on the page. The foot of the page is the best place for it. Test the first pages of your set on screen. If text is hard to read, fix the run and start again.

Common mistake four: A vague or wrong prefix

A prefix should name the side that made the set. A vague prefix like DOC or FILE tells you too little. Two sides may pick the same vague prefix by chance. Their codes can then clash when sets are joined.

Common mistake five: Files split from their mail

A file fixed to a mail has context from that mail. The mail may say why the file was sent that day. It may say what draft the file is, or who wrote it. Split from the mail, the file can be misread.

A note on files that do not become pages

Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files work in a distinct way. They are not turned into pages in the volume. They are listed in the set and kept inside the PDF. They are also placed in the ZIP pack for review.

How to stamp an email set, step by step

First, gather the mail files you need for the set. They may be MBOX, EML, or MSG files. An MBOX file holds many mails in one file. An EML file holds one mail, and MSG comes from Outlook.

Next, cut the set down if it is too broad. Then build the merged PDF in date order. Last, set your Bates prefix and start number. Run the export once and check the full set with care.

Cutting the set before you stamp it

Stamping a set that is too broad wastes your range. It also sends mail the case did not ask for. Pro lets you cut by date range before export. You set a start date and an end date for the set.

Pro also lets you cut by keyword before export. The keyword can match the subject of a mail. It can match the sender or the body text. Cut first, then stamp the smaller set that remains.

Where Bates fits in the wider case work

Bates numbering is one step in a larger task. First you keep mail safe and gather the right sources. Then you cut, sort, and build the set as one file. Then you stamp it and log what you sent.

You can read the full flow in the guide to prepare email for discovery here. That guide walks through each step in order. It also shows what can go wrong at each step. Use both guides side by side for a live case.

Plans that include Bates numbering

Bates numbering is part of Bates numbering on the Pro plan only. Pro costs 29 dollars per month. It gives 100 conversions in each month of the plan. Files can be up to 1 GB in size on Pro.

Each Pro run can hold up to 10,000 emails. That is room for a large mailbox in one volume. Only a good conversion counts toward your month limit. Failed runs do not use up your allowance for the month.

How the other plans compare

The Free plan gives three conversions each month. Files can be up to 25 MB in size. Each run can hold up to 100 emails. It gives the merged PDF only, with no Bates stamps.

Starter costs 15 dollars per month for more room. It gives 30 conversions and files up to 200 MB. Each run can hold up to 2,000 emails. It adds the CSV index and the ZIP pack.

Privacy while you build the set

Your files travel to the site over HTTPS. HTTPS is a safe link that guards data in transit. Files are worked on by the server for your run. They are deleted on their own after 24 hours.

Keep your own copy of the stamped PDF and index. Do not rely on the tool as long term storage. Your case folder is the home for the final set. That folder should hold your notes on prefix and start too.

A quick check list before you send a set

Check that the first page code matches the cover range. Check that the last page code matches it too. Flip through pages and make sure no stamp hides text. Search the index for one mail and test its range.

Check that no code is used on two pages. Check that there are no gaps in the run. Check that files sit right after their parent mail. If each check passes, the set is ready to send.

Why this old system still works so well

The Bates idea is old, plain, and hard to beat. One page, one code, in one clear order. It needs no special tool for the reader to use. A judge, a lawyer, or a client can all use it.

That is why courts still ask for it by name. That is why email sets for court still need it. Stamp your set well, log it well, and keep your copy. Those three habits will serve you in each case.

References

• U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania — ESI Production Order, Bates Numbering section