How-to guide

How to Bates number a PDF without Adobe Acrobat

You can Bates number a PDF either in Adobe Acrobat Pro or with a free browser-based tool; if you want to skip the Acrobat subscription, Batesmark does the same job in three steps.

Open the free Bates numbering tool Read the Bates numbering explainer

Two ways to Bates number a PDF

If your office already uses Acrobat Pro, you can stay in that workflow. If you just need to stamp a production quickly without paying for Adobe, Batesmark is the simpler path.

Method 1: Acrobat Pro

Best when your team already has Acrobat Pro and wants to number a defined Bates set inside Adobe's desktop workflow.

Method 2: Batesmark

Best when you want a free, no-install way to stamp multiple PDFs and export production files from the browser.

Method 1: Bates number PDFs in Adobe Acrobat Pro

The general Acrobat Pro flow is to open the Edit PDF tool, start the Bates Numbering dialog, add the files you want in the Bates set, then configure the numbering before applying it.

  1. Open Acrobat Pro and go to Tools > Edit PDF.
  2. Choose Bates Numbering, then Add, and add the PDFs you want numbered.
  3. Arrange the files in the order you want the sequence to run.
  4. Set the start number, digit count, prefix or suffix, and the header or footer position for the stamp.
  5. Apply the numbering, then review a sample page to confirm placement.

The tradeoff is cost: this method requires a paid Acrobat Pro subscription. If you need one continuous range across multiple PDFs, make sure those files are in the same Bates set before you apply numbering.

Method 2: Bates number PDFs without Adobe Acrobat

Batesmark handles the same core job in the browser and keeps the numbering continuous across the full batch.

  1. Upload one or more PDFs in the order you want produced.
  2. Set the stamp format, such as PREFIX-000001, choose the starting number, and pick the page position.
  3. Download the stamped PDFs, DAT load file, and CSV Bates log.

Free and no install

No subscription, no desktop install, and no signup step before you start.

Processed locally

Your PDFs are stamped locally in the browser instead of being uploaded.

Continuous across files

The sequence carries from one PDF to the next in the same batch.

Production exports included

Download the stamped PDFs plus the DAT load file and CSV Bates log.

Need the fastest path?

Open the tool and stamp the PDFs now, or jump back to the software overview and explainer if you want the broader workflow first.

Start Bates stamping Visit the software page Visit the explainer

Can you Bates number a PDF for free?

Yes. Batesmark lets you upload PDFs, set the stamp, and download numbered files without a subscription or signup.

How do I Bates stamp without Adobe Acrobat?

Upload the PDFs to Batesmark, choose the prefix, digits, start number, and position, then download the stamped PDFs and DAT load file.

Does Bates numbering work across multiple PDFs?

Yes. The sequence stays continuous across the batch so the next file starts where the previous file ends.