Bates Stamping Made Simple: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How to Do It Right

08 January 2026 by Uday eDiscovery bates-stamping bates-numbers production

If you’ve handled discovery even once, you’ve seen Bates numbers everywhere. On PDFs. In emails. Quoted in motions and court filings. They’re so common that people rarely stop to explain them. But Bates stamping isn’t just a formality. It’s one of the foundations of organized, defensible discovery. When done well, everything moves faster. When done poorly, minor problems turn into big ones.

This guide covers what a Bates stamp is, why Bates stamping in litigation matters, and how to Bates-stamp legal documents. We’ll also look at how GoldFynch handles ediscovery Bates stamping in a way that actually fits modern legal workflows.

What is a Bates stamp?

A Bates stamp is a unique identifier added to each page of a document. It usually includes a short prefix and a sequential number, like:

CASEA_000001
CASEA_000002

So when people ask what a Bates stamp is, the short answer is this: it’s how legal teams refer to specific pages without confusion.

What is Bates stamping, then? It’s the process of applying those numbers consistently across a set of documents so everyone is always talking about the same page.

Why Bates stamping matters in litigation

Bates stamping in litigation isn’t just tradition. It solves real, everyday problems during discovery.

Here’s why it matters:

It makes documents easy to reference in emails, depositions, and motions
It helps prove that a production hasn’t been altered
It keeps review teams aligned, especially on large cases
It meets the court and opposing counsel’s expectations

In short, Bates stamping for discovery keeps things orderly when document volumes get messy, which they always do.

Bates stamping and modern eDiscovery

Back when discovery meant boxes of paper, Bates stamping was physical. Today, nearly everything is digital, and eDiscovery Bates stamping must operate at scale.

Modern discovery tools need to:

Handle thousands of files at once
Stamp PDFs and other legal documents without damaging text or formatting
Maintain numbering across multiple productions
Avoid errors when documents are added later

That’s where manual methods start to break down.

How does Bates stamping work?

At its core, Bates stamping is pretty straightforward:

Documents are collected for production
A numbering format is chosen
Each page gets a unique number
The stamped documents are produced

What makes it tricky is volume, file types, and revisions. That’s why using an eDiscovery tool like GoldFynch matters just as much as the process itself.

How to Bates stamp a legal document

If you’re figuring out how to Bates stamp a legal document, here’s a simple way to think about it.

Pick a clear numbering format: Choose a prefix and number length that make sense for the case and won’t run out halfway through production.

Use the right tool: Basic PDF editors can apply numbers, but they weren’t built for discovery. For anything beyond a handful of documents, you’ll want software like GoldFynch that is designed for legal workflows.

Apply and review: Apply the stamps, then spot-check the output. Look for missing pages, duplicate numbers, or stamps that cover text.

This applies to all formats, whether you’re stamping Word files, images, or PDFs.

How GoldFynch makes Bates stamping easier

GoldFynch was built for eDiscovery, and that shows in how it handles Bates stamping legal documents.

Easy setup: You define your prefix, starting number, and placement once for each production. GoldFynch handles the rest automatically.

Supports multiple file types: GoldFynch stamps multiple file types directly, so you don’t lose searchability or have to jump between tools. Making applying Bates stamps far less time-consuming.

Applied only to produced documents: GoldFynch applies the Bates stamp to the produced version of a document, not the original file. That means your source documents stay clean and unchanged.

Note: So, if you need to reproduce documents later, adjust numbering, or create a new production set, you can do so without encountering conflicts or re-uploading files. This approach makes Bates stamping for discovery far more flexible and defensible.

Built for real discovery volumes: Whether it’s a small production or tens of thousands of pages, GoldFynch keeps numbering consistent and gap-free.

Integrated with your production workflow: Because Bates stamping is part of the platform, not an afterthought, you don’t have to rework numbers every time documents move through review or production.

The bottom line on Bates stamping

Bates stamping may look like a small detail, but it touches almost every part of discovery. When numbering is clean and consistent, reviews go faster, references are clearer, and productions are easier to defend.

Understanding what Bates stamping is and using tools built for ediscovery reduces friction in the process. GoldFynch brings Bates stamping directly into the modern eDiscovery workflow, so you can spend less time fixing numbering issues and more time moving the case forward.

Because in discovery, the less you have to think about Bates numbers, the better your day usually goes.

Need to Bates stamp your documents? Try GoldFynch

It’s an easy-to-use eDiscovery service that’s perfect for small- and midsize law firms and companies.

It costs just $10 a month for a 1 GB case: That’s significantly less than most comparable software. With GoldFynch, you know what you’re paying for exactly – its pricing is simple and readily available on the website.
It’s easy to budget for. GoldFynch charges only for storage (processing is free). So, choose from a range of plans (1 GB to 150+ GB) and know upfront how much you’ll be paying. It takes just a few clicks to move from one plan to another, and billing is prorated – so you’ll pay only for the time you spend on any given plan. With legacy software, pricing is much less predictable.
It’s simple to use. Many eDiscovery applications take hours to master. GoldFynch takes minutes. It handles a lot of complex processing in the background, but what you see is minimal and intuitive. Just drag-and-drop your files into GoldFynch and you’re good to go. Plus, it’s designed, developed, and run by the same team. So you get prompt and reliable tech support.
It keeps you flexible. To build a defensible case, you need to be able to add and delete files freely. Many applications charge to process each file you upload, so you’ll be reluctant to let your case organically shrink and grow. And this stifles you. With GoldFynch, you get unlimited processing for free. So, on a 1 GB plan, you could add and delete 5 GB of data at no extra cost – as long as there’s only 1 GB in your case at any point. And if you do cross 1 GB, your plan upgrades automatically and you’ll be charged for only the time spent on each plan. That’s the beauty of prorated pricing.
Access it from anywhere. And 24/7. All your files are backed up and secure in the Cloud.

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