Stamp every page with a consistent legal prefix and a zero-padded, sequential number — the way courts and litigation teams expect.
Bates numbering (also called Bates stamping) is the practice of giving every
page in a set of documents a unique, sequential identifier — usually a fixed prefix followed by
a zero-padded number, like MAYA-000001, MAYA-000002, and so on. It is
standard in litigation, discovery, and court filings because it lets everyone refer to the
exact same page unambiguously, no matter how the documents are later split or reordered.
MAYA-,
PET-, RESP-).000001)
so numbers sort correctly and look consistent.When a matter involves hundreds or thousands of pages — bundles, annexures, exhibits — you need to be able to say "see page RESP-000342" and have everyone land on the same page instantly. Bates numbers make citations precise, protect against missing or inserted pages, and create a stable reference that survives copying and printing. For Indian advocates preparing paper-books and e-filings, consistent numbering is often a practical requirement.
Like MayaPDF's other page tools, Bates numbering runs entirely in your browser. Your privileged and confidential case files are not uploaded to any server to be stamped — the numbering is applied locally and you download the result. For legal work, keeping the document on your own machine is exactly the property you want.
Bates numbering sits alongside the rest of MayaPDF's page tools — merge and split (to assemble bundles), page numbers and headers/footers, watermarks (e.g. "DRAFT" or "CONFIDENTIAL"), bilingual stamps (Approved / स्वीकृत), redaction, and password protection. You can assemble a bundle, Bates-stamp it, and protect it, all in one place.
MAYA-).Because you can merge first and then number, a multi-document bundle receives one continuous sequence — page 1 of the first document through the last page of the last document — exactly as a court bundle expects.
It is worth being clear about the difference. Ordinary page numbers restart with each document and describe a page's position within that document. Bates numbers are unique across the entire production set and never repeat, which is what makes them citable in pleadings and correspondence. MayaPDF supports both, so you can add friendly page numbers for readers and Bates numbers for the record.
Bates numbering is available in the 14-day free trial (no credit card), and unlimited on MayaPDF Pro at ₹999/year. Trial exports carry a small "MayaPDF Trial" footer line; your original uploaded files are never watermarked.