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The production log,written in the same export.

Production letters and logs list what was produced and which Bates range each item received. BatesBind writes that record while it numbers, as an index PDF and a CSV, so the log reflects the files that actually went out.

Export copies and the CSV index is written beside them: each file's Bates range, pages, output name, and SHA-256 hash, ready to open in Excel.

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Full BatesBind overview
One-time purchase No telemetry Local-first

windows · originals never changed · nothing uploads · 15-day free trial

If this sounds like your week

The log is often typed after the stamping is done.

When numbers are stamped document by document, the record of what each one received appears on screen for a moment and then is gone. Someone reopens every stamped PDF, reads its first and last label, counts its sheets, and types all of it into a spreadsheet for the cover letter. On a set of forty documents that is eighty values copied manually, none of them checked against the output.

Where tooling usually breaks

A log that disagrees with the production raises questions later.

A transposed digit, a document left off the list, or a renamed copy that stops matching its row tends to surface months afterward, when someone cites a page or asks about a missing span. Some ESI protocols ask that skipped numbers be explained in the cover letter, so an unnoticed gap becomes something to account for. And a typed list says nothing about whether the files delivered are the files listed.

Where BatesBind lands

The index comes from the same plan as the stamps.

BatesBind builds its index from the plan it numbers with, so rows and stamped pages share one source. Export copies writes the numbered files plus the index as PDF and CSV into the folder you pick. The CSV holds each document's position, exhibit label, name, output name, pages, first and last Bates, SHA-256 hash, and a note for slip sheets or exclusions. Excel opens it with accents intact.

Pay once. Own it forever.

One-time purchase on the Microsoft Store · No subscription · Instant install

Get it from Microsoft

Buy through the Microsoft Store—instant install, automatic updates, and a Microsoft receipt for easy expensing. No account needed on our site, and no subscription on Store purchases.

Learn more about BatesBind

windows · originals never changed · nothing uploads · 15-day free trial

What you get

Feature highlights

One continuous range

every PDF in a folder is numbered in the order you set, with a prefix, a suffix, 1 to 15 zero-padded digits, and a start number, or restarted for each file.

Legend and exhibit labels in one pass

a confidentiality legend on every page in its own corner, and an exhibit label on each file’s first page, counted 1, 2, 3 or A, B, C.

An index as PDF and CSV

every file with its exhibit label, page count, and first and last Bates number, plus output names and a SHA-256 hash per file in the CSV for a production log.

Copies or one bound PDF

export numbered copies, named by Bates range if you like, or one bound PDF with the index first and a bookmark for every file.

No silent gaps

a file that cannot be read is listed with the reason, and an optional slip sheet holds its place and one number so the range has no hole.

Originals never changed, nothing uploaded

BatesBind writes new files only, makes no network connections, and saved schemes pick up at the next number for the next production.

Especially when

  • Bates-number every PDF in a folder in one continuous range instead of stamping file by file and carrying the last number forward by hand
  • Add a confidentiality legend and exhibit labels in the same pass as the Bates numbers, without a second stamping pass
  • Get an index of first and last Bates numbers for every file as a PDF and a CSV that opens in Excel, instead of typing the production log
  • Keep the original PDFs untouched and the documents on the PC, with no upload and no account

Who benefits

Real-world scenarios

Files named by their Bates range

The receiving side asked that produced files be named by Bates range, so each file can be found from a page citation without opening it.

Set Name copies by to Bates range, and each copy is named like ACME000015-ACME000020.pdf; choose Bates range and original name to keep the description after the range. The Output file column in the CSV records each new name beside the original.

A rolling production

The firm produces in volumes. The first volume went out last month, and the second must continue the same range with no overlap and no gap.

BatesBind shows "Last export ended at" with the last label, and Continue sets the start number to the next one. A saved scheme also moves its start number on after each export. The second volume's CSV lists its own range, starting where the first ended.

Checking a file against the log

Months later, someone asks whether a PDF in circulation is byte for byte the same file that went out with the production.

The CSV holds the SHA-256 of each file as written. Get-FileHash in Windows PowerShell gives the hash of the copy in question; if the two match, the file has not changed since the export. BatesBind writes the hash in lowercase, so compare ignoring case.

Deep dive

What goes in a production log, and where each column comes from

The columns BatesBind writes. The CSV index has one row per file in the order of the table. Number is the file's position among the included files. Exhibit appears when exhibit labels are on. File is the original name, with its subfolder when subfolders are included. Output file is the name of the numbered copy, or the bound PDF's name. Pages, First Bates, and Last Bates give the range. Start page appears for a bound PDF and gives the page where each file begins. SHA-256 is the hash of the written file. Note explains a slip sheet or a file that was not included. Columns that would be empty in every row are left out, so a plan-only CSV stays short.

Which export writes which log. Export copies always writes the CSV beside the numbered copies and the PDF index, with an output name and a hash for each copy. After Export PDF, choose Export index CSV to save a CSV for that bound file: the start page of each document, the bound PDF's name, and its hash on each row. Before any export, Export index CSV saves the plan alone, with ranges and page counts but no hashes.

The PDF index. The index PDF is titled Bates index and is named after the range, for example Bates index ACME000001-ACME003000.pdf. Its header gives the folder name, the number of documents and pages, and the range; each page footer gives the export date and time and the page count. In a bound PDF, the index pages come first and are not stamped.

Ranges with no hole. A file that cannot be read is listed in both indexes with the reason. Without slip sheets it gets no number, and the range stays continuous across the files that were numbered. With slip sheets, it gets a one-page placeholder and one number, and the Note column says Slip sheet with the reason, which accounts for that number in the log.

Opening it in Excel. The CSV is UTF-8 with a byte-order mark and Windows line endings, with fields quoted where needed, so it opens in Excel with accented names intact. Save it as a workbook if the receiving side asked for a native spreadsheet, and add any columns the agreement calls for, such as custodian or date.

What the hash does and does not show. BatesBind computes each SHA-256 by reading the written file back, so the hash matches the bytes on disk. Anyone can recompute it later with Get-FileHash in Windows PowerShell; a match means the file is unchanged since the export. It says nothing about the documents before they were numbered.

What the log leaves out. It lists files, not document metadata: no authors, dates, custodians, or attachment ranges, and no load files. Whether a log satisfies a particular order or agreement is for the people on the matter to decide, and this page is not legal advice.

How it is built

Built to leave the originals exactly as they were.

Originals never changed

Source PDFs are opened for reading only. BatesBind writes new files to a file or folder you pick, refuses to save over an original, and a copies export never replaces an existing file.

Nothing uploads

It runs in the Windows app sandbox with no declared capabilities, makes no network connections, and has no account and no telemetry. Settings and schemes stay on this PC.

Labels stay upright

Labels are placed on the page as it is displayed, so they stay upright on rotated and cropped scans. The typeface is embedded, and existing page content is never moved.

FAQ

Straight answers—no glossary dump

What should a Bates production log include?

Commonly, each produced document with its first and last Bates number and page count, the total range and document count for the volume, and a note for any skipped numbers. The order or agreement in your matter may ask for more, such as custodians. BatesBind's CSV covers the file-level columns and adds output file names and a SHA-256 hash for each file; add other columns in Excel.

Can BatesBind name the produced files by Bates range?

Yes. Under Name copies by, choose Bates range for names like ACME000001-ACME000014.pdf, or Bates range and original name to keep the description after the range. Original name keeps the source names. Naming by Bates range alone is refused when numbering restarts for each file, because the ranges would repeat. The CSV records every output name.

What does the SHA-256 hash in the log show?

It is a fingerprint of each file exactly as BatesBind wrote it. Run Get-FileHash in Windows PowerShell on a copy later; if the result matches the CSV, ignoring letter case, the file has not changed since the export. It does not show anything about the documents before numbering, and it is not a signature or a seal.

Will a court or opposing counsel accept the numbered set?

BatesBind makes no claim about what a court, an ESI order, a protective order, or opposing counsel will accept. Those documents, and any agreement between the parties, set the label format, the corner for the number and any designation, and what a production log must contain. BatesBind gives you the controls they often mention: prefix, zero padding, position, a separate legend, and an index of ranges. Check the order that governs your matter. This page is general information and not legal advice.

Will BatesBind change my original PDFs?

No. Source PDFs are opened for reading only and are never changed. BatesBind writes new files: one bound PDF under a name you choose, or numbered copies in a folder you pick. It refuses to save over an original, a copies export refuses the source folder and any file name that already exists there, and a canceled export keeps nothing. To renumber, change the settings and export again from the same untouched originals.

Does anything leave my PC, and how do I get BatesBind?

Nothing uploads. BatesBind makes no network connections, has no account, and collects no telemetry. It runs in the Windows app sandbox with no declared capabilities and reads only the folder you open or drop on the window. If you export to a folder that a sync app such as OneDrive manages, that app may copy the files under its own settings. BatesBind is a one-time purchase in the Microsoft Store, and the Store runs a 15-day free trial with every feature.

Related pages

Every PDF in the folder, numbered in one run. CONFIDENTIAL on every page, in the same pass as the number. Bates numbering software, not a whole PDF suite.

A folder of PDFs in.
A numbered production and its index out.

BatesBind numbers every page in one continuous range, adds the legend and exhibit labels in the same pass, and writes the index as PDF and CSV with a SHA-256 hash for each file. Originals are never changed, nothing uploads, and the Microsoft Store runs a 15-day free trial.

Pay once. Own it forever.

One-time purchase on the Microsoft Store · No subscription · Instant install

Get it from Microsoft

Buy through the Microsoft Store—instant install, automatic updates, and a Microsoft receipt for easy expensing. No account needed on our site, and no subscription on Store purchases.

Open full product page

Technical specifications

Technical specifications for procurement

Spec Implementation
Data Sovereignty Reads only the folder you open or drop on the window; writes new PDFs and the CSV index only to the file or folder you pick, refusing to save over an original; settings and saved schemes stay in the app’s own local storage
Telemetry Status None; no account, no telemetry, and the app makes no network connections
Core Runtime .NET 10 and WinUI 3 (Windows App SDK), packaged as MSIX; runs in an AppContainer with no declared capabilities; PDF engine is pure managed code
Network Requirements Fully functional offline; the app makes no network connections
Deployment Compatibility Windows 10 version 2004 or later and Windows 11, x64 or ARM64; one-time purchase on the Microsoft Store with a 15-day free trial
Inputs PDF files in a folder you open or drop on the window, with subfolders optional; password-protected and damaged files are listed with the reason
Numbering Prefix and suffix of letters, digits, hyphen, underscore, or period (no spaces); 1 to 15 zero-padded digits; start number up to 15 digits; continuous across the folder or restarted for each file
Labels Bates number, a legend on every page (up to 64 characters), and an exhibit label on each first page (1, 2, 3 or A, B, C); six positions, 6 to 24 pt, 0 to 4 in margin, black, gray, red, or blue
Outputs Numbered copies named by original name, Bates range, or both, with the index as PDF and CSV; or one bound PDF with the index first and a bookmark per file; slip sheets optional
Index CSV UTF-8 with byte-order mark for Excel; number, exhibit, file, output file, pages, first and last Bates, start page (bound PDF), SHA-256, and a note for slip sheets
Not included No OCR, no redaction, no removal of existing stamps, and no TIFF images or load files