BASALT · JOURNAL
Continuous Bates numbering across multiple PDFs
Continuous Bates numbering is a batch-allocation problem before it is a stamping problem. Every file receives a planned inclusive range based on its final page count, and no output should be written until the plan has been checked.
Calculate the sequence
Choose a prefix, numeric width, start number, and file order. If the first PDF has 12 pages and starts at ABC000100, its range ends at ABC000111; the next begins at ABC000112.
Generate this plan from measured page counts, not filenames or estimates. Password-protected, corrupt, or zero-page inputs must stop the allocation or appear as explicit exceptions.
Preview placement and collisions
Render the proposed stamp on representative pages from every file. Check rotations, crop boxes, mixed page sizes, and existing headers and footers. A consistent coordinate can land on content when one scan has almost no margin.
Finalize redactions and page organization first. If marks reach the proposed stamp area, choose a different corner or nudge the stamp while keeping placement within the protocol.
Verify numbers and manifest
After writing, read every stamped value and compare it with the plan. Check uniqueness, monotonic order, first and last range, and total page count. The manifest should include source file, output file, page count, beginning Bates, ending Bates, and hash.
For a replacement page after production, follow the agreed protocol—often a suffix such as ABC000145A—rather than renumbering an already served set without notice.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate the ending Bates number?
Ending number equals starting number plus page count minus one. The next file starts one greater than that ending number.
What happens if one PDF fails mid-batch?
A safe system should stop or clearly preserve the original allocation plan, not silently close the gap by shifting later ranges.
Can I add pages after Bates numbering?
Only under the production protocol. Otherwise finalize pages first or use an agreed replacement/suffix convention.
Doing it in Basalt
Basalt plans and displays the full batch sequence before stamping, detects collisions, continues named series, and writes a reconciled CSV manifest. No file is uploaded or processed remotely. Get Basalt.
Redaction that proves itself
Basalt destroys the content you mark, then re-opens the file it wrote and proves the content is gone before it saves anything. Your documents never leave your Mac.