Features
Numbering Every Page of an Exhibit
Print "Exhibit 1" on the first page and "Exhibit 1-2", "Exhibit 1-3" … on every later page, in the stamp itself, for courts that require each page of a multi-page exhibit to be numbered.
Last reviewed
ExhibitPrep can print an exhibit label and page number on every page: page 1 reads Exhibit 1, page 2 reads Exhibit 1-2, and the last page of a 200-page exhibit reads Exhibit 1-200. Los Angeles Superior Court Local Rule 3.53 provides that documentary exhibits consisting of more than one page must be internally paginated in sequential numerical order. Source: Los Angeles Superior Court Local Rules, Chapter 3, Rule 3.53 (PDF page 33). Northern District of California Civil Local Rule 30-2(b)(2) provides that when the pages of an exhibit are not numbered internally and it is necessary to identify pages of the exhibit, each page must receive a page number designation preceded by the exhibit number, for example Exhibit 100-2, 100-3, 100-4. Source: Northern District of California Civil Local Rules, Rule 30-2(b)(2) (PDF page 56). ExhibitPrep does this inside the exhibit stamp, so the stamp, its placement and its template are the ones you already chose.
Where the option is
The option sits in stamp setup, in the Stamp tab, directly under the exhibit label fields. How you reach stamp setup depends on what you added:
- One eligible document of 120 pages or fewer: ExhibitPrep stamps it on arrival and shows the review screen. If automatic preparation is unavailable or turned off, stamp setup opens instead. Choose Change label or template there to open stamp setup.
- A longer document, or several documents: stamp setup opens as soon as the documents are added.
- The California sample binder (/tool?demo=california): it lands stamped, with every page numbered. Choose Change the stamp, labels or documents to open the setup that produced it, with the option already on.
Turn it on
- Under the exhibit label fields, choose Numbers (or keep letters: Exhibit A then reads A-2, A-3).
- Select Number every page of each exhibit. The line beneath it shows exactly what the pages will read for the current label and page count, for example "EXHIBIT 1 · EXHIBIT 1-2 · EXHIBIT 1-3 … EXHIBIT 1-200".
- Choose the page number style: 1-2 (a hyphen) or 1.2 (a period). Match the instructions for your case.
- Leave Also number the first page off unless the court wants the first page marked 1-1. By default the first page carries the plain exhibit label.
- Choose Prepare export (Prepare all exhibits when the set holds more than one document). The stamp is applied to all pages while the option is on; Pages to stamp under More options shows that it is fixed. Turn the option off to stamp fewer pages.
In a set of several documents, each exhibit restarts from its own label: Exhibit 2's pages read 2, 2-2, 2-3 and so on. A prefix is kept, so P-1 becomes P-1-2, and a letter label A becomes A-2. The setting is remembered for your next set on this browser.
Replicate the Los Angeles example
The California sample binder is four fictional exhibits under one Los Angeles Superior Court caption, including a 24-page medical records compilation. Open it and the review screen shows "EXHIBIT 1 stamped on all 24 pages, numbered 1 through 1-24". Choose Preview the combined PDF and page through: the contents page, then Exhibit 1 reading EXHIBIT 1, EXHIBIT 1-2 and, on its last page, EXHIBIT 1-24. Nothing is uploaded and nothing is charged.
To do the same with your own exhibit: add the PDF at /tool, open stamp setup as described above, choose Numbers, select Number every page of each exhibit, and choose Prepare export. The review screen states the first and last label of your exhibit; Preview opens the real stamped file so you can read page 2 and the last page before paying. Watch the clicks on a real 24-page exhibit (about 1 minute, captioned). The same packet, already prepared, is on the demonstration page, with the page images and the binder walkthrough.
Check it before you pay
In stamp setup, open Check placement and page through the document. The stamp on page 2 reads the page-2 label, exactly as it will be printed. The widest label is the last page's; if it does not fit the stamp at its current size, the position step says so on page 1 and offers Widen stamp, so a long exhibit cannot fail on its final page after you have reviewed the first ones. If the exhibit has a page of another size or orientation (a landscape table inside a portrait record) and the stamp would not fit where you placed it on that page, the placement step says so on whichever page you are viewing and names the page to check. After stamping, the Stamped documents card states the first and last label of each exhibit ("EXHIBIT 1 stamped on all 24 pages, numbered 1 through 1-24"), Preview opens the real stamped file page by page, and the exact-export review reads every page's stamp back and refuses the file if any page carries the wrong text.
Three kinds of page marking
| Marking | What it prints | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Exhibit page numbering (this article) | Exhibit 1, Exhibit 1-2, Exhibit 1-3 … | In the exhibit stamp, wherever you placed it |
| Bates numbering | ABC-0001, ABC-0002 … continuing across the set | Its own position, every page |
| Trial Binder page labels | A1, A2 … B1 | Bottom center, every page |
Bates numbers and exhibit page numbering can be used together: a page can read Exhibit 1-2 in the stamp and ABC-0002 in the corner. Trial Binder page labels are not stamped while exhibit page numbering is on, because the stamp already identifies every page; the contents page then lists the page each exhibit starts on rather than A1–A5 ranges.
What does not change
- The Exhibit List, the contents page, bookmarks and file names use the exhibit label (Exhibit 1), never a page label.
- The EPLabel key embedded in each PDF carries the exhibit label; the verification record lists the exhibit label beside each file's hash.
- A blank sticker is never numbered.
- Classification labels that use the {exhibit} variable keep printing the exhibit label; use {page} there for a page number.
Fix a common problem
- "The last page's label does not fit the stamp": choose Widen stamp in the position step, select a shorter prefix, or turn the option off. No text is ever shortened to make it fit.
- The first page reads 1-1 and the court wants Exhibit 1: turn off Also number the first page.
- The court wants 1.2, not 1-2: change the page number style to the period.
- I only wanted the stamp on page 1: the two settings exclude each other; turn off Number every page and choose First page only under More options.
Confirm the form with the assigned department's trial order; departments within one courthouse differ.