Paginating a court bundle
A bundle is only citable if its pages run in one continuous sequence. Slate stamps the numbers into the PDF inside your browser, so the bundle itself is never sent anywhere.
Why continuous numbering is the whole point
A bundle is a set of documents joined into one file so that everyone in the room is looking at the same page 47. That only works if page 47 means the same thing to the judge, the usher and the other side. The moment numbering restarts at each document, every reference in a skeleton argument or a witness statement becomes ambiguous — and ambiguity in a bundle costs time in a hearing.
Printing the numbers onto the page also survives the file being printed, scanned or photographed, which is why a bundle is normally numbered before it is served rather than relying on whatever the PDF viewer displays.
Where the numbers go, and how they read
Bottom centre is the convention most readers expect; bottom right is the next most common and is easier to scan when flicking through a printed copy. Slate offers both, plus bottom left and top right.
The format matters more than people expect. A bare number matches the index in a bundle. “Page 47 of 312” is kinder to a reader who has been handed a single document out of context, because it says how much more there is. Both are a dropdown, so pick the one the index assumes.
What it will not do
It does not build or repair the index, reorder documents, or insert separator sheets. It does not detect numbering that is already on the page — if half the bundle is already stamped, stamping the whole file will give those pages two numbers. Where that has happened, split the bundle at the boundary, number the part that needs it, then merge the two back together.
It also does not change anything else about the file: page size, orientation and the text layer are left exactly as they were, so the bundle stays searchable.
Can numbering start at something other than 1?+
Yes. Setting the start number to 48 makes the first page of this file read 48, which is what you want when a bundle is served in parts.
Does it work on a scanned bundle?+
Yes. The numbers are drawn onto the page itself, so they appear on scans and photographs just as they do on text pages.
Is the bundle uploaded anywhere?+
No. The PDF is read and written by your browser. Disconnect from the network after the page loads and the numbering still completes.
Files are processed in the browser tab and are never uploaded. Slate is not legal advice or a case management system.