Endorsements
- How to Endorse (Bates Stamp) Documents
- Bates Stamping in the NextGen Experience
- How to Create Endorsement Templates
- Assigning or Removing Bates Endorsements from an Individual Document
- How to Remove Endorsements/Bates
When a set of documents is ready for production (reviewed, relevant, and privileged documents withheld or redacted), it is time to endorse.
Begin Endorsement/Bates Stamping Process
To begin the endorsement/Bates stamping process, navigate to your REVIEW tab in the upper navigation, click the three dot drop-down beside the desired folder name, and then “Number & Endorse."
How many documents should you endorse at once?
When making the following endorsement actions, it is important to note there is a 100,000 document limit per action:
- Number & Endorse
- Number Only
- Remove Numbering & Endorsement
See more below with respect to how you can accomplish endorsements on more than 100,000 documents in one production.
Review Warnings Prior to Endorsement
Nextpoint will warn you if:
- Documents within your folder already contain endorsements. These documents will not be re-endorsed with a secondary Bates number if they already have an endorsement in place.
- Current processing could impact your documents. (e.g. other endorsements are in progress)
- A mailbox is contained in your set. It is recommended you remove this mailbox file from your folder and production - if you were to produce, recipients will receive all contents of the original mailbox container.
- Documents marked privileged are in your set. It is recommended you remove these files from your folder and/or production unless you are intentionally endorsing/Bates stamping privileged documents.
- Zero-page documents are in your set. Endorsing with zero-page documents in the set will result in those documents receiving a native placeholder. If this is not desired, those documents should have image-exception placeholders added before proceeding.
If Nextpoint warns of one of the above conditions, it should be verified (and remedied if necessary) before proceeding.
Select Endorsement Template
- Select an endorsement template to be used
- Verify the number to be endorsed on the first page of the first document in the folder
- Confirm the placement of the endorsements and preview what it will look like
- Click the “Endorse” button
Nextpoint will assign your numbering, generate placeholders, and endorse all documents in the selected folder and notify when endorsements are complete.
Using a NextGen database?
If you see
in the top left next to the name of your database, the Confidentiality stamp
will appear on the face of every page of the document at the time the code
is applied (it is not tied to Bates stamping)
Note: Any prefix, leading zeros, etc... you set up in your endorsement template will be applied during the stamping process.
Verify Endorsement Results
Once you initiate the endorsement process, it is important to verify all stamping is complete prior to initiating the export process.
To verify stamping is complete, first check that the "Processing Status" section under DATA > Imports reads "There are currently no active jobs".
Second, it is recommended you Filter in your production folder for Bates Assigned, Stamped and verify the first and last documents in the folder bear a Bates number on each page.
You may also consider including one last verification of Responsive/Not Privileged in your Filter (see below).
Stamping More than 100,000 Documents at Once
As mentioned above, there is a 100,000 document limit for the following actions:
- Number & Endorse
- Number Only
- Remove Numbering & Endorsement
If you find yourself in this situation, we recommend the following steps:
-
Create a second production folder, then, isolate all documents beyond the 100,000 limit from the original folder by performing this search:
folder:”[production folder name”:[100001 200000] - Then apply your second production folder to the documents returned in the above search.
- Next, remove these same documents you just added to the second folder from the first folder.
- Endorse the first folder: Due to the large volume of documents you are endorsing, this may take some time, so please ensure all endorsements are applied prior to stamping your second production folder.
- Endorse the second folder.
- When the endorsement of both folders is complete (see above screenshot), apply the first production folder to the documents contained within your second production folder, and you are set to export.
How to Endorse (Bates Stamp) Documents
Bates stamping in the NextGen experience covers both bulk stamping of an entire production folder and stamping individual documents, with real-time job tracking and significantly faster processing than Legacy. This article walks through setting up an endorsement template, running a bulk Bates stamping job, tracking and troubleshooting that job, and stamping individual documents.
In this article:
- Step 1: Create an endorsement template
- Step 2: Bulk Bates stamp a folder (Number and Endorse)
- Step 3: Track your stamping job
- Step 4: Review the Completed Jobs table
- Handling documents that error during stamping
- Verify and move forward
- Document-level Bates stamping
-
Step 1: Create an endorsement template
Before you can Bates stamp a production, you need an endorsement template. Endorsement templates define your Bates numbering format, any additional endorsements you want stamped on every page, and which file types should receive a placeholder image instead of a native stamp.
- Go to Settings > Export / Exchange.
- Click Create New (or select an existing template to edit it).
- Name your template. For example, if you're producing on behalf of Nextpoint, you might name it "Nextpoint Production."
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Set your numbering pattern:
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Prefix — for example, NEXTPOINT.
- Include any separator after your prefix — an underscore, hyphen or spaces to separate the prefix from the number.
- Starting number — include any leading zeros. For example, 0000001 means the first page of the first document stamped will be NEXTPOINT_0000001.
- A preview of the resulting stamp displays as you enter these values.
-
Prefix — for example, NEXTPOINT.
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Set your numbering exceptions. These are the file types that should receive a single numbered native placeholder (referencing the original document) instead of a stamp on every page.
- Enter the file extension with a leading period — for example, .xlsx.
- Use a wildcard to cover related variations at once — for example, .xls* covers .xls, .xlsm, and .xlsx; .ppt* covers .ppt and .pptx.
- Every new template defaults to the most common placeholder file types: spreadsheet files (.xls*, .csv*) and PowerPoint files (.ppt*) — these are typically easier to review in their native format.
- Any document that has no associated image automatically receives a native placeholder as well, regardless of this list.
-
Set your endorsement placement. Choose where the Bates stamp appears on the page — right (default), center, or left — always at the bottom of the page. Many users place Bates numbers on the right and reserve the left side for a confidentiality stamp (see Confidentiality Coding for that setup), but you can place them however your case requires.
- Use the Preview tab to see the stamp text, sizing, and placement before applying it to an actual document.
- Optional: add additional endorsements. If every stamped page needs to carry something beyond the Bates number — such as a case number or "Subject to Protective Order" — add up to 4 additional endorsement lines. These are used less frequently but apply to every page that receives a Bates stamp.
- Click Save.
Step 2: Bulk Bates stamp a folder (Number and Endorse)
Before you start a bulk Bates stamping job, make sure:
- Your review is complete.
- Your production folder is finalized — full family coding, privilege checks, and any other QC steps are done.
- You're ready to treat this as your final set of documents for this production.
To start the job:
- Go to your folder of documents:
- Discovery: Review tab.
- Litigation: Documents tab.
- Next to the folder you want to stamp, click the 3-dot menu and select Number & Endorse.
- Review any warnings before proceeding. You may see:
-
Mailbox archive warning — if your folder contains mailbox archives, we flag them. Most users remove these from a production since everything relevant should already have been extracted during processing, and the archive itself typically shouldn't be referenced in the production.
- As a safeguard, documents like these still receive a non-image placeholder if you proceed — and non-image placeholders do not export the native file alongside them, unlike the native placeholders defined in your endorsement template (numbering exceptions), which do include the native file if your export is configured to include natives.
- Already-stamped documents warning — if any documents in the folder already carry endorsements (for example, from a prior production, or a folder that wasn't excluded from your search), you'll see a warning so you can remove them before stamping.
- Zero-page documents warning — documents with no image pages will receive a native placeholder, consistent with how numbering exceptions work in your template.
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Mailbox archive warning — if your folder contains mailbox archives, we flag them. Most users remove these from a production since everything relevant should already have been extracted during processing, and the archive itself typically shouldn't be referenced in the production.
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Large-job notice. For larger stamping jobs, you'll see a heads-up that the job may take several minutes, along with an option to confirm you understand and want to proceed.
- Typical throughput averages around 1,600 pages per minute across job sizes — roughly 2x faster than Legacy, and even up to 4x faster on larger jobs. Smaller jobs run slower per-page since processing resources need to ramp up; longer jobs speed up over their run.
- Choose your endorsement template (the one you created in Step 1).
- Verify the starting number to assign to the first document. This is just the next numeric value — leading zeros and formatting are handled by your template.
- Confirm your endorsement placement (shown for reference, based on your template).
- Click Endorse.
Once you click Endorse, a confirmation modal appears: "Numbering and Endorsing has started." You can track progress under Data > Other Processes.
While the job runs, exports and additional endorsements are unavailable for that folder — this prevents two conflicting stamping jobs from running on overlapping documents, and prevents a production from being exported before stamping finishes.
You'll also see a status pill on the folder itself, showing "Stamping X of Y documents."
Step 3: Track your stamping job
Go to Data > Other Processes (Litigation: More > Data > Other Processes). This page tracks Bates stamp jobs, stamp removals, and bulk confidentiality designations together, so a Bates job may appear alongside other job types if you're running more than one over time. Only one job runs at a time, and exports and additional endorsements stay unavailable while a job is in progress.
While a job is running, the in-progress job card shows:
- Job type (Bates stamp) and the endorsement template used
- A progress bar and running count of documents stamped (X of Y)
- The folder being stamped
- How long ago the job started, and which user started it
The page updates automatically every 15 seconds as the job progresses.
Step 4: Review the Completed Jobs table
When your job finishes, you'll get an email confirming completion, and the job moves into the Completed Jobs table on the same Data > Other Processes page.
For a Bates stamping job, each row shows:
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Job Type | Bates stamp / Bates removal |
| Template / Designation | The endorsement template used and the Bates range applied |
| Folder | The folder that was stamped |
| User | Who initiated the job |
| Started / Completed | Timestamps — useful for seeing how long the job took |
| Docs | Number of documents included in the job |
| Status |
Complete (green) most of the time. Complete with errors shows a yellow/red indicator with an error count — hover and click the count to open the affected documents. |
This table is a useful record as your case moves forward — it gives you a clear history of what was stamped, when, by whom, and whether anything needs a second look.
Handling documents that error during stamping
Most stamping jobs complete cleanly. When documents do error, it's typically due to underlying issues with the source PDF: intrinsic rotations, unusually large or complex drawings, layers, or forms.
If you see a Complete with errors status:
- Review the flagged documents for any common trend.
-
Try Regenerate Searchable PDF at the document-level for the affected documents (especially for a small number of errors), then re-stamp the folder. Only the previously-errored documents will be re-stamped — the rest of the folder is untouched.
- Bates numbers are still assigned to documents that errored during stamping, even though the visual stamp didn't apply. Re-stamping after regenerating the PDF uses the numbers already assigned, so you won't lose your sequencing or have to unstamp and restart.
- If you need help, contact support@nextpoint.com. Common paths from here include pulling the affected documents into a supplemental folder while you export the rest of the production, or working with the support team to resolve the documents before exporting.
Verify and move forward
Once stamping completes:
- Spot-check a few documents that were expected to receive native placeholders (for example, Excel or PowerPoint files) to confirm everything applied as expected.
- From here, you can move on to exporting your production — see Setting Up Export Templates — or apply confidentiality designations to some or all of the same documents — see Confidentiality Coding in the NextGen Experience.
Document-level Bates stamping
Bulk stamping covers most productions, but you can also Bates stamp an individual document — available in both the NextGen experience and Legacy. This is used less often, typically when a document was supplemented or changed after the original production and needs its own Bates number.
- Open the document, click the 3-dot menu in the top right, and select Edit Numbering Pattern.
- Enter the number you want assigned, including your entire stamp format (for example, NEXTPOINT_0012345).
- Choose your options:
- Also Endorse — stamps the number visually onto the page(s). If left unchecked, the number is assigned (searchable) but not visually stamped. Useful if you just need the document to carry a Bates number for reference without altering the image, such as a document a producing party supplemented without a load file.
- Apply to All Valid Pages — stamps every page of the document. If unchecked, only the current/first page is stamped.
- Click Save.
The stamp applies (with a quick refresh), and at the document level it always appears in the bottom-right corner, regardless of the placement configured in your endorsement template.
Why it's faster
The NextGen experience is built for speed and visibility. Compared to Legacy's roughly 900 pages per minute, NextGen averages around 1,600 pages per minute and can reach up to 2,500 pages per minute — commonly 2x faster, and up to 3–4x on larger jobs. Combined with real-time job tracking under Data > Other Processes, you get both a faster production and a clear, ongoing record of exactly what was stamped, when, and by whom.
Bates Stamping in the NextGen Experience
Create reusable templates for marking up images with Bates numbers, Confidentiality endorsements, or any additional endorsements.
Accessed from SETTINGS > Export/Exchange > Create New. Endorsement templates define how images will be marked as part of an export, as well as defining where native placeholders should be generated.
A native placeholder is a single-page image referencing an original native file. Native placeholders receive a single number in the endorsement process regardless of the page count of the original file.
NOTE: In Litigation, these same settings can be found via More > SETTINGS > Export/Exchange
- Naming: Simply name your template. We recommend a name that will be descriptive of the template's further use.
- Numbering Pattern: Define a prefix (e.g. your Bates prefix) and the next number you would like assigned/stamped when this template is utilized.
-
Numbering Exceptions: Specify file extensions and/or patterns that should receive native placeholders instead of individual images for each page. By default, every template includes .xl*, .ppt*, .csv*.
For example:
Adding “xl*” (any xls, xlt, xlsx, etc) will create a native placeholder image with a single Bates stamp for any excel file extension, instead of one Bates per page of that document.Note: Documents without associated images automatically receive native placeholders.
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Endorsement Placement: Select where on each page you would like your Bates and Confidentiality endorsements to appear. All left, center, right positions are along the lower edge of your documents. Use the "Preview" link to see what your endorsements will look like.
Note: In
databases, Confidentiality stamp placement is configured separately in the Confidentiality Codes settings.
-
Additional Endorsements: Use this field to input any custom/additional endorsements you wish to make with the particular template. Add as many as needed. Example of where additional endorsements appear on a document is illustrated below.
It is important to note, we recommend against putting your confidential language in this section, and instead use the Confidential coding available in your document coding panel and/or via bulk actions (in Discovery). Doing so will allow you to apply confidential coding more individually to your documents and more efficiently search and filter for that confidential coding. The confidentiality reasons can be customized under SETTINGS > Coding > Confidentiality.
- Save your new endorsement template and reuse as needed in your case.
Confidentiality Stamp Configuration in NextGen
In NextGen databases, Confidentiality stamp placement and configuration are handled separately from Bates endorsement templates.
Accessing Confidentiality Codes settings:
- Discovery: SETTINGS > Coding > Confidentiality Codes
- Litigation: More > SETTINGS > Documents > Confidentiality Codes
From these settings, you can:
- Define custom confidentiality reasons
- Configure placement (left, center, or right) for confidentiality stamps
- Set the confidentiality language that will appear on documents
Click here for information on how to apply your endorsement template to documents.
How to Create Endorsement Templates
Occasionally, you may need to assign a Bates number/Endorsement on an individual document, as opposed to a comprehensive folder.
Apply Bates/Endorsements on an Individual Document
- Navigate into the individual document to which you would like to apply the endorsement.
-
Click on the
icon at the top of the page to apply individual assignments or endorsements.
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Enter the Bates number of the first page, then choose from the following options:
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Also Endorse - Select this option if the document also needs to be stamped. If the document has been stamped already, leave unchecked.
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Apply to all valid pages - By selecting this option, Nextpoint will take the first number and assign the remaining pages sequentially.
-
- When finished, click "Save" and the document will begin processing.
Remove Bates/Endorsements on an Individual Document
-
Verify initial endorsements are complete:
It is important to verify all stamping is complete prior to initiating any endorsement removal OR the export process. Neglecting such will likely result in the document having mixed Bates numbers. -
Remove Endorsements:
To remove the individual document endorsements, navigate to the document which you would like to modify.
Click on theicon and delete the existing Bates number value so there is no value in the box, check Also Endorse, and Apply to all valid pages. This will remove the existing Bates number endorsements from all pages of that particular document.
-
Verify the removal of endorsements is complete:
Just as during the application of endorsements, it is important to verify all endorsement removal is complete prior to initiating any re-endorsement. Neglecting such will likely result in documents unintentionally with/without endorsements.
If you would like to bulk apply endorsements to an entire folder, follow the steps here.
Assigning or Removing Bates Endorsements from an Individual Document
Occasionally, you may need to remove (and potentially reapply) endorsements to a particular document set. In order to accomplish such, take the following steps:
-
Verify initial endorsements are complete:
It is important to verify all stamping is complete prior to initiating any endorsement removal OR export process. Neglecting such will likely result in documents unintentionally with/without endorsements.
To verify stamping is complete, check that the "Processing Status" section under DATA > Imports reads "There are currently no active jobs".
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Remove Endorsements:
Removal of endorsements takes place at the folder level (under the Review tab). To begin the removal of endorsements in Discovery, click REVIEW > three dot drop-down next to your folder > and click "Remove Numbering & Endorsements".
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Verify removal of endorsements is complete:
Just as above, it is important to verify all endorsement removal is complete prior to initiating any re-endorsement. Neglecting such will likely result in documents unintentionally with/without endorsements.
To verify endorsement removal is complete, check that the "Processing Status" section under DATA > Imports reads "There are currently no active jobs".
Additionally, it is recommended you verify the first and last documents in the folder no longer bear a Bates number on each page.
Important Notes:
- If reapplying your endorsements, make sure to reset the next number in your endorsement template!
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When removing numbering & endorsements, there is a 100,000 document limit per action.