A court bundle, an appeal book, a tribunal file or a set of exhibits is usually built from many documents: statements, letters, contracts, scans, emails printed to PDF. Each part arrives with its own page numbers, or with none. Once the parts are merged into one file, the numbering is wrong in one of three ways: it restarts at 1 in every part, it is missing on scans, or it differs from the number the PDF viewer shows. This guide sets out what several courts' own guidance asks for, and how to merge, number and check a bundle with DocPro. Rules differ between courts and countries, so treat the examples as examples and read the practice direction that applies to your filing. This is not legal advice.
What court guidance asks for
The following points come from the courts' own documents, read in October 2026.
- One PDF. The Administrative Court's electronic bundle guidance (England and Wales) says: "A bundle must be a single PDF."
- One sequence, matching the PDF. The same guidance says: "All bundles must be paginated in ascending order from start to finish", and that the pagination on a hard copy "must correspond exactly to the pagination of the PDF." The general guidance on electronic court bundles, as summarised in the Family Court guidance, asks that numbering "follow sequentially to the last page of the bundle, so that the pagination matches the pdf numbering." California Rule of Court 8.74 says: "The electronic page counter for the electronic document must match the page number for each page of the document."
- Computer-generated numbers. The general guidance says all pages in an e-bundle must be "numbered by computer-generated numbering, not by hand."
- Index pages count too. The Administrative Court guidance says index pages "must be numbered as part of the single PDF document, they are not to be skipped."
- Combining documents. The Court of Appeal for British Columbia notes that "Sequential page numbering needs to be added when combining multiple documents together in one PDF eBook or portfolio."
- Searchable text. The Administrative Court guidance says text in the bundle "must therefore be selectable as text" and that OCR "should be undertaken on the bundle before it is lodged." California Rule 8.74 requires "text-searchable portable document format (PDF)."
- Size. Limits vary. The Administrative Court sets 20 MB for urgent bundles and core bundles. California's rule says a filing "may not be larger than 100 megabytes." The Family Court guidance asks that bundles be optimised so the file is not larger than necessary, with resolution not above 300 dpi.
- Bookmarks and a linked index. Several courts also ask for bookmarks, and the Administrative Court asks that the index be hyperlinked. DocPro does not create these (see the last section).
Why numbers go wrong after a merge
Numbers printed on the original documents travel with the pages. If one statement says "Page 3 of 8", it still says so in the middle of a 140-page bundle. A cover page or index that is left out of the count makes the printed number lower than the viewer's page counter by one or more, which breaks the "matches the PDF" rule above. And scans often carry no numbers at all.
The reliable approach is to number the merged file once, at the end, with computer-generated numbers that start at 1 on the first page of the PDF.
How to build a numbered bundle with DocPro
All steps run in the browser and the files are not uploaded.
- Open Merge PDFs and add every part. It accepts PDFs and images. Put them in the order of your index, then press Merge PDFs. The result is called merged.pdf.
- If pages are in the wrong order or a page should go, use Organize pages to reorder, rotate or delete.
- If the file is above a size limit, use Compress PDF now. Pick a quality level, or tick Aim for a target size and enter a Target size (KB). Compression turns pages into pictures and drops selectable text, so do it before the next step. The guide to what DPI to scan at explains the trade-off.
- If the bundle contains scans and the court wants searchable text, run OCR to PDF, pick the language, and press Make searchable PDF. Check names, numbers and dates, because OCR can misread them.
- Open Page numbers and choose the merged file. Set Position and Format. Page 1 of 10 shows the total, and the plain 1, 2, 3 style is the simplest. Leave Start at on 1 and leave Skip the first page (cover) unticked, so the number on every page matches the viewer's page counter, including the cover and the index.
- Check the Colour, Size and Distance from edge in the preview so the number does not sit on top of text, then press Add page numbers. The new file is named like the original with "numbered" added.
- Open the result in a PDF viewer. Jump to the last page and compare the printed number with the viewer's page counter. Do the same on one page in the middle.
Numbering goes last on purpose. Merging, removing or reordering pages afterwards would leave gaps or duplicates. If something changes, go back to the merged file, make the change and number it again from scratch. The tool always works from the file you give it, so numbers do not stack.
If the court wants numbers that differ from the PDF count
Some bundles need a sub-numbering scheme, such as a separate sequence for each exhibit or a cover that is not counted. The rules quoted above ask for numbers that match the PDF, so check your court's practice direction before departing from that. If a cover is meant to stay unnumbered, ticking Skip the first page (cover) gives the second page the Start at value, so set Start at to 2 if the second page must show 2.
Printing and paper copies
The guidance says the pagination on a hard copy must correspond to the PDF. Print from the numbered PDF, not from the parts. The England and Wales civil practice direction on trial bundles (Practice Direction 32) separately asks that the bundle be "paginated (continuously) throughout" and indexed with the page number of each document, so a numbered PDF also gives you what you need for the index.
What DocPro cannot do
DocPro does not add bookmarks, build a hyperlinked index or create Bates-style prefixes such as a case code before the number. It does not check a bundle against a court's rules. It numbers pages in a standard Helvetica-style font, in a corner or the centre of the top or bottom edge. For a filing that must have bookmarks or a linked index, build those in a tool that offers them after the numbers are added, or check whether the court accepts a bundle without them.
Frequently asked questions
Should page numbers match the PDF page counter?
In the guidance cited here, yes. California Rule 8.74 says the electronic page counter must match the page number for each page, and the England and Wales e-bundle guidance says the pagination must match the PDF numbering. Check your own court's rule.
Can I number pages by hand?
The general guidance on electronic court bundles in England and Wales says pages must be numbered by computer-generated numbering, not by hand. Page numbers in DocPro are added by the tool.
Do the index and cover pages get numbers?
The Administrative Court guidance says index pages must be numbered as part of the single PDF and not skipped. In DocPro, leave Skip the first page (cover) unticked and Start at on 1 for numbers that match the viewer.
Do I run OCR before or after adding page numbers?
Run OCR before. Page numbers are drawn on the existing pages, and the text layer from OCR stays. Compress first if you need to, because compression removes selectable text.
Is my bundle uploaded?
No. Merge PDFs, OCR to PDF, Compress PDF and Page numbers all work in your browser.