In the process of document/image storage, it is imperative that proper identification systems be developed in order to making cataloguing and searching easier. This essay shall focus on the Bates numbering system of document branding.
To this end, a definition and explanation of the basic steps that the procedure entails shall be provided. Aside from this, an example of the usage of the identification system shall be provided.
Bates numbering is an identification system utilized in various professional fields such as medicine and law. It basically involves putting identifying digits alongside dates and the specific time of branding on documents and pictures as they undergo scanning or other forms of processing.
This technique can also be utilized in marking and identifying pictures with copyright symbols by impressing acceptable legal marks such as company logos on them. Aside from identifying images and documents, this technique also provides protection and security for them.
In legal documents, there may be need for identifying each page of a given document. In this usage, the Bates numbering machine gives random and unique tags to each and every page of the document. The identification marks may comprise digits or a combination of digits and letters. In other words there is no standardized format for the technique.
The Bates numbering machines can either be electronic or manual. The manual machine is a wheeled stamp which updates itself upwards every time the stamp is put into use. This stamp mainly comes with 3, 4 or seven wheels and also has a mechanism for re-inking after each usage. It is however worth noting that the manual Bates numbering machines are gradually becoming extinct as the world moves onto digital technologies.
The electronic Bates numbering system is basically a computer application entrenched in various software such PDF readers. They operate in the same incremental way as the manual system such that documents or document pages are assigned uniquely different identification marks.
A common usage of the Bates numbering system particularly since the advent of computer technology is the branding of PDF documents. For instance, if an individual has a single page or one PDF document that needs tagging, all that he/she needs is to select the Bates numbering feature from the appropriate tab depending on the type of software used.
Several adjustments will be required including the digit at which to start the numbering as well as the font properties and layouts. The procedure is the same for more than one document/ pages except that most if not all PDF software will require one to specify that there are multiple documents in the series for the numbering to come out as desired.
In summary, it can be said that Bates numbering is a basic system of document organization operating on the principle of clearly embedding documents and images with unique digital or manual identifiers.
The system can be used to arrange individual documents based on their particular types or can isolate the individual pages of one document in such a way that it is easier to go directly to the page that is needed.
The most common usage of the Bates numbering system is the stamping of PDF documents with special identification numbers using a specially designed tool that comes with the relevant software for this particular purpose.