The receiving side runs QC on every production. If their pass finds a problem, the production comes back — and a returned production is a credibility cost. Here is the checklist your own QC should clear before you send.
The numbering
No gaps and no duplicates in the sequence — the numbers are the inventory, so any break is a missing or double document. Every output filename should carry its beginning number, so a reviewer can jump to a page without opening files one by one. No page should already contain a Bates-like number from a previous production; two sequences on one page is a citation hazard.
The content
No two files with identical content hashes — a document accidentally produced twice is one of the most common QC failures. No privileged metadata: author, custom fields, dates, XMP, embedded files. No recoverable text under redaction bars, and no unapplied redact annotations. Be consistent about scans: a scan has no text layer, and everyone who receives it should know it.
The geometry
Mixed page sizes and rotations are legal and common, but they are also the thing that breaks a stamped number’s position. Each page must be measured on its own — the number lands in the visual lower right, not the coordinate one, when a page carries /Rotate 90. A production tool should flag the mixed set so the person signing the certification knows it was checked.
Not legal advice. Whether a numbering scheme or a production practice satisfies your court, protective order, or production agreement is yours to confirm.