diff --git a/cpdf.ml b/cpdf.ml
index 532b55c..ad2a08d 100644
--- a/cpdf.ml
+++ b/cpdf.ml
@@ -449,6 +449,18 @@ let rec validate_pagespec_inner n spec =
 let validate_pagespec spec =
   validate_pagespec_inner 100 spec
 
+let rec parse_pagespec_without_pdf_inner n spec =
+  try
+    parse_pagespec_inner n (Pdf.empty ()) spec
+  with
+    PageSpecUnknownPage _ ->
+      if n < 500000
+        then parse_pagespec_without_pdf_inner (n * 2) spec
+        else raise (Pdf.PDFError "PageSpecUnknownPage")
+
+let parse_pagespec_without_pdf spec =
+  parse_pagespec_without_pdf_inner 100 spec
+
 (* Convert an integer list representing a set to a page specification, in order. *)
 let string_of_pagespec pdf = function
   | [] -> ""
diff --git a/cpdf.mli b/cpdf.mli
index 273548f..b05c977 100644
--- a/cpdf.mli
+++ b/cpdf.mli
@@ -78,6 +78,8 @@ val string_of_pagespec : Pdf.t -> int list -> string
 without supplying a PDF, and thus knowing how many pages there are in it. *)
 val validate_pagespec : string -> bool
 
+val parse_pagespec_without_pdf : string -> int list
+
 (** [name_of_spec printf marks pdf splitlevel spec n filename startpage
 endpage] makes format substitutions in [spec] to make an output file name:
 
diff --git a/cpdfcommand.ml b/cpdfcommand.ml
index d6a82a4..7d7fa6e 100644
--- a/cpdfcommand.ml
+++ b/cpdfcommand.ml
@@ -278,6 +278,7 @@ type input =
   input_kind * string * string * string * bool ref * int option
   (* input kind, range, user_pw, owner_pw, was_decrypted_with_owner, revision *)
 
+
 type output_method =
   | NoOutputSpecified
   | Stdout
@@ -536,6 +537,11 @@ let reset_arguments () =
   (* Do not reset original_filename or cpdflin or was_encrypted or
    * was_decrypted_with_owner or recrypt, since we want these to work across ANDs. *)
 
+let get_pagespec () =
+  match args.inputs with
+  | (_, ps, _, _, _, _)::_ -> ps
+  | _ -> error "No range specified for input, or specified too late."
+
 let string_of_permission = function
   | Pdfcrypt.NoEdit -> "No edit"
   | Pdfcrypt.NoPrint -> "No print" 
@@ -1067,6 +1073,14 @@ let setbatespad n =
 let setbates n =
   args.bates <- n
 
+(* Calculate -bates automatically so that n is applied to the first page in the range *)  
+let setbatesrange n =
+  let first_page =
+    let range = Cpdf.parse_pagespec_without_pdf (get_pagespec ()) in
+      fold_left min max_int range
+  in
+    args.bates <- n + 1 - first_page
+
 let setkeepversion () =
   args.keepversion <- true
 
@@ -1593,6 +1607,9 @@ and specs =
    ("-bates",
       Arg.Int setbates,
       " Set the base bates number");
+   ("-bates-at-range",
+      Arg.Int setbatesrange,
+      " Set the base bates number at first page in range");
    ("-bates-pad-to",
       Arg.Int setbatespad,
       " Pad the bates number with leading zeroes to width");
@@ -2251,10 +2268,6 @@ let split_pdf
       enc 0 original_filename squeeze nobble spec pdf
       (splitinto chunksize (indx pdf_pages)) pdf_pages
 
-let get_pagespec () =
-  match args.inputs with
-  | (_, ps, _, _, _, _)::_ -> ps
-  | _ -> error "get_pagespec"
 
 (* Copy a font from [frompdf] with name [fontname] on page [fontpage] to [pdf] on all pages in [range] *)
 let copy_font frompdf fontname fontpage range pdf =
diff --git a/cpdfmanual.pdf b/cpdfmanual.pdf
index 62919e9..36de6a2 100644
Binary files a/cpdfmanual.pdf and b/cpdfmanual.pdf differ
diff --git a/cpdfmanual.tex b/cpdfmanual.tex
index 1c175e5..b05c1a9 100644
--- a/cpdfmanual.tex
+++ b/cpdfmanual.tex
@@ -1,12 +1,14 @@
 %FIXME: Document -no-embed-font and encoding switch
 %Documents bates enhancements
+%Document -bates-at-range (must come after range given) and after -bates if
+%given
 \documentclass{book}
 \usepackage{palatino}
 \usepackage{microtype}
 \usepackage{graphics}
 \usepackage[plainpages=false,pdfpagelabels,pdfborder=0 0 0]{hyperref}
 \usepackage{framed}
-\newcommand{\smallgap}{\vspace{4mm}}
+\newcommand{\smallgap}{\bigskip}
 \newcommand{\cpdf}{\texttt{cpdf}}
 \addtolength{\textwidth}{20mm}
 \usepackage{makeidx}\makeindex