Acrobat allows you to use a number of stamps that "live" in the annotation layer of the document.
For example, you could quickly add a Confidential stamp to your document:
Adding a stamp isn’t difficult in Acrobat X, but it is a few steps:
- Open the Comments panel
- Twirl open the Annotations section
- Click on the Stamp tool
- Choose a Stamp category
- Choose a Stamp
- Stamp it on your document
That isn’t hard, but it’s easy to reduce the number of steps. Here’s how . . .
Step 1: Add the Stamp to your Quick Tools bar
You can add your own favorite tools to the first row of tool icons in Acrobat.
To add the Stamp tool to the Quick Tools area:
A) Open the Comments panel
B) Twirl open the Annotations section
C) Right-click on the Stamp tool and choose Add to Quick Tools
The Stamp Tool is added to the toolbar:
Step Two: Choose your Favorite Stamps
Acrobat allows you to easily access frequently used stamps without having to dig through sub-menus. Here’s how to "favorite" a stamp . . .
- Click the Stamp Tool and locate a stamp you like and stamp it on the document
- Click on the stamp on the page to select it.
Hint: When selected, the stamp selection handles will be visible:
- Click on the Stamp tool menu and choose Add Current Stamp to Favorites
Now, your favorite stamp is available to apply in two clicks:
Bonus Tip 1: Use the Stamps Palette
The Stamps Palette is a floating, resizable window which offers a large preview of multiple stamps.
To open the Stamps Palette, simply go to your Stamp tool menu and choose Show Stamps Palette:
The Stamps Palette opens. Select a stamp and drag it onto your page:
Bonus Tip 2: You can "favorite" from the Stamps Palette
Here’s another way to favorite a stamp . . . just right-click on it in the Stamps Palette:
Comments
And is there some reason you can’t *remove* the Approved stamp from Favorites?
You can, but it requires editing the default stamp file to do so.
And can you offer a clue as to how to do that?
Since I don’t expect to ever use the Approved stamp, it’s really just in my way on my Favorites list…
Ok, but this isn’t that easy.
1. Find the READ-Only PDF file namded “StandardBusiness.pdf”
in C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 10.0\Acrobat\plug_ins\Annotations\Stamps\ENU
2. Get Properties on it and deselect the check box for “Read-only”
3. Click the Apply button
4. Click the OK button
5. Open the file “Dynamic.PDF”
6. Find the page with Approved Stamp..
7. Delete that page.
8. Save the PDF file
9. Close the file and exit the application.
10. Get Properties on it and select the check box for “Read-only”
11. Click the Apply button
12. Click the OK button
13. Done
Probably should have mentioned that I’m on a Mac… But from your instructions, was able to figure out a similar process that worked. And was even able to save the extracted (rather than deleted) stamp page and reimport it as a custom stamp–just in case I ever do want to use it. So thanks!
These steps removed “approved” from the lists, but did not seem to remove it from the “Favorites” that appear above the menu items when first clicking the stamp icon.
It is possible to do this, but it would require some serious editing of the built-in stamps files. If you still want to try it, let me know. I have not tested this myself, so you’re on your own.
I am very much interested in trying to do this. Intermediate steps have ended up with Stamp files in the proper directory, but the stamps are no longer appearing in the stamps palette.
On Windows, locate the StandardBusiness.pdfin C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 10.0\Acrobat\plug_ins\Annotations\Stamps\ENU.
1. Find the READ-Only PDF file named “StandardBusiness.pdf”
2. Get Properties on it and deselect the check box for “Read-only”
3. Click the Apply button
4. Click the OK button
5. Open the file “StandardBusiness.pdf”
6. Go to Page 4.
7. Delete Page 4
8. Save the PDF file
9. Close the file and exit the application.
10. Get Properties on it and select the check box for “Read-only”
11. Click the Apply button
12. Click the OK button
13. Done
Mr. Borstein,
Is there any way to install a custom stamp such as the dynamic exhibit stamp that you offered for Acrobat 9 previously in your blog? Now that I’ve updated to X Pro, the ability to electronically stamp exhibits is what I miss the most.
Yes, The Stamps work in Acrobat X. They go into the same relative directory structure.
Can you walk me through it? I have tried importing the stamps on multiple computers in Acrobat X and cannot get the dynamic stamp to work, it gives me no option to input the dynamic information for the exhibit or the paid recieved stamps which we love so much.
You can’t import the stamp, Follow the instructions to install the stamp that are contained in the article and the download.
Ok, so I figured out what was wrong. On the new computer even though I was an admin, it was set to not allow me to see hidden folders. I found the folder by searching for it, but it must have disabled the dynamic function of the stamp when I pasted it into the folder. To fix it, I went to the control panel and made it display hidden folders and then pasted the file again per your prior article. Now it works.
Help! We are using Acrobat X and have saved the Exhibit Stamp file in the Acrobat 9 Stamps folder. I can get the stamp on the document, but then I can’t edit it. How do I get it to allow me to change the exhibit number from “1″ to “A”?
It sounds like either you need to enable JavaScript for your copy of Acrobat or you didn’t install the stamp correctly.
how do I edit a stamp as I need it ?
You cannot edit the built-in stamps in Acrobat. You can make your own however.
I have been using the ‘tick’ stamp on many documents but all of a sudden it now does not appear on my document when I print it out. It shows on the document on the screen- help
Check your print settings to ensure that Document & Markups is selected.
I had to reinstall acrobat. So, I downloaded your dynamic exhibit stamps (which are terrific). They appear fine on the document on the screen but do not print. Please help.
Any stamp will print if in the Print window you choose “Document and Stamps”
Some users are having problem with the new Acrobat X and Lion because the Library folder is now hidden and they are probably not finding the proper place to drop the dynamic PDF file. Type the following command in to terminal to get rid of the hidden flag on the Library folder: chflags nohidden ~/Library
Follow the instructions in the PDF and it will work.
Rick, you rock!!!
Exactly what I was looking for (Stamp Palette) in an easy to understand format!!
thanks
O,K. — So, this time, I saved the StandardBusinss file in my documents folder (previously, I had been selecting a folder which was, still, under the main Adobe folder. When I saved the modified StandardBusiness file in my data folder, it saved just fine. Then I renamed it, and moved it back to the original Adobe folder. Then, I deleted the original StandardBusiness file and renamed the modified file I had inserted with the StandardBusiness name. Everything worked just fine, and I don’t have the APPROVAL stamp sitting in my Favorites stamps!
Glad to hear it worked for you.
Is there any way to use the same stamp repeatedly without having to go back and reclick on the stamp. I prepare tax returns and often send them to clients in pdf form. I use the checkmark to indicate where signatures and dates are required. It gets quite tedious having to click on the checkmark stamp every time I place one on the return.
Easy. Just right-click on the Stamp Tool and choose the “Keep Tool Selected” option.
I cant see this opetion to keep this selected in Adobe x . If I right click I get Remove from Quick tool bar. if I actually right click the stamp I still dont see this option.
Am I missing something
If you have the “use single-key accelerators to access tools” option checked in preferences under the general preferences tab you can press the “k” key to bring up the last stamp used.
Great tip!
How can I automatically add the user name, date and time to a custom stamp in Adobe X?
Creating custom stamps requires programming. You might check out this book: http://www.amazon.com/Stamps-Acrobat%C2%AE-Paperless-Workflows-ebook/dp/B008KODLJ0
I am new to Acrobat. I followed the instructions to place the stamp on the top toolbar…works great.
I tried to remove the “APPROVED” stamp following the instructions, but was not able to find the file…may be hidden by IST department…I can live with two favorites. Glad to learn about “keep tool selected – this will save me time and aggrevation.
1. I would like to make my dynamic stamp default to a smaller size. Is there an easy way to do this? I see that after I use my stamp on the drawing, I can resize it, but I don’t want to resize 25 times. An anjustable default size would be fantastic. If I resize it once and then sav “make current properties default” it does not remember the size. Am I doing something wrong?
2. I have been tinkering with a custom county stamp. I created one in autocad, looked nice, but is there a way to add “current time/date” to a custom stamp?
Thanks,
Chuck
Stamps always come in at 100% of their size. You would need to create a new dynamic stamp at your required size. That is pretty challenging to do. If you want to dive into this, check out this book: http://www.amazon.com/Stamps-Acrobat%C2%AE-Paperless-Workflows-ebook/dp/B008KODLJ0
Rick, I need to keep the Exhibit Stamp template, but also add another Stamp that works the same way only I need it to say “Document” and then consecutively number as I place the stamp on documents. I had some difficulty when I tried to save the existing stamp and rename to Document stamp. Any ideas?
Dynamic Stamps requires javascript programming. You might try joining pdfscripting.com which offers several examples.
Can the date/time be changed on a “received” stamp?
The default stamps in Acrobat are hard wired to the computer time, not a third-party time server.
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I was also having the problem with stamps not printing on a document and I was glad to see the instructions above about changing the print settings. However, since I will routinely send these documents to other people, is there a way to “embed” these stamps into the PDF? For me, it isn’t practical for the recipients to have to go in and change the print settings each time they receive something that might have a stamp in it. Any suggestions?
You’ll need to flatten the stamps. See: http://blogs.adobe.com/acrolaw/2011/02/flatten-form-fields-and-comment-using-a-free-acrobat-x-action/
Is there a way to impose a stamp on multiple pages by one simple step?
Not with a stamp, but you may be able to accomplish something similar using Watermarks.
Is there a way to change the font in a digital signature?
No, that’s not possible, but you can include your own artwork.
Is there a simple way to change the date format in a digital signature to read for example:
day month year 25/09/2012
I don’t think this is possible.
Can you create a custom stamp that you can also edit? For example, I want to create a stamp with my company logo, that also includes text I can edit as needed.
You would need to create a custom dynamic stamp. Thom Parker of Windjack just wrote a great book on this, but some programming in JavaScript is required. See: http://www.amazon.com/About-Stamps-Acrobat%C2%AE-Paperless-Workflows/dp/0985614706
I think that Adobe REALLY dropped the ball on this feature. They COULD have made it much easier to add or delete stamps and they COULD have made it much user-friendly for a user to design their own stamp and add it. It is not an easy procedure. From the posts here and the many posts I read in other forums I am amazed that they STILL have not got this right by Acrobat X. Maybe by Acrobat XV?
I agree that this process could be easier. Acrobat doesn’t provide a stamp editor as such, but it is a great idea. The basic process for creating stamps hasn’t changed in three versions.
Is there a way to make a custom stamp where the date & time changes to current date & time?
You can create custom dynamic stamps using page templates and custom javascript.See: http://acrobatusers.com/tutorials/print/custom_dynamic_stamp
Rick a have one that could potentially save hours and hours of time.
1. I receive adobe files with soe times hundreds of pages, I would like to find a way to stamp every page with a custom stamp I have made, in the same(ish) spot on every page, in just a few clicks, without having to through every single page and add a stamp manually.
2. The files I receive are usually excel based and have stamps on them from my supplier that really mess up the pages when I try to convert them back into excel files. It seems to work fine when I again go through and remove every stamp page by page then convert it. So looking to find a way for adobe to go through and remove adobe added content throughout the binder back to as original as possible.
Thanks in advance!
You can remove all of the stamps in a document via the Comments List. You can use the Watermark feature to point to artwork and achieve pretty much what you want as with stamps.