Using PDF stamps in Adobe Reader

By David Dagley | April 10, 2013 | Last updated on September 21, 2023
2 min read

Sometimes, you may need to put an official stamp on a document for a client. Instead of printing out a page and then scanning it, Adobe Reader lets you do it electronically.

Read: Technology is your friend — use it

Click the word comment in Adobe Reader XI on the right side of the toolbar. Then click the annotations drop-down arrow, and you will see a number of commenting tools.

One is an icon that looks like a physical stamp.

Click the drop-down arrow on the stamp and the following expandable toolbar selections will appear:

  • Dynamic
  • Sign Here
  • Standard Business
  • Custom Stamps

Select a stamp, then click anywhere on the PDF to stamp it there. You can move, rotate, and resize the stamp by using the handles that appear around the stamp when click you it.

If you right-click the stamp and select “Properties,” you can reduce the opacity to make the stamp more transparent.

Read: New technology generates privacy fears

Creating a custom stamp

You can design your own custom stamps with your texts, fonts, colours, and official logo images by following these steps.

  • Convert your design to a PDF file (to learn how, read Automatically create PDFs).
  • Select Custom Stamps>Create A Custom Stamp… from the Reader stamp tool.
  • Browse your hard drive for your PDF creation and click OK.
  • Select a category from the drop-down menu or type your own.
  • Type a name for your stamp and click OK.
    • You should now see your stamp under the category when you click the stamp tool drop-down.

To delete a stamp, select Custom Stamps>Manage Stamps. Select the stamp and click delete. In my next column I will discuss dynamic stamps.

David Dagley

David Dagley , CFP®, is a software developer and Adobe javascript expert, with 15 years of financial planning experience. He is the owner and president of Forms Doctor Inc., a company specializing in workflow automation solutions and financial planning calculators for investment dealers, financial advisors, and investment firms.