How to Create a Dynamic and Custom Stamp in Adobe Acrobat

If you wanted to add more information to a PDF document without altering the content too much, adding a stamp might be your best option. Adding a fillable, customizable, and dynamic stamp can give the document that extra added padding needed to include additional information or validate the content. It can be very difficult to do so. This comprehensive guide will show you how to create a stamp in Adobe Acrobat and a better alternative.

What is a Dynamic Stamp in Adobe?

Adding a stamp to a PDF is much like applying a rubber stamp to a paper document. And just as you would have different kinds of rubber stamps to signal different things on a physical document, Adobe Acrobat gives you a variety of stamps to choose from. You can even create your own stamps that are unique to your business or organization.

A Dynamic stamp in Adobe is a type of stamp that is designed to get data from your computer as well as from the identity panel of the Preferences dialog box. In this way, the Dynamic stamp can have accurate name, date, and time information.  

How to Create a Custom Dynamic Stamp in Adobe

To create a custom dynamic stamp using Adobe Acrobat, use the following steps;

Step 1: Open Adobe Acrobat on your computer. This feature may not be available on the free online version of Acrobat. So, you may need to purchase and install Adobe Acrobat on your computer.

Step 2: In Acrobat, click on "Tools" and select "Stamp".

Step 3: The Stamp Window will open. Here, click on "Custom Stamps" and choose "Create."

Step 4: Now click on "Browse" to choose a stamp image from the file types that you will see in the "Open" dialog box.  Click "OK" when you've made your selection and the file you have selected will be converted to PDF.

Step 5: This will take you to the "Create Custom Stamp" window. Here, chose "Dynamic" in the category, name the stamp, and click "OK."

Step 6: Now find the newly created stamp on your computer and open it. The file will be located in the following paths:

• PC: C:\Users\[user name]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Acrobat\DC\Stamps
• Mac OS: /Users/[user name]/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Acrobat/DC/Stamps

Step 7: Now go to "Tools" and click "Prepare Form." Ensure that the stamp you have just created is selected and then click "Start."

Step 8: Click on "Add a Text Field" and then name and place the field where you would like the date to appear.

Step 9: Double-click on the text field and choose "All Properties."

Step 10: Click on the "Calculate" tab and choose the "Custom Calculation Script." Click "Edit" to open the JavaScript Editor window.

Step 11: Type in the code below in the JavaScript Editor and click "OK."

event.value = util.printd ("h:MM tt, mm dd, yyyy" , new Date);

Step 12: Now close both the "Text Field Properties" dialog and the "Prepare Form" mode and save the file. You might want to rename the stamp so it is easier to find later.

Now your Dynamic Stamp will be ready to use on any computer, just copy the file to transfer it whenever you need to add it to your document.

Disadvantages of Using Adobe to Create a Stamp

A Dynamic Stamp like the one you can create using the steps above can be very useful in numerous ways, especially since it can validate the date and time that the stamp was added to any PDF. But Adobe doesn't make it very easy to create a PDF stamp.

In our tests, we found that there are several disadvantages you will have to contend with when attempting to create a stamp in Adobe Acrobat. They include the following;

• The process to create the stamp is complicated and it is very easy for something to go wrong in the implementation. We had to try more than once to get the date and time right and you may find that you will as well, thereby wasting valuable time.
• This feature is not available on the free version of Adobe Acrobat. To create a Dynamic Stamp, you have to purchase the full version of Acrobat which can be quite expensive.
• We also found that Acrobat can be slow to load large PDF files which was certainly a problem for us when we tried to add the stamp in numerous locations on the document.

How to Create a Custom Stamp with the Best Acrobat Alternative

So, does this mean that you can't create a custom stamp for your PDF without Adobe Acrobat? No. Acrobat may be the most publicized tool to create, edit and manage PDF documents, but it is not the only solution. It isn't even the best one out there by far.

There is another PDF solution that can allow you to create a custom stamp for your documents at a fraction of the cost and in just a few simple steps. This tool is known as UPDF and its creators had simplicity and ease of use in mind when they designed it, as it proved to be the easiest way to create and add custom stamps to PDF documents.

The following step-by-step guide shows you just how easy it is to create a custom stamp using UPDF;

Step 1: Download and install UPDF on your computer. The program has a free trial version that you can access for free.

Step 2: Open it and click "Open File" to import the PDF file. This is the file that you will add the stamp to.

Step 3: Click on the "Comment" button from the toolbar on the left. This should open all the annotation tools that are available to you, including the stamps.

Step 4: Now simply click on the "Stamp" icon at the top. Click on the "Custom" tab and select "Create."

Step 5: This will open the "Create Stamp" dialog where you can start to design the stamp you want.

Step 6: Start by choosing a template from the options below the preview box. Click on the "Sample Text" section to add the text you want to appear on the stamp.

Step 7: Click on the "Calendar" icon at the top to choose a date to add to the stamp and the "Time" icon next to it to add a custom time.

Step 8: Finally click on the "Color" icon to choose a custom color for your stamp. Then simply click "Create" and click on any section of the document to add the custom stamp.

Conclusion

A Dynamic Stamp that indicates the date and time the stamp was added can be invaluable when you need to validate the information in an important document. But while you can create a customizable version of this type of stamp in Adobe Acrobat, the process is lengthy and complicated.

Using UPDF to create an easily customizable stamp that you can then add to your PDF is the best option when you don't want to spend too much time on the task. Unlike Acrobat, UPDF significantly simplifies the process, making it easy for you to annotate the PDF in numerous ways. Try it now!