TIP 115: Using the Stamp Tools
The Stamp tools are like the old-fashioned ink stamps you apply to a document (such as Draft, Approved, or Confidential). Unlike ink stamps, some of the Acrobat stamps are dynamic in that they automatically add the time or date when you apply the stamp to the documentyou can even create your own custom stamps. Stamps are a central part of an approval workflow, described in Chapter 15. The Stamp tools are located on the Commenting toolbar.
Who Are You?
The Identity Setup dialog doesn't allow you to change the log-in name used for stamps or other types of comments. To revise the name: Choose Edit > Preferences/ Acrobat > Preferences, and click Commenting in the column at the left of the Preferences dialog. Deselect the option Always use Log-in Name for Author name in the Making Comments section of the dialog. Click OK to close the preferences. Right-click/Control-click a comment on your document to open the shortcut menu and choose Properties to open the Properties dialog. Click the General tab, type a new name in the Author field, and click Close to dismiss the dialog. Open the shortcut menu again and choose Make Current Properties Default. Any subsequent stamps or other processes using the Identity Setup information now use the new author (login) name.
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1. | To locate a stamp, on the Commenting toolbar click the Stamp Tool's pull-down arrow to open the menu shown in Figure 115a.
Figure 115a. Acrobat provides a collection of stamps you can use on your documents.
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The first three commands on the menu have submenus containing the stamp choices (the figure shows the Sign Here options at the left); the fourth option contains stamps you define as favorites. | 2. | Click a stamp to select it. The pointer changes to resemble the comment's icon. | 3. | Click the document where you want to apply the stamp. An Identity Setup dialog opens if you haven't already specified an identity as part of a commenting, review, or digital signature setup (Figure 115b).
Figure 115b. Acrobat needs to know who you aredefine an identity in this dialog for use in a number of processes.
Get It Together
Many stamps are available in the Acrobat stamp collection. You can add an infinite number of stamps as well. Use the Stamps palette to keep them straight. Click the Stamp Tool's pull-down menu and choose Show Stamps Palette to open the Stamps dialog. Click the pull-down arrow and choose a category of stamps to display the contents of the collection as thumbnails. For the program's stamps, right-click/Control-click to open a shortcut menu and select either to choose that stamp as the current stamp or add it to your favorites. In a custom stamp category, right-click/Control-click a stamp to open a shortcut menu and either choose to select the stamp or remove it from the favorites list. If you decide to add more stamps, click Import to open the Select Image for Custom Stamp dialog; follow the steps in Tip 116 to create a new stamp. |
| 4. | Add identity information and click Complete to close the dialog and apply the stamp. | 5. | If you want to change the identity information, choose Edit > Preferences/Acrobat > Preferences and click Identity in the left column of the dialog, and then modify the information in the identity fields, such as your name or organization. |
The Dynamic stamps include the username as well as the date and time the stamp was applied. The Sign Here stamps are specific formats used for common communications, and the Standard Business stamps are a collection of labels you commonly use with many office documents (Figure 115c). You can use these stamps to indicate a document's status, such as a confidential or preliminary document, instead of adding note comments or a watermark.
Figure 115c. Look for a stamp in the Standard Business collection to apply to a range of common business purposes.
Snap a Stamp
Here's a terrific tip (if I do say so myself!) for using a stamp to show exactly what you mean. Suppose you have a multipage document and think an image should be located elsewhere. Click the Snapshot tool on the Basic toolbar and snap the image on the page. Now move the document to display the location where you think the image should be placed. Click the Stamp Tool's pull-down arrow to display its menu and choose Paste Clipboard Image as Stamp Tool. Then click the page with the Stamp tool. The image is pasted as a stamp. To make your point, double-click the image (now a stamp comment) to open a comment text box and describe your idea. |
Tip 116. |
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