Adding 'stamps' or 'watermarks' to your PDFs

Richard Crocker Planet PDF Managing Editor

May 01, 2001

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We have made a sample and instructions on how to use a similar method to add `stamps' or `watermarks' to your existing PDFs. This method allows you to apply text or images to all pages of a PDF. The message at the top of each of the pages of this PDF as well as the icons at the bottom have come from the template I have used.

• (PDF:148K) PDF for adding stamp
• (PDF: 52K) Instructions in PDF form
• (PDF: 18K) PDF used as template page

The additional benefit of this method is that the images and text you apply with the template cannot be removed or altered - that is, even the touch up tools in Acrobat 4.0 will not work on them.

Using the 'OfficialRelease' file to apply the PDF template.

Open the OfficialRelease.PDF file. This file already has a sample 'Official Release' template included (this can be changed later). Get one of your PDFs and merge it with this file, making sure you add it to the end of it. You can do this by dragging and dropping the PDF into Acrobat. Make sure you insert it at the end of the OfficialRelease.PDF file.

Go to the first page and click the Stamp button. This now should have placed the template on all pages of your PDF for you.

Making your PDF template

The 'Template_used.PDF' file is the PDF I used to display the message at the bottom of the page - that is, it is the template I used. To create the message or image you want to appear on every page just use whatever software you normally use to make PDFs. The page should be completely blank except for the content you want to be displayed from your template. Turn the page into a PDF.

Making your PDF template

In the OfficialRelease.PDF go to Tools > Forms > Page Templates. You'll see that there is already one selected. Delete the one there and add the template you want to use. You do this by merging the template with the OfficialRelease.PDF. Go to the page you want to be the template and go to Tools > Forms > Page Templates. Type the name OfficialRelease in and then click the Add button. Also, make sure that the checkbox to the left of the template name is not checked on - if it is checked on you will see an 'eye' icon.

You can change the name of the template you use - which is based on the filename of OfficialRelease.pdf. See the next section for details on how to do this.

Additional notes: you now just follow the step above for applying a template to file. When you want to view the template you have added, go to Tools > Forms > Page Templates and click on the little icon to the left of the template name.

JavaScript used by the 'Stamp' button - renaming the PDF file you use

The JavaScript used in the Stamp button can be altered so among other things you can change the template name from OfficialRelease to whatever you like.

To access the JavaScript click on the Forms toolbar button and double click on the Stamp button. (Form button is shown here).

Once you have opened the Form, go to Actions and click on JavaScript.

The OfficialRelease (in blue below) just needs to be changed to the file name of the PDF you want to use as the template stamp.

	var iNumPages = this.numPages; 
	console.println(iNumPages); 
	for (i = 1; i < iNumPages; i++) 

	{ 
   		console.println(i); 
   		this.spawnPageFromTemplate(" 

	OfficialRelease", i, true); 
	}