Can you create a custom stamp that you can change the color of after stamping?

Forum|Forum|3 days ago
September 25, 2026
7 replies
66 views

Is it possible to have a stamp that you can change colors after stamping? So you create the custom stamp as black and then after you stamp it in the document you can change the color from black to blue? I seem to think it isn't, but thought I would look for a more expert to answer.

Thom Parker

Community Expert

The answer is NO! A PDF stamp is static image. Its properties cannot be changed after it is applied to the PDF. However, there is a way with JavaScript to change the stamp image, if the original stamp is installed on the users system.

The “Color” property on the stamp’s properties dialog is the border color of the comment popup, it is not related to the stamp appearance.

Thom Parker - Software Developer at PDFScriptingUse the Acrobat JavaScript Reference early and often

G

GiGiTexasAuthor

Known Participant

Thank you.

I was starting to try Javascript and I couldn't get that to work either. So before I dug too deep, I wanted to see if what I was trying could actually work.

Do you know of any references for the javascript method I could read?

Thom Parker

Community Expert

Forcing a change in a stamp image in Acrobat is not documented by Adobe. The only place you’d see it would be in my articles.

The stamp annotation property that specifies the stamp image is “AP”. This is set to the name of the stamp.

For example, place the green checkmark stamp on a PDF. Select the stamp, then open the console window and run this code:

selectedAnnots[0].AP

This will display “SHAccepted”, which is the stamp name for the green checkmark. Now run this code:

selectedAnnots[0].AP = "SBRejected"

This will changed the stamp image to the red X. So it is the “AP” property that selects the image that is displayed on the stamp. In your case you need two of exactly the same stamp design, with different colors. Then you can use some JS code to change the stamp image.

There is another technique that uses a single dynamic stamp. The color change is accomplished by placing a text field as the stamp background. Then using the stamp script to control the color of the text field at the time the stamp is placed. To change color, JavaScript code is used to force Acrobat to redraw the stamp. This is done by removing the internal stamp appearance, but leaving the stamp name in place.

Thom Parker - Software Developer at PDFScriptingUse the Acrobat JavaScript Reference early and often

CORCTON34033231

Community Expert

Yes, you can! After you place the stamp, select it with the Select tool, right-click it, and choose Properties. In the Appearance tab, pick the color you want — the placed stamp takes on that color.

This is documented in the official help under "Change color": https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/desktop/share-and-review-documents/use-stamps/add-modify-stamps.html

One small note: the chosen color is applied over the stamp artwork, so a solid black custom stamp will pick up the new color cleanly. If you need a very specific look, creating a custom stamp in exactly that color is another option.

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GiGiTexasAuthor

Known Participant

Thanks for the reply. That seems reasonable, but I have tried that with the default stamps and my created stamp and it does nothing. The stamp itself does not change color.

It adjusts the opacity, but the color stays the same but it did change the little round circle associated with the comment. (See attached)

This works in your Acrobat? Could there be an issue with my install or version?

CORCTON34033231

Community Expert

Thanks for testing it — that detail helps. Just to confirm: the route I described is right-click the placed stamp > Properties > Appearance tab > Color, which is exactly what the official help documents. If you changed the color using the color picker in the floating comment toolbar instead, try the Properties route — those are different controls and they don't behave the same for stamps.

If the Properties > Appearance > Color route still doesn't recolor the stamp for you, let me know your Acrobat version and whether you're using the new or the classic interface. That would point to a version-specific quirk rather than anything wrong with your install.

One practical note for your custom stamps: if the stamp artwork itself is a full-color PDF or image, Acrobat can't recolor that artwork after stamping. The reliable workaround there is to create the stamp once in each color you need.

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