How do I make a custom stamp transparent?

[PDFNovice]

I recently created a series of text-based custom stamps as previously discussed on this thread. I now need to find a way to make the background of the stamp transparent, since each stamp has a rectangular white background that blocks whatever document text it may be stamped onto.

While Adobe offers an opacity function, I do not want to make the stamp itself opaque, which is what happens when I adjust the opacity after applying the stamp to a document.

[Thom Parker]

That thread doesn't cover how you created the stamp?  If the stamp was made from an imported image then Acrobat will re-sample it, changing both the scale and adding a solid background. If you want the stamp to look the way you want, then some extra work is required.  

I'm assuming this is a static stamp, so I'll be giving instructions for the simplest method for a static stamp.

1. Create the initial stamp design in an application that will create a vector graphic, such as word or InDesign. If an image is involved, then that image must be in a format that allows for transparency, and actually has transparent parts. 

2. Save to design to PDF. Don't print to PDF. Use the actual Export to PDF tool that is included in that application. 

3. Now you will have your design in a PDF. The design will be one page with transparent parts. 

4.  Use the Custom Stamp tools to create a new stamp.  Select the PDF you just created as the stamp image.

Because the design is already in PDF format, Acrobat will import it verbatim, scaling and transparent bits will remain the same.     

[PDFNovice]

Sorry, my apologies, I created the stamp using the following directions:

https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/kb/create-custom-dynamicstamp.html

So the stamp is text, but that text appears in front of a white rectangular background which I'd like to be transparent.

[Thom Parker]

Those instructions do not cover the important bit, for creating a stamp with transparency. 

Please read the instructions I posted above. 

[PDFNovice]

Thank you, these instructions work to create a static stamp. Unfortunately, I still need to add a dynamic date/time element to this stamp which isn't working according to previously-issued instructions. If I want to create a dynamic stamp with a non-transparent background I experience no issues, but I do when trying to create a dynamic stamp with a transparent background. Here's what I'm doing:

• I follow steps One through Three above;
• Once in Adobe, I go to Prepare Form > Add a Text Field > add the text field > All Properties
• I change the appearance, and then go to Calculate > Custom calculation script > add the following script:
  • event.value = util.printd("mmm dd yyyy h:MMtt", new Date());
    console.println("Dynamic stamp calculation script");
• Organize Pages > More > Page Templates > Give the stamp a name according to the following format:
  • #StampName=Stamp Name
• From there, Adobe forces me to Save As, and I replace the originally-saved stamp as such, or sometimes I save it as a second, separate stamp
• I reopen Adobe using a standard PDF
• I go to Stamp in the Toolbar
• Custom Stamp > Create > select my new stamp > Add it to the Dynamic stamp menu and name it

Unfortunately, something's not working out with the above, but I'm not sure where.

[Thom Parker · Accepted solution]

The last 2 steps are the problem.  

You'd already created the complete dynamic stamp before these steps. When you used the Acrobat stamp tools, i.e. "Custom Stamp > Create", to create a new static stamp, that new static stamp had exactly zero features you'd spent all that time creating. Basically, the tools destroyed all the previous work.  So don't do that. Delete anything you created with the Acrobat stamp tool. And by delete, I mean go to the Acrobat stamp folder and delete the files. 

So, to fix the stamp. On the 3rd to last step, "I reopen Adobe using a standard PDF".  Add a document Title to the Stamp PDF. This will set the stamp category.  Now you have a complete stamp. Save the stamp file locally to your project folder, and then copy it to the Acrobat Stamps folder. 

Restart Acrobat. Now you will see your new stamp in the stamp list. And if you did it all correctly, the background will be transparent when placed on another PDF. 

[JEL888]

Hello and thanks!  Before I go back and try to correct my stamp by making it transparent (since I up loaded an image file (.png) to create the custom stamp and ended up like PDF Novice with a white background), I wanted to know what does making the stamp in Adobe do differently or special than using my transparent .png file as a stamp in any document?

[Thom Parker]

It's all about the conversion from PNG to the internal PDF image format. It used to be that transparency was preserved any time a PNG file was imported into Acrobat. Some years ago the conversion changed. Acrobat started resizing images and removing transparency when images were imported into an exising PDF with Acrobat. But if you convert the image, or a word file that contains the image into a PDF, the transparency remains. I don't know why this happened. It just did. 

[QueenEtherea86]

Wow! I know this is over a year old, but let me tell you, your instructions were perfect! I have previously created stamps in Adobe, and when a coworker reached out to me to ask how he can add a certain stamp, I told him, "Yeah, no problem! Give me a few minutes and I'll be right over to show you." I spent the next 40 minutes trying to figure out how I had made the background of my stamps transparent; even tried asking ChatGPT, which didn't help and was telling me to basically make the whole image transparent. So thank you! I was able to create the stamp needed in literally minutes and am now making an instruction document to send out to my department's Secretaries. 

[umeshparikh]

Thank you Thom Parker!! Your Point (2) saved the day!!!

1) I uploaded the image to remove.bg

2) downloaded the transparent background image, it's low res download, but good enough for my needs

3) Imported it into MS Word

4) Exported it to PDF 9not Print to PDF)

5) Made the custom stamp in Acrobat reader


Thanks once again for Point 2, export to PDF, not print!!