Installation instructions for proofreading stamps

This article contains installation instructions for most versions of Acrobat and PDF-XChange. Scroll down the page to find the set appropriate for the platform you're working with. 

NOTE: Rest assured that you don't need advanced technical knowledge to install the stamps. In fact, you don't need any technical knowledge at all! You simply need to be able to follow the instructions as they are given. 

Use the right instructions!

I've updated this post several times since it was first written in 2012 as new versions of software have been released.

Please follow my instructions to the letter. I've provided installation support to a number of users in recent years. On every occasion, problems occurred for one of the following reasons:
​

• the user hadn't actually followed the instructions at all but had carried out what he or she thought were the logical steps
• the user had only partially implemented the instructions (perhaps skimming the written instructions or video tutorial, or paying attention only to the early steps in the process) and then made incorrect assumptions about the later steps
• the user tried to install the stamps using the wrong set of instructions (e.g. a set that relates to a different PDF editor or version thereof). Scroll down the article to find the relevant set.

Again, please ensure that you follow the instructions step by step before you contact me to report that you're having problems. If you do need to contact me, please tell me the following:
 

• Which operating system you’re using
• Which PDF editor you’re using
• Which instructions you followed from those offered in this article
  
• Where you came unstuck

NOTE: The first step is to DOWNLOAD THE STAMPS, whichever set of instructions your are using.

DOWNLOAD STAMPS

​PDF-XChange Editor 8.0

Instructions correct as of 4 January 2020 and apply to Windows 10, Office 365

1. Download the stamps collection (red, blue and black are available) and save anywhere you like. 
2. Open PDF-Xchange Editor.
3. Type “stamp” into the search box at the top of the screen and select STAMPS PALETTE from the drop-down menu.
4. Select ADD NEW.
5. Select ADD NEW STAMP FROM FILE. This will open up a new window.
6. Now select the PDF of the stamps collection you just downloaded (e.g. red).
7. To add the collection, scroll down and click on the ADD NEW button located on the right of the Target Collection box).
8. Give the collection a name (e.g. Red Stamps).
9. Click OK.
10. Now explore the Stamps Palette window above – your new collection should be visible. Use ZOOM IN and ZOOM OUT buttons to get the layout you want.
11. Right-click on an individual stamp to rename it. I recommend using numbers (read this article on reorganizing your stamps palette).

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​PDF-XChange Editor 6.0

​My colleague Helen Mortimor has kindly provided the following installation instructions for use with Editor 6.0:

1. Download the stamps Open Roundup: PDF Proofreading Stamps (quick-access links) to your This PC > Documents folder. Make a note of which file is which colour.
2. Download Editor 6.0 here.
3. Open any PDF.
4. Go into Tools > Comment and Markup Tools > Stamp Tool > Stamps Palette.
5. Click on the 'Add New Stamp from File' icon, which looks like an open folder.
6. Click on the folder icon to the right of the 'Name' field and select a stamp folder from your documents folder.
7. Click on 'All pages'.
8. Give the stamps a title in ‘New title’ (I think this is where you could select a page at a time and re-name each stamp with numbers).
9. Click the 'Add New' button at bottom right, and give the new collection a name (e.g. 'Red Proofreading Stamps').
10. Click OK.
11. Your stamps should install. Repeat from Step 3 for the rest of the collection.

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PDF-XChange Editor 3.0

​My colleague Steve Hammatt has kindly provided the following installation instructions for use with Editor 3.0:

1. Go into Tools > Comment and Markup Tools > Stamps Palette.
2. Click on the 'Add New Stamp from File' icon, which looks like an open folder.
3. Click on the folder icon to the right of the 'Name' field and select any PDF from your computer.
4. Click the 'Add New' button at bottom right, and give the new collection a name (e.g. 'Red Proofreading Stamps'). Doing this will have automatically created the folder you will need. In Windows XP this should be: C:\Documents and Settings\<user>\Application Data\Tracker Software\PDFXEditor\3.0\Stamps. In Windows 8, 7 and Vista it should be: C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\Tracker Software\PDFXEditor\3.0\Stamps.
5. Navigate to that folder; delete the file to leave the folder empty.
6. a) Open Roundup: PDF Proofreading Stamps (quick-access links). b) Scroll through and click on, and open, the version of the XChange stamps file you want. (Don't worry if you can only see one stamp on the front page. This is as it should be.) Save the downloaded file in the folder you have just created.  
7. Close Editor and re-open it. You should see a full set of stamps available for use in the Stamps Palette.
8. For each separate file you choose (different colour options or additional sets of stamps) you will need to repeat Step 6b.

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PDF-XChange Pro and the free Viewer 2.0

​One of the main benefits of using PDF-XChange Viewer is that you can import all my stamps in one go. Video tutorial. For those of you who'd like to watch a tutorial of the steps outlined below, here's a video demonstration in which I talk you through the process, step by step, while actually downloading a set of stamps onto my own computer.

NB: This is the squeaky-chair edit, a limited-edition version created especially to provide the feel-good factor for editorial freelancers whose home offices benefit from well-oiled swivel-seating arrangements!

 Written instructions 

1. Download PDF-XChange and install it on your computer.
2. Create a special folder for your stamps. To do this:
   a) Open PDF-XChange, select Tools from the top menu, then Comment And Markup Tools, then Show Stamps Palette.
   b) Click on 'New ...' to create a New Collection.
   c) Then click on 'From PDF ...' and use this to copy any PDF you like from anywhere you like in your computer.
   You should now see a New Collection with that PDF in it. Doing this will have automatically created the folder you will need. In Windows XP this should be: C:\Documents and Settings\<user>\Application Data\Tracker Software\PDF- XChange Viewer\2.0\Stamps. In Windows 10, 8, 7 and Vista it should be: C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\Tracker Software\PDF-XChange  Viewer\2.0\Stamps.
3. Navigate to that folder,* select the copied PDF (it will have a weird number – don't worry) and delete it, leaving the folder empty. 
4. a) Open Roundup: PDF Proofreading Stamps (quick-access links).
   b) Scroll through and click on, and open, the version of the XChange stamps file you want. (Don't worry if you can only see one stamp on the front page. This is as it should be.) Save the downloaded file in the folder you have just created.  
5. Close PDF-XChange and re-open it. You should see a full set of stamps available for use in the Stamps Palette.
6. For each separate file you choose (different colour options or additional sets of stamps) you will need to repeat Step 4b.

* Can't find the AppData folder?
If you can't find the folder, the most likely reason is that the Application Data (or AppData) folder (a hidden folder) is invisible on your computer. 

• To show it in Windows XP, go to Start, Control Panel, Folder Options, View, Show Hidden files and folders. 
• For Windows 7 and Vista, go to the Windows icon in the bottom left-hand corner of your screen and search for 'show hidden files and folders'. Click on this and look down for the Hidden Files and Folders icon. Then check the button labelled 'Show hidden files, folders and drives'. Select OK. Now you should be able to save the XChange files in the correct place, enabling them to appear in the palette.
• For Windows 8, follow the instructions in this tutorial from bleepingcomputer.com: How to see hidden files in Windows 8.

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Acrobat 9 (Standard and the free Reader)

1. Open any PDF.
2. Select the stamp icon from the Comment and Markup Toolbar (this ribbon should show up at the top of the page) and click on the drop-down menu.
3. Select Create Custom Stamp.
4. Click on the Browse button and select the location of the PDF stamps file (e.g. Red Stamps).
5. Each stamp will appear on a separate page. Use the scroll bar to select the stamp you wish to upload.   
6. Click Import.
7. Click OK.

The first time you do this you’ll have to write in a category (e.g. Red Stamps). When you import a second stamp you can simply select this option. You can also name the stamp if you wish but I didn’t bother, choosing instead to leave the default New Stamp.

When you have uploaded all your stamps and are ready to start marking up your document, select Show Stamps Palette from the stamp icon in the ribbon menu and a box will appear. If you have different categories (e.g. Blue Stamps) you can select these from here.

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Acrobat <9 (Standard and the free Reader)

1. Open any PDF (If the stamp icon isn't on display in the toolbar select the Commenting Toolbar by choosing View, Toolbars, Commenting from the menu).
2. Go to the stamp icon on the top ribbon menu and click on the drop-down menu.
3. Select Create Custom Stamp.
4. Click on the Select button and then the Browse button to select the location of the PDF stamps file (e.g. Red Stamps). 
5. Each stamp should appear on a separate page. Use the scroll bar to select the stamp you wish to create.
6. Click OK.

The first time you do this you’ll have to type in a category (e.g. Red Stamps). When you import a second stamp you can simply select this option. You can also name the stamp.

When you have downloaded all your stamps and are ready to start marking up your document, select the drop-down menu from the stamp icon in the ribbon menu, and the categories you have created will be listed along with the defaults. You can then select the stamp from the category you require.

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Acrobat X

​My colleague Jenny Macgregor has very kindly put together some instructions for downloading my proofreading stamps into Acrobat X. Here's her advice...

1. Download the stamps from this website, whichever colours you use, and save somewhere convenient. At this point I recommend making a list on paper of the number of each stamp, and what it is (it varies between colours). This is worth the few minutes it takes, and is invaluable later on in the process.
2. Open the PDF you are proofreading. In the bar across the top, click on Comment, as you would normally do to start marking up, then open Annotations, if it is not already open.
3. Click on the stamp icon (it takes a few seconds for a grey box to open), then click on Custom Stamps and, from the box which pops up next to it, Create Custom Stamps.
4. The Select Image for Custom Stamp window will open with a browse facility. Use that to find the stamps you have saved earlier, starting with whichever colour you are likely to use most.
5. At this stage you will need the paper you have marked all the symbols on: use it to choose which you are most likely to need, and then use the number and the slider on the right-hand side of the box to locate the first symbol you want to install. You need the number because the images in the box are too small to distinguish easily. Click OK.
6. A new box opens; in the category box, type in the colour, i.e. red stamps/black stamps/blue stamps. I haven’t found any benefit in giving a name to each stamp, so just leave it as New Stamp. Then click OK. The box disappears.
7. Repeat this with any other symbols you are certain to need, and any other colours. After the first one in each category, the category name (red stamps, etc.)  appears in a drop-down box to be selected, which saves time.
8. Once you start the proofread, if you want to add a stamp to the PDF, click on the stamp symbol, and the grey box opens as before, but now it will have the categories of stamps you have installed, i.e. red stamps, black stamps, etc. Click on the colour you want to use and another grey box will open with the symbols in it. Click on the symbol you want to use, and it will ‘ghost’ onto the PDF you are proofing. Move it to where you want it and then click, which will attach it to the PDF. That’s it!
9. The last stamp you used can be added to/removed from a favourites list – favourites appear in the first grey box to open, and can be selected from it, which saves some time.
10. At any time during the proofread, if you find you need a stamp you haven’t already installed, repeat steps 3–6, using your paper list to find the appropriate stamp number.
11. To keep the stamps palette open, click on the stamp symbol, and when the grey box opens click on Show Stamps Palette.

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Adobe Acrobat Reader DC

Instructions correct as of 5 December 2021

1. Open any PDF.
2. Click on the Tools tab in the ribbon.
3. Click on the Stamps icon. The Custom Stamps icon will now appear in the ribbon.
4. Select Create from the Custom Stamps drop-down menu.
5. Click on the Browse button to select the location of the PDF stamps file (e.g. Red Stamps). 
6. Each stamp should appear on a separate page. Use the scroll bar to select the stamp you wish to create.
7. Fill in the Category (e.g. Red stamps). You can re-use this for the second stamp you add.
8. Give the stamp a name (e.g. '1' or 'delete').
9. Click on OK.
10. Use the Stamps Palette icon in the ribbon to access your symbols (remember to select the relevant category).

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Tips

Here are a few tips to bear in mind when using stamps. Search the Stamps archive for other useful articles and resources.

• Remember to keep your stamps palette open when you are working in both Acrobat or XChange; it will save you time when selecting each stamp you want to use.
  
• In XChange you can minimize the size of the symbols as they appear in the palette. This enables you to see a greater number of stamps while you are working without having to scroll up and down the palette (see the highlighted circle on the screenshot below).
• In XChange, number similar stamps sequentially so that they appear in a logical order. This will make it easier to find the stamp you need, particularly if each palette contains a lot of symbols (see screenshot below).
• It's useful to keep your palettes of different-coloured stamps separate so that the palettes don't become overly cluttered. Again, this will enable you to locate the stamp you need more efficiently. 

PDF-XChange Viewer: screenshot of minimizing tool and stamps palette.

Louise Harnby is a line editor, copyeditor and proofreader who specializes in working with crime, mystery, suspense and thriller writers.

She is an Advanced Professional Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP), a member of ACES, a Partner Member of The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), and co-hosts The Editing Podcast.

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