Password Protect Custom Stamps

You can place personal stamps in you userid's application folder for Acrobat/Reader.

The best possible signature is the Digital ID along with a visible signature field using your signature facsimile.

I'm sorry but I do not understand the response. I do not see where my stamps are currently stored (and I did a search and did nit find them). Also, I created the stamp but did not create any digital ID. Please provide me more info.

Dynamic Stamp Secrets> by Thom Parker
Creating Custom Stamps by Rick Borstein
Using Digital Signatures in a PDF File by Lori Kassuba

I had not thought about securing stamps before, this is an intriguing idea. So I did a test.

1. Create a self signed digital signature.
2. Open the stamp file and apply security to the PDF using the certificate
3. Save the file back into the stamps folder
4. Close and reopen Acrobat.


You have to use certificate security because it's automatic. Acrobat does not have to ask you for a password to open the file, which wouldn't work for a stamp file.

The result is that I see and can use the stamp on my system, but no one else can. In fact, when I installed the stamp on another computer it doesn't even show up on the stamp list, and Acrobat doesn't complain. It's like it doesn't exist.

Thomp,

Thanks for the suggestion. I do not have certificate security but I guess I can figure out how do that but if you have instructions it would be helpful.

Your suggestion gets me partially to where I want and will use it if I can not get all the way to where I want. I would like it for noone to be able to use the signature stamp even on my machine (should it get stolen).

Thanks

All the information you need is on this site. George already gave you link to the information you need to find the stamp files. There are also articles and videos on applying security to the PDF. In fact, security is this months featured topic. See the links on the home page.

Okay, I tried following your advice and I setup a digital signature but I can not figure out where the stamp file is located so I can call it up and would appreciate your help. I am using win 7 64 bit and found a folder c:\users\neil\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Acrobat\10.0\stamps but it seems to have only 1 file and when I call it up it is blank. I also found C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe Acrobat 10.0\Acrobat\plug_ins\Annotations\stamps but it seems to have only the built in stams and not the custom stamps I created.

Please help me find the custom stamps.

You need to run a run a line JavaScript from the Acrobat JavaScript console:

app.getPath("user", "stamps");

Follow the link to 'Dynamic Stamp Secrets'.

The link you provided for the dynamic stam secrets show the same 2 folders that I already found but could not see my custom stamps only the built in stamps

Okay, I think I got it all working. Applied the digital signature and saved the stamp (apparently since I have 4 custom signatures in the same adobe folder (sign here) I guess all 4 stamps are digitally signed.

Now when I use the stamp everything works they way it worked before but I guess if someone used the file on another system it would not work

Now that I think I have it working the way it is suppose to, I was wondering if there is a list of links like you provided

Dynamic Stamp Secrets> by Thom Parker
Creating Custom Stamps by Rick Borstein
Using Digital Signatures in a PDF File by Lori Kassuba

for other tutorials that I might be intereted in learning about things.

I found the tutorials so there is no need to answer that portion of my question.

I took the digitally signed pdf stamp file and copied the file to another machone that I have. If I double click on the pdf file on the new machine it comes up and I can see the digital signature. When I open up Acrobat and then try to use my stamps, the stamps that are digitally signed show up and I can use them the same as I could on my first machine. So I do not understand what went wrong because I thought tthose stamps would not show up.

Please advise

Thom suggested applying certificate security to the PDF containing your stamps, as opposed to adding a digital signature.

The instructions I was given were:

1. Create a self signed digital signature.
2. Open the stamp file and apply security to the PDF using the certificate
3. Save the file back into the stamps folder
4. Close and reopen Acrobat.

So I do not understand it does say digital signature. I guess my problem is that I do not know what it means "apply security to the PDF using the certificate" if it is not just sign using the digital signature so I would appreciate further assistance.

I believe that could be clarified to:

1. Create a self-signed digital ID
2. Open the stamp file and apply certificate security to the PDF using the certificate established in step #1

Note that you will probably also want to set: (Acrobat 9) Advanced > Security Settings > Digital IDs > Digital ID Files > Password Timeoutso you don't get prompted for your password each time

I believe that I applied the certificate to the open stamp just as described. If I call up the stamp file it shows the digital signature.

I have Acrobat Pro X and I went into the preferences and I had checked "Verify signatures when the document is oened". So I would appreciate some more direction becasue I still do not see what I have done wrong. I made a screen shot of my "security" setting but I do not see how to add a file to the postings.

What is shown as the security method when you select: File > Properties > SecurityIt should show: "Security Method: Certificate Security"



When you apply certificate security, it does not add a visible signature to any page.

Okay, I think we are getting closer. The security was not as you indicated so I unsigned the document then changed the security then digitally signed the document and saved it under the same file name. I then closed Acrobat and reopened but now the stamp does not show up at all and if I call up the stamp pdf file it now asks me for a password and then it opens and shows the digital signature. What did I do wrong? Do I have to somehow delete the password on the file (I did not add a password but when I went through the change in security on the digital signature I did add a password). When I open up the stamp PDF file I get a prompt which shows the digital ID and asks me to input my password. Please help once more

See that last part of post #15 above. You have to configure Acrobat for how you want it to prompt you for your password by setting the password timeout option.

I think in Acrobat 10 its under:

Tools > Protection > More Protection > Security Settings > etc.

Finally I have success! Thank you very much for sticking with me to get me through my steep learning curve