You receive an invoice and need to mark it PAID. A college asks you to submit documents marked “Self-Attested”. Your manager wants a tick next to every approved line item and the date written beside it. Printing, stamping, signing and scanning all of this takes time. Doing it directly on the PDF takes less than a minute.
This guide covers the Stamp tool in the free InstantToolsPro PDF Editor. It has three parts in one box: Marks (tick, cross, star and more), Stamps (PAID, APPROVED, SELF ATTESTED and others) and Date (today’s date in the format you choose). No app, no account.
What Is the Stamp Tool?
The Stamp tool lets you place small, clear labels on your PDF, the digital version of an office rubber stamp. When you open Stamp in the editor, a box titled Marks, stamps & date appears with three tabs:
- Marks: simple symbols like a checkmark or a cross.
- Stamps: ready-made status stamps or your own text, in a rubber-stamp style.
- Date: a date in your preferred format, ready to place on the page.
Each tab has a color choice (black, blue, red or green) and an Add to page button.
When Should You Use It?
- Invoices and bills: Mark an invoice PAID or RECEIVED so there is no confusion later.
- Approvals at work: Stamp a document APPROVED or REJECTED before passing it on.
- Forms and applications: Use SELF ATTESTED or ORIGINAL SEEN on copies of certificates and ID documents when a form asks for it.
- Checklists and review sheets: Put a tick or cross beside each item as you go through it.
- Teachers and students: Tick correct answers, cross wrong ones, star the important points.
- Version control: Mark a file DRAFT, VERIFIED or URGENT so others know its status at a glance.
- Record keeping: Add the date you received or processed a document.
Tab 1: Marks (Tick, Cross, Star and More)
Marks are quick symbols for reviewing a document. You get six:
- Checkmark (✓), for approved or correct items
- Cross (✕), for rejected or wrong items
- Filled circle (●), for bullet-style marking
- Empty circle (○), for options or pending items
- Star (★), for important points
- Dash (–), for “not applicable” or strike-through style notes
How to use: Open Stamp, stay on the Marks tab, pick a color, tap a symbol, and press Add to page. Green suits correct, red suits wrong, and black or blue suits neutral review.
Tab 2: Stamps (PAID, APPROVED, SELF ATTESTED and More)
This tab gives you ten ready-made stamps:
| Stamp | Typical use |
|---|---|
| PAID | Invoices, bills, fee receipts |
| APPROVED | Documents cleared by a manager or reviewer |
| SELF ATTESTED | Copies of your own documents for forms and applications |
| ORIGINAL SEEN | Showing that the original was checked against the copy |
| RECEIVED | Confirming that a document or payment arrived |
| VERIFIED | Details checked and found correct |
| CONFIDENTIAL | Private documents |
| REJECTED | Documents that did not pass review |
| DRAFT | Work in progress |
| URGENT | Items that need quick action |
Tap any preset and the text box fills automatically. You can also type your own text, for example “PROCESSED”, “CHECKED” or your company name.
Live preview: Below the text box, a preview shows exactly how the stamp will look. It has a double border and bold lettering, like a real rubber stamp, so you can judge the result before placing it.
Slight tilt: The Slight tilt checkbox rotates the stamp a little. A tilted stamp looks more like one pressed by hand, while an untilted stamp looks neater and more formal. Try both in the preview.
Color meaning: Red works well for PAID, REJECTED and URGENT. Green suits APPROVED and VERIFIED. Blue and black suit RECEIVED, ORIGINAL SEEN and SELF ATTESTED.
Tab 3: Date
A stamp often needs a date beside it. The Date tab lets you add one without typing it out by hand each time. It offers five formats:
- 18/10/2026
- 18-10-2026
- 18 Oct 2026
- 18 October 2026
- October 18, 2026
Tap a format and it fills the text box with that style. You can also edit the text box if you need a different date. The preview shows how it will look, and you can choose from the same four colors.
Pick the format your form or company uses. Indian forms usually prefer DD/MM/YYYY, while some international documents expect “October 18, 2026”.
Step by Step: Add a Stamp to Your PDF
Step 1: Open the PDF Editor. Go to InstantToolsPro and upload your PDF. It opens in your browser.
Step 2: Click Stamp. In the tool list, between Pages and Watermark, tap Stamp. The “Marks, stamps & date” box opens.
Step 3: Choose a tab. Select Marks, Stamps or Date.
Step 4: Pick a color. Black, blue, red or green.
Step 5: Choose your item. Tap a symbol, a stamp preset or a date format, or type your own text.
Step 6: Check the preview. For stamps, decide whether to keep Slight tilt on.
Step 7: Add to page. Press Add to page. Repeat for as many stamps, marks and dates as you need, on any page.
Step 8: Download. Review the pages, then press Download to save your PDF.
Example: Marking an Invoice as Paid
- Open the invoice in the PDF Editor.
- Click Stamp, go to Stamps, choose red, and tap PAID.
- Add it to the page near the total amount.
- Open Stamp again, go to Date, choose a format and add the payment date next to it.
- Download the file and send it to your client.
Example: Self-Attesting a Document Copy
- Upload the scanned copy of your certificate or ID.
- Open Stamp, choose SELF ATTESTED in blue or black.
- Place it on the copy, add the date with the Date tab, and add your signature with the Sign tool.
- Download the file.
Note that a digital stamp is a visual mark. Some offices and government forms need a physical signature, an official seal or a particular attestation process. Check the rules of whoever will receive your document.
Tips for Clean-Looking Stamps
- Keep stamps in empty areas. Do not cover important text like amounts, names or numbers.
- Use one color system. For example, green for approved and red for rejected, so your meaning is clear at a glance.
- Don’t overdo it. One stamp and one date are usually enough.
- Match the date to the document. Use the same format your document already uses.
- Zoom in before placing if the page is dense, especially on a phone.
- Keep your original. Save an unmarked copy of the PDF before you stamp.
Stamp vs Watermark vs Sign: What Is the Difference?
These tools sit next to each other in the editor, so it helps to know which to use.
- Stamp adds a single status label, tick or date where you place it.
- Watermark repeats a faint text across the whole page, for labels like DRAFT. See our guide to adding a watermark to a PDF.
- Sign adds your signature.
- Redact hides sensitive information. A stamp does not hide anything underneath it, so if a page has private details, use Redact first. See our guide to redacting a PDF.
For a full overview of what the editor can do, read our free PDF editor guide.
Works on Mobile Too
You can use the Stamp tool in a mobile browser. Zoom in to place marks accurately and use the live preview before tapping Add to page. The editor also has Undo and Redo if you place something in the wrong spot.
Final Thoughts
Stamps, ticks and dates turn a plain PDF into a document that tells its own story: paid, approved, verified, received. Instead of printing and scanning, you can do it all in your browser in under a minute.
Ready to try it? Open the free PDF Editor, tap Stamp, and mark your document.