Settings

How to set up PDF stamping for your digital files

Updated

PDF stamping adds a line of text to your PDF each time a customer downloads it, such as the customer's name, email address and order number. Every copy shows who bought it, which discourages sharing.

Available on the Essential, Professional and Plus plans (see Plans and billing).

Watch on YouTube: How to set up PDF stamping for your files

How stamping works

  • ABC Digital Downloads stamps the PDF when the customer downloads it, filling in that customer's details.
  • The stamp goes on every page, unless you choose specific pages.
  • Only PDFs under 100 MB can be stamped. ABC can't stamp a locked PDF; the file's page tells you if yours is locked.
  • Downloads are stamped only while your store is on a plan that includes PDF stamping.

Step 1: Create a template

Start from Settings > PDF Templates > Create Template, or from a PDF's page in Files: on its PDF Stamping Configuration card, click Create New Template (or Create Template if you don't have any templates yet).

Then fill in the template:

  • Template Name: a name for your reference.
  • Text Content: the text to stamp, up to 255 characters. Use these variables to fill in each order's details:
    • [name]: the customer's name
    • [email]: the customer's email address
    • [orderNumber]: the order number, for example #1005
    • [orderDate]: when the order was placed
  • Text Size: from 8 to 24 (the default is 12).
  • Text Alignment: the top or bottom of the page, on the left, center or right (the default is top left).
  • Font: one of 13 standard PDF fonts (the default is Helvetica).
  • Text Color: black by default.
  • Pages: leave it empty to stamp every page, or list pages and ranges, such as 1,3,5-7.
  • Lock PDF (Prevent copying, printing, etc.): tick it to lock the stamped PDF against copying, printing and similar actions. It's off by default.

Click Save.

For example, the text Licensed to [name] ([email]) - Order [orderNumber] - [orderDate] stamps each copy with the customer's name, email address, order number and order date.

PDF template editor in ABC with the stamp text, variables, text size, alignment, font, color and pages settings

💡 Tip: After you save, place a test order and download the PDF to check how the stamp looks and where it sits on the page.

Step 2: Assign the template to a PDF

  1. In ABC, go to Files and click the PDF.
  2. On the PDF Stamping Configuration card, click Select Template.
  3. Choose the template under Select a template and click Save.

The card now reads "Current Template:" followed by the template's name. From there you can Change the template, Edit Template, or Remove it to stop stamping this file.

PDF Stamping Configuration card on a PDF's page in ABC, choosing a template to assign

PDF Stamping Configuration card showing the assigned Buyer stamp template, with Change, Edit Template and Remove

Step 3: Connect the PDF to a product

Customers get the stamped file when they buy a product it's connected to. If you haven't connected it yet, click Connect new products on the file's page. See Uploading and connecting files to products.

Edit or delete templates

Settings > PDF Templates lists your templates. Each one has Edit and Delete.

⚠️ Important: Deleting a template can't be undone, and every file that uses it stops being stamped.