Builder Guide

Quick Start

Get your first stamp built and purchased in under 10 minutes.

Interface Overview

The builder is divided into four main areas.

Top Toolbar

Contains stamp name, canvas dimensions, unit toggle, platform selector (Bluebeam / Adobe), zoom controls, undo/redo, templates dropdown, save, load, and download buttons.

Left Palette

All available field types and shape tools. Click to preview configuration options, then drag onto the canvas to place. Fields show a tooltip with a description when you hover.

Canvas

The stamp design area. Drag fields to position them. Resize fields by dragging their edges. The canvas reflects real-world dimensions — what you see is what the stamp will look like in your PDF software. Use the resize handles on the canvas border to adjust stamp size.

Right Properties Panel

When a field is selected, its configuration options appear here — label, font size, alignment, borders, field-specific options (date format, radio choices, calculation source fields, etc.). When nothing is selected, stamp-level settings like border style appear.

Bluebeam vs Adobe

StampForge generates different JavaScript for each platform. Make sure you select the right one.

All Field Types

StampForge supports 8 interactive field types plus static shapes and lines.

Text & Number Fields

The most common field types — free-form input for names, comments, and numeric values.

Text Field Options

• Label — the field's display name shown above or beside the input
• Placeholder — hint text shown inside the field before entry
• Font size — controls text size within the input
• Multi-line — allows the field to accept line breaks
• Border — toggle the visible field border on or off

Number Field Options

• Same options as Text, plus decimal precision setting
• Number fields can be referenced by Total/Calc fields for automatic summation

Date Fields

Date fields support three fill modes and multiple format options.

Fill Modes

• Auto (Today's date) — automatically fills with the current date when the stamp is placed. No user input required.
• Manual — user must click and enter the date when placing the stamp.
• Default date — pre-fills with a specific date you set in the builder.

Date Formats

Supported formats: MM/DD/YYYY, DD/MM/YYYY, YYYY-MM-DD, MMM DD, YYYY (e.g. Jan 15, 2026). The canvas preview updates immediately when you change the format.

Radio & Dropdown Fields

For standardized, single-select choices.

Radio Buttons

• Add as many options as needed in the properties panel
• Toggle between horizontal and vertical alignment
• Good for short option lists (2–5 choices) that should all be visible at once

Dropdowns

• Better for longer option lists (5+ choices)
• Saves canvas space — shows one selection at a time
• Add, reorder, and remove options in the properties panel

Total / Calculation Fields

Automatically sum multiple Number fields in real time as users fill out the stamp.

How to set up a Total field

The Total field will update live as users type values into the connected Number fields when the stamp is in use.

Labels & Images

Static elements that don't accept user input — used for structure, branding, and visual design.

Labels

• Static text rendered directly on the stamp
• Supports multi-line text — press Enter in the properties panel for line breaks
• Double-click on the canvas to edit inline
• Control font size, weight, alignment, and color
• Use for: company name, stamp title, section headers, legal disclaimers

Images

• Upload a PNG, JPG, or SVG directly in the properties panel
• Resize by dragging field edges on the canvas
• Use for: company logos, signature blocks, decorative borders
• For best results use a transparent PNG for logos

Properties Tab — Quick Reference

Every Properties tab control and which field types it applies to.

Field Custom Tab — Quick Reference

Every Field Custom tab control and which field types it applies to.

Shapes & Lines

Non-interactive visual elements for structuring your stamp layout.

Available Shapes

• Line — horizontal, vertical, or diagonal divider. Set color, thickness, and length.
• Rectangle — outline or filled box. Use to group related fields visually.
• Circle / Ellipse — outline or filled. Useful for decorative elements or stamps-within-stamps.

Working with Shapes

• Shapes are listed in the Lines & Shapes panel below the field palette
• Click a shape in the list to select and configure it
• Shapes render behind fields by default
• Use lines to create visual section separators between field groups

Canvas & Sizing

Getting the stamp size right matters — stamps that are too large or too small are awkward to use.

Recommended Sizes

• Simple stamps (1–4 fields): 3.5" × 1.5" to 4" × 2"
• Intermediate stamps (5–8 fields): 4" × 2.5" to 5" × 3"
• Complex stamps (8+ fields or calculations): 5" × 3" to 6" × 4"

Resizing the Canvas

Enter exact dimensions in the Width and Height fields in the toolbar, or drag the 8 resize handles on the canvas border (corners + edge midpoints). The canvas updates in real time.

Zoom

Use the zoom controls in the toolbar to zoom in for precision placement or zoom out to see the full canvas. Zoom does not affect the actual stamp dimensions.

Snap to Grid

Toggle Snap to Grid in the toolbar to align fields to a grid for consistent spacing. Off by default.

Templates

Pre-built stamp layouts for common use cases. A great starting point you can customize.

Available Templates

• Review & Approval — reviewer name, date, status dropdown, comments
• Field Change — change number, description, requestor, approval fields
• Simple Sign-Off — name, date, signature line, approved/rejected radio
• Multi-Reviewer — up to 3 reviewer rows with date and status each
• Batch Approval — for approving groups of documents at once
• No Action Required — simple informational stamp with date

Saving Stamps

Your work is saved to your StampForge account — accessible from any device.

Saving to your account

Click the 💾 Save button in the toolbar. The first save creates a new stamp record and updates the URL to /builder?stamp=your-stamp-id — bookmark this URL to return directly to your stamp.

Auto-save

Once a stamp has been saved at least once, it auto-saves every 60 seconds. The save indicator dot in the toolbar shows:

• Green (pulsing) — saving in progress
• Red — unsaved changes
• No indicator — all changes saved

Loading stamps

Open a saved stamp by navigating to /builder?stamp=your-stamp-id, or find it in your Dashboard → My Stamps and click Edit.

Loading from a file

Use the 📂 Load button to load a local .stampforge file from your computer. This treats it as a new unsaved stamp — click Save to store it in your account.

JS Generator

StampForge automatically generates the JavaScript that makes your stamp interactive — you never need to write code.

When you click Download, StampForge generates platform-specific JavaScript based on your fields, then embeds it into an AES-256 encrypted PDF file. The script handles:

• Prompting users to fill in each field when the stamp is placed
• Date auto-fill (using today's date where configured)
• Real-time calculation for Total fields
• Input validation (required fields, numeric checks)
• Field tab order matching your canvas layout

Download & Purchase

Once your stamp is designed, click Download to purchase and receive your PDF stamp file.

Purchase flow

Complexity pricing

• Simple — labels, images & dates plus a single text field — $299
• Intermediate — up to 5 interactive fields (text, number, radio, dropdown), no Total — $499
• Complex — more than 5 interactive fields, or any Total field — $899

Subscription plan holders (Pro and Developer) receive stamps included in their plan — no per-stamp charge.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Work faster with these shortcuts.

Tips & Best Practices

Advice from building hundreds of stamps.

Design

• Put your company logo or stamp title as a Label at the top — it immediately identifies the stamp in a document
• Use a horizontal Line to separate the header from the input fields
• Keep stamps focused — one purpose per stamp is easier to fill out than a stamp trying to do everything
• Test your layout at 100% zoom before purchasing — what looks good zoomed in may feel cramped at actual size

Fields

• Use Dropdowns over Radio buttons when you have more than 4 options
• Set date fields to Auto for "stamped date" use cases — users rarely want to enter today's date manually
• Name your Number fields clearly if using a Total field — "Labor Hrs" is clearer than "Field 3"

Before purchasing

• Double-check field tab order matches the logical fill sequence
• Confirm you've selected the correct platform (Bluebeam vs Adobe)
• All purchases are final — take your time reviewing