Using the white-background export
It hides whatever it covers. On a signed page or a table that means losing content. Take the transparent PNG unless you specifically want an opaque block.
Free · 4 shapes · 21 templates · No sign-up
Create a PDF stamp that looks official in seconds.
Generate round, rectangular, oval, or seal stamps with custom text. Download as a transparent PNG and place it on any PDF.
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circle stamp · APPROVED
Checkered = transparent area · "Transparent PNG" preserves this on export
How to place on a PDF
BrieflyGo Editor
Open your PDF in the editor → Insert image → Upload your stamp PNG → Resize and position.
Adobe Acrobat
Tools → Edit PDF → Add Image → Select your stamp PNG → Place and resize.
Preview (Mac)
Open PDF → Markup toolbar → Insert image → Choose stamp PNG → Drag to position.
01
Pick a template
Choose from 21 pre-built stamps — APPROVED, DRAFT, PAID, CONFIDENTIAL, and more.
02
Customize
Edit text, pick a color, set rotation and opacity to match your document style.
03
Download PNG
Export a transparent PNG — no white box, drops cleanly on any PDF.
04
Place on PDF
Insert the image into BrieflyGo editor, Acrobat, or Preview to stamp your document.
Answer-first
How do you add an APPROVED or PAID stamp to a PDF?
Generate the stamp as an image first, then place that image on the page in a PDF editor — PDFs have no native stamp object, so every tool that offers stamps is really inserting a picture. This generator makes the picture: pick one of 21 ready stamps such as Approved, Paid, Received, Draft, Confidential or Void, edit the wording, date, colour and ink opacity, and download it as a 480 by 480 PNG. Choose the transparent export and only the ink lands on your document, so the page text stays readable underneath instead of disappearing behind a white square.
- Output
- 480 by 480 PNG, with transparent or white background
- Ready stamps
- 21 — including Approved, Paid in Full, Received, Draft, Confidential, Void, Final
- Shapes
- Circle, oval, rectangle and notary-style seal, with a solid, double or no outline
- Editable
- Main text, sub text, date, company name arched around a circle or seal, colour, text size and ink opacity
- Where it runs
- Drawn on a canvas in your browser — the stamp is never uploaded
- Cost
- Free, no account required
How to make and apply a document stamp
- 01
Start from a ready stamp
Pick the closest of the 21 presets. Each one comes with sensible wording, shape and colour, which is faster than building a stamp from nothing.
- 02
Edit the wording
Change the main text, the smaller line under it, the date and, on circle and seal shapes, the company name that arches around the ring. Keep the main word short — a stamp is read at a glance, and long text shrinks until it stops looking like a stamp.
- 03
Set the ink opacity
Full opacity reads as freshly stamped. Dialling it down imitates a lightly inked stamp, which is what you want when the stamp sits over text you still need people to read.
- 04
Download the transparent PNG
Transparent is almost always the one you want: the ink sits over the page and the text underneath stays legible. The white-background version is for cases where you need an opaque block.
- 05
Place it on the document
In the BrieflyGo editor: open the PDF, insert the image, resize and position. In Acrobat: Tools, Edit PDF, Add Image. In Preview on macOS: paste the PNG onto the page and drag it into place.
Right tool if…
- Marking internal status on documents — approved, received, draft, void, paid
- Small teams who need a consistent stamp without buying a physical rubber stamp
- Adding a dated stamp to scanned paperwork before filing or forwarding it
Reach for something else if…
- Standing in for a company seal or notarial stamp where the law requires a specific registered mark
- Proving a document was approved — an image can be added by anyone, so route real approvals through a workflow that records who approved and when
- Redacting content: a stamp covers pixels visually but leaves the text underneath in the file
Common mistakes
Stamping over the text you need to read
Corners and margins exist for this. A stamp across the middle of a clause makes the clause harder to read for everyone downstream, including the person who has to approve it.
Treating a stamp as redaction
Placing an image over sensitive text does not remove it — the text is still selectable and extractable from the PDF. Use a redaction tool that deletes content when the information actually needs to be gone.
Forgetting the date
A Received or Approved stamp without a date answers half the question. The generator can put the date inside the stamp, which is far more useful three months later.
Questions people ask
Is the stamp generator free?
Yes. All 21 stamps, the editable text and both PNG exports are free, with no account and no watermark.
Can PDFs contain a real stamp?
Not as a distinct object. A PDF stamp is an image placed on the page, which is why every stamping feature in every PDF app ultimately inserts a picture. That also means a stamp carries no cryptographic meaning on its own.
How do I add the stamp in Adobe Acrobat?
Tools, Edit PDF, Add Image, then select the downloaded PNG and place it. Acrobat keeps the transparency, so the page text stays visible under the outline.
What size is the exported stamp?
The PNG is 480 by 480 pixels. That is large enough to place at typical stamp size on a Letter or A4 page without visible softness, and small enough not to bloat the document.
Can I change the stamp text and colour?
Yes. The main word, the smaller line beneath it, the date, the colour, the text size and the ink opacity are all editable, and the shape can be a circle, oval, rectangle or notary-style seal with a solid, double or no outline.
What is the arched text around a circle stamp?
On circle and seal shapes the company name curves around the inside of the outer ring, the way an official seal is laid out. Leave it empty and the ring stays plain.
What does the opacity setting do?
It controls how heavily inked the stamp looks. At full opacity it covers what is beneath it; lower values let the page show through, which is the practical choice when the stamp has to sit over text that still needs to be read.
Can I use the stamp in Word or Google Docs?
Yes. Insert the PNG as an image, then set text wrapping to in front of text so it overlays the content instead of pushing it around. The transparent export keeps the text underneath visible.
Can I save a stamp design to reuse it?
Yes, if you are signed in — use Save to my account and the stamp is available from your dashboard next time. Without an account the stamp is not stored anywhere, so download the PNG before you close the tab.
Does a PAID stamp prove an invoice was paid?
No. It records an assertion, and anyone with the image can make it. Payment is proven by the bank record or receipt; the stamp is a convenience for filing and for the humans handling the paper.
Can I use a stamp instead of a signature?
Only where the process allows a stamp rather than a signature — internal approvals, goods-received notes and similar. A contract that calls for a signature is not satisfied by a stamp image.
Is the stamp uploaded anywhere?
No. It is drawn on a canvas in your browser and downloaded straight from there. Nothing about the stamp or your document is sent to a server by this generator.