User Manual

01Overview

StampInk is a browser-based PDF document tool for creating, marking up, and signing documents — notarial certificates, forms, contracts, affidavits, and any paperwork that needs text, a signature, an image, or a stamp added. It runs entirely in your web browser with no installation required on client devices, and your documents are processed in your browser, not uploaded to a server. It is built for notaries public and other professionals who handle paperwork in person, and it works just as well for anyone in an office, school, or field setting who needs fast, accurate document markup.

Key capabilities:

• Create, open, and mark up multi-page PDF documents directly in your browser
• Open one photo, or select several at once, directly (JPG, PNG, BMP, WEBP) — automatically converted to a centered, Letter-size PDF, one page per photo, ready for annotation or straight-to-save
• Scan a photo — crop, straighten, and clean it up (Black & White, Grayscale, or Enhanced Color) before it becomes a PDF page, ideal for a phone photo of a receipt, contract, or paper form shot at an angle
• Insert an image or picture — embed a photo (JPG, PNG, BMP, WEBP) directly onto the page as its own annotation, with no transparency requirement; resize it afterward like any other annotation
• Saved signatures, initials, and stamp — keep two signatures (for example one in black ink and one in blue), your initials, and one stamp image (such as a notary seal) in a protected vault on your device — unlocked by a password, a security key such as a YubiKey, or both — and place any of them in a few clicks
• Digital signature with your own certificate — import your .p12 / .pfx certificate once, tick "Digitally sign" when you save, and the PDF is signed on your device with a digital signature that reveals any later change; the certificate is stored encrypted and never leaves your device
• Eight labeled quick-insert slots for images you use often, such as notarial certificates or letterhead
• 16 drawing and annotation tools including freehand pen, shapes, arrows, text, tables, signatures, and a measurement tool
• Select, move, resize, and delete any placed annotation
• Double-click any annotation to edit its content or properties
• Full undo and redo stack for all operations
• Annotations are flattened into the page before saving — prints from every PDF viewer and printer
• Fill opacity independent from stroke opacity on all shapes
• Six line styles — Solid, Dotted, Short dash, Long dash, Dash-dot, and Long dash-dot — for every shape, pen, and measurement line
• Light, Dark, and Auto (system-follow) interface themes
• Smooth zoom from 10% up to 10,000%, with sharp annotation rendering at every level
• Trial and license key system for save access
• Touch screen support with pinch-to-zoom
• Scrollable toolbar adapts to any screen size
• Copy, paste, duplicate, and rotate any annotation — including moving one to a different page
• Delete pages from a document before saving, with full undo support
• Add pages to the end of a document: a blank page (matching the size and orientation of the page you're viewing), pages from PDFs or photos, or scanned photos

02System Requirements

Supported Browsers

Devices

Network

• Device must be able to reach the StampInk server (LAN or internet depending on deployment)
• JavaScript must be enabled (default in all modern browsers)
• The saved signatures, initials, and stamp vault (and security-key unlock) needs a secure connection (HTTPS or localhost) — see "Saved Signatures, Initials, and Stamp" under "Working with Signatures"
• Minimum screen: 1024×768 recommended for document work

03Getting Started

Accessing StampInk

StampInk runs in a standard web browser. Navigate to the address provided by your administrator, for example:

Opening a PDF or Image

• Click the "Device" button in the top-left of the toolbar, press Ctrl+O, or drag a file anywhere onto the window.
• Select a PDF file, or one or more photos in JPG, PNG, BMP, or WEBP format, from your computer. Selecting multiple photos converts them into a single multi-page PDF.
• On a phone or tablet, if you pick a single photo, StampInk asks "Add more photos?" and shows how many photos are ready. Tap "Add another photo" to take or choose another one, "Done" to convert them all into one multi-page PDF, or "Cancel" to discard the batch. PDFs open straight away, with no prompt.
• The "Add more photos?" window also has the "Stamp date & location on photos" option; see "Stamping Date, Location and Direction on Camera Photos" under "Scanning a Photo".
• The document loads and the first page is displayed. StampInk opens with the "Pan" tool active.

Scanning a Photo

• Click the "Scan" button (camera icon) next to "Device" in the toolbar, or "Scan a Photo" on the upload screen.
• Choose a look for the whole batch first — "Black & White" (the default, best for text documents), "Grayscale", "Enhanced Color", or "Original".
• Choose a page orientation for the batch too — "Auto" (default, follows the same automatic rule as opening photos directly), "Portrait", or "Landscape" — right next to the look picker. This choice is separate from the toolbar's "Page Orientation" toggle used for "Device" conversions, and resets to "Auto" the next time you start a new "Scan".
• For each photo, drag the four corner handles onto the corners of the document. Then use the handle at the middle of each edge to slide that whole side in or out (up and down for the top and bottom edges, left and right for the sides) — handy for tightening or loosening the crop one side at a time without re-placing two corners by hand. A zoomed magnifier appears while you drag, showing exactly where the handle will land — especially useful on a touch screen, where a finger can otherwise hide the exact spot.
• Use the rotate buttons for a photo taken sideways, or "Skip crop, use full frame" to use the whole photo without cropping.
• Selecting multiple photos scans each one in turn, then assembles the whole batch into a single multi-page PDF using the same centered, Letter-size layout as opening photos directly.
• On Step 1 you can take several photos before moving on: after choosing or taking a photo, tap "+ Add another photo" (a counter such as "2 photos selected" shows how many you have), and tap "Next" when you have them all. On a phone or tablet, "Add another photo" opens the camera or photo picker again.

Creating a Blank Document

• Click the "New" button (blank-page icon) next to "Scan" in the toolbar, or "Create New Blank File" on the upload screen, to open the setup panel.
• Choose "Page Orientation" (Portrait or Landscape) and "Page Count" (1–200), then click "Create".
• The new file opens like any other document — first page in view, "Pan" tool active — ready to annotate and save.

Inserting an Image

• Click the "Image" button (picture icon) in the toolbar, or press I. The "Insert Image" panel opens.
• Click a filled quick-insert slot to place it right away, or click "Browse file…" to choose a photo or picture from your device — JPEG, PNG, WEBP, or BMP. It's placed on the page at a comfortable, already-selected size, ready to move or resize right away.
• Double-click an inserted image to swap in a different picture without deleting and re-placing it.
• Resizing an image keeps its proportions locked, so it can't be stretched out of shape by accident — drag any handle and the whole image scales together.

Certificate Quick-Insert Slots

• The "Insert Image" panel shows eight labeled slots (four across on a wide screen, two on a phone) for images you use often — for example a notarial certificate of acknowledgment, a jurat, or your letterhead.
• To fill a slot, click an empty slot (marked +), choose an image, type a short label such as "Acknowledgment", and click "Save". To change a slot later, click the pencil (✎) on its thumbnail — you can replace the image, edit the label, or remove the slot.
• Clicking a filled slot places that image on the current page, already selected and ready to move or resize.
• Slots are stored on this device, in this browser, and are not password-protected. For anything that must stay locked, use the password-protected vault instead — see "Saved Signatures, Initials, and Stamp" under "Working with Signatures".

Closing a Document

• Click the "Close" button (X icon) next to "Save" to fully close the open document and return to the upload screen.
• If you have any unsaved markup, StampInk asks you to confirm before closing.
• Closing resets the active tool back to "Pan", ready for the next document.

Navigating the Document

• Pan by selecting the "Pan" tool V and dragging, or by scrolling with your mouse or trackpad at any time.
• Middle mouse button pans regardless of the active tool.
• Zoom with Ctrl + mouse wheel, the +/− buttons, or a pinch gesture on touch screens.
• The "Fit Width" button resets zoom so the full page width is visible.
• Use the page indicator at the bottom to navigate between pages.

04Interface Overview

Toolbar

The toolbar runs across the top of the screen in two rows. The top row holds the tool icons and scrolls horizontally on smaller screens — swipe or drag it to reach tools at either end. The second row is fixed in place directly beneath it and always shows the color/width/style/size/fill controls relevant to whichever tool is active, so reaching them never requires scrolling the icon row — it stays visible (though empty) even for tools with no properties, such as "Pan" or "Select", so the canvas below never shifts as you switch tools.

Canvas

The main viewing and drawing area. PDF pages render here and all annotations are drawn directly on top. On large or complex documents, a page may briefly show a spinning Loading indicator while it finishes rendering — this is normal and the page fills in automatically.

Status Bar

The bottom of the screen shows the page count and current page, with a page-jump control: tap the ‹ and › arrows to step one page at a time, or tap the page number and type a specific page to jump straight to it. The number always reflects whichever page is currently in view. Status messages (such as "Saved" or "Trial expired") appear here briefly after actions. The center of the status bar shows the installed version number, so you can confirm which build is running at a glance; it hides on narrow phone screens to avoid crowding the page-jump control. Two icon buttons sit at the right edge of the bar. The lightbulb opens "Tip of the day", a short rotating tip on using StampInk, with ‹ and › arrows to step through the rest of the list; a small dot on the button means there's a tip you haven't seen yet, and it clears once you've viewed every tip at least once. The document icon next to it opens this User Manual in a new browser tab. On touch devices (tablets and phones) the whole status bar and its buttons are sized larger for easier tapping.

05Tools Reference

File Tools

Navigation Tools

Document Tools

Drawing Tools

More Tools

These eight tools sit behind the "More" button at the end of the tool row. Their keyboard shortcuts work at any time, whether the group is expanded or not.

06Stroke Properties

07Working with Text

The "Text" tool lets you add a label to a document in your choice of font, with word wrap and left/center/right alignment, placed as a normal, resizable annotation — the same way the "Sign" tool places a signature.

Creating a Text Label

• Press X or click the "Text" button to open the "Text" dialog.
• Type your label. Press Enter within the box for a line break inside the same label — it isn't a submit button.
• Choose a font: the default (a bold sans-serif) or one of three cursive fonts — Dancing Script, Caveat, or Pacifico.
• Pick a color for the text.
• Turn "Wrap" on to have long lines reflow automatically to fit the label's width as you resize it; leave it off to have lines break only where you pressed Enter yourself.
• Choose Left, Center, or Right alignment.
• A live preview shows the label as you type and adjust these settings.

Locking the Font Size

• Turn on "Lock font size" to keep a label's text at one fixed size, instead of the default behavior where the font automatically shrinks or grows to fit the box as you type.
• Drag the size slider to choose the fixed size, from 0.5 pt to 72 pt.
• Choose how the box behaves at that size: "Auto-size box" keeps the box always fitted exactly to the text; "Fixed box (wrap/clip)" keeps the box's own width where you set it, wrapping the text within it (if Wrap is on) or clipping it (if Wrap is off).
• The lock, its size, and its box mode carry over to the next label you place, so a series of labels can share the same fixed size without resetting it each time.
• In "Auto-size box" mode, a selected label's resize handles are hidden — the box always matches the text on its own, so there is nothing to drag-resize, and this keeps very short labels (a single character, for example) easy to move on a touch screen instead of accidentally resizing. Switch to "Fixed box (wrap/clip)" if you need to drag-resize the box's width.

Placing and Editing Text Labels

• Click "Insert text" to place it on the current page — StampInk switches to the "Select" tool automatically with the new label already selected, ready to drag or resize.
• Double-click a placed text label with the "Select" tool to reopen the "Text" dialog and update its wording, font, color, wrap, or alignment — the position and size are kept and the edit is undoable.
• Resize by dragging any handle. Width and height resize independently of each other, so you can make a label wider without also making it taller.

08Working with Tables

Creating a Table

• Press T or click the "Table" button to open the "Insert Table" dialog.
• The dialog opens with a default 2×2 grid.

Table Styling

Placing and Editing Tables

• Click "Place on canvas" to insert the table — StampInk switches to the "Select" tool automatically with the new table already selected, ready to drag or resize.
• Double-click any placed table with the "Select" tool to reopen its editor dialog pre-filled with current data and styling.
• Click "Update table" to apply changes. The edit is undoable.

09Working with Signatures

The "Sign" tool lets you add a signature to a document three ways — draw it, type it in a cursive font, or upload an image of it — and place it as a normal, resizable annotation.

Creating a Signature

• Press N or click the "Sign" button to open the "Sign" dialog.
• Choose one of three tabs: "Draw", "Type", or "Upload".

Draw

• Draw your signature directly with a mouse, stylus, or finger on the white signature pad.
• Click "Clear" to start over.
• Choose Black or Blue (ballpoint ink) with the two color swatches next to "Clear," before or while drawing.
• The white background is automatically made transparent when placed, so only your ink appears on the page.

Type

• Type your name and choose one of three cursive fonts: Dancing Script, Caveat, or Pacifico.
• Adjust the size slider and ink color, then preview your signature live before placing it.

Upload

• Upload an image of your signature — JPEG, PNG, WEBP, or BMP. The same tab also works for an image of your initials or a stamp.
• Tapping "Upload" opens your device’s standard file picker, so you can browse your files as well as choose a recent photo.
• A transparent background is recommended. StampInk checks the file and warns you if no transparency is detected — in that case it will place as a solid rectangle.
• If the file you choose isn't a supported image, StampInk shows a message asking you to choose a JPEG, PNG, WEBP, or BMP file instead. HEIC photos aren't supported yet — share the photo as JPEG first.

Placing and Editing Signatures

• Click "Insert signature" to place it on the current page — StampInk switches to the "Select" tool automatically with the new signature already selected, ready to drag or resize.
• Double-click a placed signature with the "Select" tool to reopen the "Sign" dialog and replace it with a new draw, type, or upload — the position is kept and the edit is undoable.

Saved Signatures, Initials, and Stamp (Password-Protected)

StampInk can remember up to four items on this device so you can place them again in a few clicks: "Signature 1", "Signature 2" (for example, one in black ink and one in blue), "Initials", and a "Stamp" (for example, your notary seal). All four are stored encrypted and share a single unlock that you choose: a password (the default), a security key, or both (see "Vault Security" below). The same unlock also protects your digital certificate, if you import one (see "Digital Certificate Signing" below).

• To save an item, create it in the "Sign" dialog — draw it, type it, or upload an image of it (an image of a stamp or seal goes in through the "Upload" tab) — then click "Save as Signature 1", "Save as Signature 2", "Save as Initials", or "Save as Stamp" under the tabs. The first time, you're asked to set a password (at least 4 characters) and confirm it.
• To use an item later, open the "Sign" dialog, click the matching "Use saved …" button (under "Use a saved one:", which only shows buttons for slots that hold something), and enter your password. A signature is placed at the normal signature size; initials come in at about 30% of that width; a stamp is placed as an image at the "Image" tool's default width. The new item is selected, ready to move or resize.
• Initials are trimmed automatically to the ink, so a few small letters don't float in a wide empty image. If the pad is blank, nothing is saved and a message asks you to draw, type, or choose an image first. Saving into a slot that already holds something asks you to confirm before replacing it.
• You unlock the vault once per session (with your password or, if you turned it on, your security key — see "Vault Security" below): it unlocks all four slots — and your digital certificate — until you close or reload the page, after which they lock again.
• The password is never sent anywhere and cannot be recovered. If you forget it, click "Forgot password? Start over" in the password prompt — this deletes all your saved signatures, initials, and stamp, and any digital certificate you imported (your quick-insert certificate slots are not affected) so you can start again with a new password. If your vault uses a security key, the key window offers "Lost your key? Start over" instead, which does the same.
• Saved items stay in this browser on this device only: they don't sync to other devices or browsers, and a different web address has its own separate vault.
• Anything you saved with an earlier version carries over: a saved signature appears as "Signature 1" and a saved stamp as "Stamp".

Vault Security: Password, Security Key, or Both

By default your vault opens with the password you chose ("Password only"). If you own a hardware security key — a small USB or NFC device such as a YubiKey — you can use it to unlock the vault instead of the password, or as well as the password. Everything happens on your device: nothing about your key or your vault is sent to any server.

• Password only — the default, and what every existing vault uses. Works in any browser.
• Security key only — you unlock with your key: insert or tap it, enter its PIN if asked, and touch it. There is no password to remember or type.
• Password and security key — both are required. You enter your password first, then use your key. This is the strongest protection: someone who finds your key, or learns your password, still can't open the vault alone.
• Changing the mode: click "Save", then "Vault" (or click "Vault security…" in the "Sign" dialog). The "Vault security" window shows your current mode. Choose a mode and click "Apply". StampInk first unlocks the vault with your current mode, then guides you through any key prompts. If you cancel, or anything goes wrong, nothing is changed.
• Registering a key: when asked, insert or tap the key, enter its PIN (if the key has none, you're asked to create one), then touch it. You may need to touch it twice.
• Add a backup key: after you register your first key, StampInk offers to add a second one as a backup. We strongly recommend it — if you lose your only key, the vault can't be opened or recovered. You can add or remove keys at any time in the "Security keys" list of the "Vault security" window, which shows when each key was added. The same key can't be registered twice, and the last key can't be removed while the vault uses a key — switch to "Password only" first.
• Unlocking: when you save or use an item, StampInk asks for your password, your security key ("Use your security key"), or both, depending on the mode. As before, you unlock once per session; closing or reloading the page locks the vault again.
• Your saved items stay as they are when you change the mode: signatures, initials, stamp, and your digital certificate all carry over. Switching between "Security key only" and "Password and security key" keeps the keys you registered.
• Existing vaults upgrade automatically the first time you unlock one after updating StampInk. Your password stays the same and you don't need to do anything.
• If you lose your key: in "Security key only" mode, click "Lost your key? Start over" in the key window; in "Password and security key" mode, the password window's "Forgot password? Start over" does the same. Either one deletes all your saved signatures, initials, stamp, and any digital certificate you imported, and can't be undone — which is why a backup key matters.

Digital Certificate Signing

In addition to the visible signature you place on the page, StampInk can sign the saved PDF digitally with a certificate issued to you. The digital signature isn't drawn on the page: it is built into the file, and PDF viewers such as Adobe Acrobat show it in their signature panel and report whether the document has been changed since it was signed. Don't confuse it with the quick-insert certificate slots, which hold images of notarial certificate wording.

• Importing your certificate: click "Save" and then "Certificate" in the "Save:" row. Choose your certificate file (.p12 or .pfx — the file your certificate provider issued to you), type the password for that file, and click "Import". The first time, you're asked to set (or unlock) the vault password. StampInk then shows who the certificate was "Issued to", who it was "Issued by", and its "Valid until" date.
• Where it is kept: the certificate file and its password are stored encrypted on this device and unlocked the same way as your saved signatures, initials, and stamp (your password, security key, or both). Signing happens in your browser — your certificate and its key never leave your device, and nothing is sent to any server. Only the name, issuer, and validity dates shown in the "Certificate" window are kept unencrypted.
• Signing a document: click "Save", tick "Digitally sign", then click "Save File Copy" or "Save Section Copy" (or press Ctrl+S). If the vault is locked, unlock it (with your password, security key, or both, depending on your vault setting). The saved file's name gets "-signed" added — for example "-markup-signed.pdf". A document with no annotations can still be saved this way, just to sign it. The "Digitally sign" box stays ticked until you untick it or reload the page, so every save is signed in the meantime — check it before you save.
• Visible mark (optional): next to "Digitally sign" in the "Save:" options is a "Visible mark" checkbox. It is greyed out until "Digitally sign" is ticked, and unticking "Digitally sign" clears it. When it is ticked, StampInk also prints one line of small text at the bottom center of the last page, for example "Digitally signed by Jane Notary — 2026-10-12 13:32 EDT (UTC-4)". The line gives your certificate name and your device's local date and time with its time zone (the abbreviation, such as EDT, when your browser provides one, and always the offset from UTC). It is part of the signed file, so it can't be changed afterward without invalidating the signature. The text shrinks to fit narrow pages, and it stays upright and at the bottom of the page as it appears on screen, even on rotated pages. Like "Digitally sign", the box stays ticked until you untick it or reload the page.
• Sign last: the signature is applied as the final step of the save, so any change made to the file afterward — in StampInk or in any other program — invalidates it. Finish all your markup first, then save and sign.
• What the signature contains: a standard PDF signature (SHA-256, adbe.pkcs7.detached), invisible on the page unless you tick "Visible mark" (see above), naming the certificate holder, with the reason "Notarization" and the date and time from your device's clock. StampInk doesn't contact a time-stamp server, so the time shown is only as reliable as your device's clock.
• If something goes wrong: with no certificate installed, ticking "Digitally sign" and saving opens the "Certificate" window instead of saving. If your certificate has expired or isn't valid yet, StampInk asks whether to sign anyway. If you cancel, or can't unlock the vault, the save is cancelled and the status bar says the file was not signed — no unsigned file is saved in its place. Import errors tell you if the file password is wrong, the file isn't a valid .p12 / .pfx, or it has no private key.
• Removing or replacing your certificate: click "Save", then "Certificate", then "Remove". To use a different certificate, remove the current one and import the new one. "Forgot password? Start over" removes it too.

10Selecting, Moving, and Resizing

Selecting

• Switch to the "Select" tool by pressing S or clicking "Select" in the toolbar.
• Click any annotation to select it. A blue dashed bounding box appears with 8 circular handles.
• Click on empty canvas or press Escape to deselect.
• If annotations overlap, clicking again at the same spot selects the next one underneath instead of re-selecting the topmost one — keep clicking to cycle through everything stacked at that point.

Cursor Guide

Moving and Resizing

• Drag inside the bounding box to move. Drag a handle to resize.
• Tables: resizing scales column width, row height, and font size proportionally.
• Text: width and height resize independently — dragging a side handle changes only that dimension. The label re-renders at a crisp resolution once you release the handle, rather than stretching.
• Signatures: resizing scales the image proportionally, preserving its aspect ratio.
• Measure: resizing recalculates the distance label to match the new length, using that measurement's own scale and unit.

Deleting

• Select any annotation, then press Delete or Backspace to remove it (undoable).

Copying, Pasting, Duplicating, and Rotating

• Select any annotation, then use the small floating toolbar that appears above (or below, if there's no room) its selection box. ⧉ "Duplicate" places an immediate copy on the same page, offset slightly so it doesn't land exactly on top of the original. ↻ "Rotate" turns it 90° clockwise with each tap. ✕ "Delete" removes it, the same as pressing Delete or Backspace.
• "Rotate" works for every shape and drawing tool, plus "Timestamp" and "Measure". "Table", "Sign", and "Text" can't be rotated.
• "Copy" and "Paste" are also available as standalone buttons in the main toolbar, next to "Select". "Copy" only appears once something is selected; "Paste" only appears once something has actually been copied. On desktop, Ctrl+C, Ctrl+X, and Ctrl+V do the same thing.
• A pasted annotation lands in the middle of the part of the page you are looking at right now — not back at its original position — so it appears where you are working, even when you are zoomed in on a large sheet. Paste again without moving the view and each new copy steps slightly down and to the right, so copies never stack exactly on top of each other; scroll, zoom, or change page and the next paste lands dead center again. "Duplicate" is different: it always places its copy right next to the original.

Deleting Pages

• Navigate to the page you want to remove, then tap the 🗑 button in the page controls at the bottom of the screen.
• StampInk asks you to confirm, naming the page by its current number. If the page has any markup on it, the confirmation says so — deleting the page removes its markup too.
• The page is hidden immediately and the remaining pages renumber to close the gap. Nothing is actually removed from the file until you Save.
• Ctrl+Z restores a deleted page, exactly like any other action.
• You can't delete the only remaining page — the button disables itself once just one page is left.

Adding Pages

• Tap the "Add Page(s)" button in the main toolbar (between "Drive" and "Save"). Three buttons appear in the row below the toolbar: "Blank Page", "File", and "Scan a Photo". Tap "Add Page(s)" again to close the row without adding anything.
• Blank Page adds one blank page. It automatically matches the size and orientation of whichever page you're currently viewing — useful for plan sets that mix sheet sizes, such as a different-size cover sheet.
• File opens your device's file picker. Choose one or more PDFs, photos (JPG, PNG, BMP, or WEBP), or a mix of both. Every page of each PDF is added, and each photo becomes a US Letter page, using the same automatic orientation rule as opening photos with "Device". Everything is added in the order you chose it. Any other kind of file is skipped, and the status bar says how many were skipped. HEIC photos aren't supported yet — share them as JPEG first.
• On a phone or tablet, if you choose a single photo with "File" (for example, one you just took with the camera), StampInk shows the same "Add more photos?" window that "Device" does, where you can add more photos and tick "Stamp date & location on photos". Tap "Done" to add them.
• Scan a Photo opens the "Scan" picker. Choose your photos, then crop, straighten, and filter them exactly as described under "Scanning a Photo". When you tap "Finish", the scanned pages are added to the end of your open document instead of opening as a new document.
• New pages are always added at the end of the document, regardless of which page you were viewing. StampInk scrolls to the first new page once it's added.
• A document can hold up to 45 pages in total. If an addition would go past that, StampInk adds nothing and says so in the status bar.
• Because adding pages rebuilds the document, it clears the Undo/Redo history — your existing markup stays exactly where it is, but can't be stepped back through past that point. If you have any unsaved edits, StampInk asks you to confirm first (for "File" and "Scan a Photo", after you've chosen your files); if you haven't drawn anything yet, it adds the pages immediately with no prompt.
• Pages you deleted earlier stay deleted, and you can save a document whose only change is its added pages.

11Editing Existing Annotations

Double-clicking any annotation with the "Select" tool active opens an editor for that annotation type:

12Undo and Redo

The undo stack covers: drawing, erasing, moving, resizing, deleting, text edits, table edits, signature edits, and shape property changes.

13Themes: Light, Dark, and Auto

• Click the theme button (far right of toolbar) to cycle: Auto → Light → Dark → Auto.
• Your preference is saved in your browser and remembered on your next visit.
• The PDF canvas always renders at full contrast regardless of theme.

Language (English / Español)

StampInk's interface is available in English and Latin American Spanish. Right next to the theme button, a small globe icon toggles between the two — it shows the language you'd switch to, not the one currently active.

• Click it to switch language. The page reloads immediately so every part of the interface — dialogs, menus, and messages — updates consistently.
• Your choice is saved in your browser and remembered on your next visit, the same as your theme preference.
• Toolbar icon names (Pan, Select, Rectangle, and so on) stay in English in both languages, matching this manual's own convention of pairing a Spanish description with the English tool name.

14Saving Your Work

When you save, StampInk downloads an annotated copy of the PDF to your computer. All annotations — including signatures — are permanently flattened into the page content, making them printable in every PDF viewer and printer without any special settings.

• Click "Save" to open the "Save:" options. "Save File Copy" saves the whole document, all pages. "Save Section Copy" saves a one-page PDF cropped to exactly what is on screen — handy for sending a quick excerpt. Ctrl+S saves a file copy straight away.
• A save gate dialog appears if you have no active license.
• With an active license or trial, the file downloads immediately.
• The filename has "-markup.pdf" appended ("-section.pdf" for a section copy). Trial watermarked files use "-TRIAL-markup.pdf" ("-TRIAL-section.pdf"). A digitally signed file also gets "-signed", as in "-markup-signed.pdf".
• To sign the saved file with your own digital certificate, tick "Digitally sign" in the "Save:" options before choosing "Save File Copy" or "Save Section Copy". See "Digital Certificate Signing" under "Working with Signatures".
• The "Vault" button in the "Save:" options opens "Vault security", where you choose how your saved signatures, initials, stamp, and certificate are unlocked. See "Vault Security: Password, Security Key, or Both" under "Working with Signatures".
• A photo (or batch of photos) converted to PDF can be saved immediately, even with no markup added — "Save" downloads the converted PDF as-is. A PDF you opened directly still needs at least one annotation before "Save" produces a file — unless "Digitally sign" is ticked, which lets you sign and save a PDF as it is.

15Opening and Saving from Google Drive (Beta)

StampInk can open a PDF directly from your Google Drive, let you mark it up as usual, and save your changes back to the same file — without the file ever passing through StampInk's own servers.

Opening a File from Drive

• Click Drive in the toolbar, or Open from Google Drive on the start screen.
• Sign in with your Google account if prompted.
• Choose the PDF you want to open from the picker window.
• The file loads into StampInk exactly as if you'd opened it from your device.

Saving Back to Drive

Once a file is open from Drive, the Save button writes your markup back to that same file automatically. A second button, Save local copy, is also available if you'd like a copy downloaded to your device as well.

If the file was changed on Drive by someone else since you opened it, StampInk will warn you and let you choose whether to overwrite the Drive version or save a local copy instead, so nothing is lost.

Availability: Google Drive integration is currently available on the hosted StampInk service (app.stampink.app). It is not yet available on self-hosted LAN deployments.

16Licensing

StampInk uses a save gate to control access to clean (watermark-free) saves. When you click "Save" without an active license, a dialog appears with three options:

Trial Code

• Enter a TRIAL-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX code to activate 30 days of full access.
• Trial codes are one-time use per device.
• Get a trial code from the link in the save dialog.
• Files saved under a trial are limited: every annotation — lines, shapes, text, and signatures — saves in red with a solid line style, no matter what color or style you picked while marking up. This only affects the saved file; you can still use every color and line style while working.
• The Measure tool's distance line is the one exception and keeps its dashed style, since the dash marks it as a measurement, not a decorative line.
• A message appears each time you save under a trial, confirming this before your file downloads.
• Trial-saved files also include a small "StampInk Free Trial" label in the corner of the page.

License Key

• Enter a license key to activate your license. Keys are validated against the license server and tied to specific devices.
• SEAT-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX — Individual license: 1 seat, up to 3 devices.
• Licenses are validated against the license server on activation and re-checked weekly. A 7-day grace period allows offline use if the server is unreachable.
• Each device activation is tracked — visit app.stampink.app/manage.html to view or remove active devices.
• Saves on a licensed tier stamp a small QR code, called a Device Stamp, in the bottom corner of every page, identifying which device and license produced the file — including when saving fully offline with no internet connection at all. It contains no personal information and doesn’t affect the document’s content — scanning it just returns a short code. Basic (watermarked) saves don’t get one, since there’s no license behind them to identify.

Save with Watermark (Basic)

• Save immediately without a license.
• A "STAMPINK TRIAL — stampink.app" watermark is tiled diagonally across every page.
• The watermark renders on top of all content and annotations.
• Watermarked files are for evaluation only and not suitable for official submissions.

Expired or Revoked Licenses

• When a trial or timed license expires, the status bar shows a notification on the next save attempt.
• The save gate dialog reopens automatically.
• Trial codes cannot be reused on the same device after expiry.
• If a license is revoked (for example, after a refund or a policy issue), the save gate shows a message that the license has been revoked, rather than expired.
• This can also happen automatically, not only when you click "Save" — StampInk checks periodically in the background and right when you bring the app back to the foreground, so you may see this message shortly after reopening it even if you haven't tried to save anything yet.

Clearing License Data

To reset license data in your browser (for testing or troubleshooting), paste the following into the browser console (F12 → Console):

17Keyboard Shortcuts

18Touch Screen Usage

• The toolbar scrolls horizontally on narrow screens — swipe left or right to reach all tools.
• All dialog boxes are touch-friendly.
• The "Sign" dialog's "Draw" pad supports touch and stylus input, the same as the main canvas.

19Installing StampInk as an App

At app.stampink.app, StampInk can be installed as a standalone app instead of used only in a browser tab — its own window, its own icon in your app launcher or Home Screen, no address bar.

• In Chrome or Edge (desktop or Android), an install icon appears in the address bar (or the ⋮ menu). Click it and confirm to install.
• On Safari (iOS/iPadOS), tap Share, then "Add to Home Screen."
• Once installed, StampInk opens in its own window and gets its own icon — no browser chrome, no address bar.

If Your LAN Server Becomes Unreachable

If you're using a LAN deployment and it becomes unreachable — for example, you've left the office network — a banner appears at the top of the screen: "Can't reach your LAN server right now." Tap the link in the banner to switch to the hosted cloud version instead.

20Tips and Best Practices

General Workflow

• Open the PDF and navigate to the correct page in "Pan" mode before drawing.
• Set your color and stroke width before drawing — these apply to new annotations immediately.
• Use "Undo" (Ctrl+Z) freely. It covers everything including moves, resizes, edits, and deletions.
• For long documents with many pages, annotate one page at a time and save after each page.
• Photos of documents can be opened directly — no need to convert to PDF first.

Preparing a Document for Signing

• Add any text first with "Text", then place certificates, stamps, and signatures last so they sit on top of everything else.
• Use the quick-insert slots for wording you use often, and check every certificate against your state's requirements before signing — StampInk places the image but doesn't check its wording.
• Whether a document is signed on screen before printing, or printed first and signed by hand, is your decision under your state's rules — StampInk supports either order.
• If you use a digital certificate, apply it last: finish all text, certificates, stamps, and signatures first, then save with "Digitally sign" ticked — any change after signing invalidates the signature. Use a certificate your state accepts.
• Check the finished page at full size before you save or print — zoom in on the signature and stamp to make sure nothing overlaps.

Editing and Correcting Annotations

• Double-click any annotation with the "Select" tool to edit it without deleting and redrawing.
• Use the shape property editor to adjust color, width, or fill on placed shapes.
• Text labels can be updated in-place — the edit is undoable.

Working with Tables

• Use the "Table" tool to build a simple grid — a fee schedule or an exhibit list, for example — with a header row and colored data rows.
• Set per-row fill colors if you want certain rows to stand out.
• Place the table last so it renders on top of other annotations.
• Resize the table with the "Select" tool after placing to fit your available space.

Using the "Sign" Tool

• Use "Type" mode for a quick, legible signature; use "Draw" mode when you want your actual handwriting.
• Place your signature last, after other annotations, so it sits on top.
• Resize it once placed with the "Select" tool rather than trying to get the size exactly right in the dialog.
• To reuse your signature or initials, save them to the vault (see "Saved Signatures, Initials, and Stamp") instead of redrawing them each time.
• If you protect the vault with a security key, register a second key as a backup and keep it somewhere safe — a lost only key can’t be recovered.

Using the "Text" Tool

• Type the full label before worrying about sizing — the dialog's preview shows it at a comfortable reading size regardless of how big or small the box ends up on the page.
• Turn "Wrap" on for longer labels you'll want to resize later; leave it off for short one-line callouts where you want full control over exactly where the line breaks.
• Resize the label once placed with the "Select" tool — width and height resize independently, so you can widen a label without also making it taller.
• Since a text label is an image once placed, pick your font and color before clicking "Insert text". "Update text" keeps your wording and re-renders it if you change your mind, but getting it right the first time saves a step.

Using the "Measure" Tool

• Select the "Measure" tool (M), click to place the first point, then click again for each additional waypoint — a running preview shows the segment as you move the pointer. Pause briefly, double-click, or press Enter to finish; Escape cancels.
• Measurements magnetically snap to round numbers (1 / 5 / 10 / 25 / 50 / 100 ft or m) as you draw, so a line meant to land on exactly 100 ft does so cleanly. Change the increment or turn "Snap" off in the "Measure" toolbar row; hold Alt while drawing to bypass snapping for one segment.
• If the page has no printed scale but shows something of known real-world size, use "Calibrate": click the "Calibrate" button, draw a line along that known feature, finish it, then enter its real length. StampInk derives the scale and recalculates every existing measurement on the page to match.
• Use the "Measure" toolbar row's Label size and Label background controls (or the double-click editor, for a measurement already placed) to make a dimension label stand out against busy page content — a colored, semi-opaque box behind the text reads clearly even over dense linework or imagery.
• The measurement label, including any background box, is embedded in the saved PDF alongside your other annotations.
• Before measuring, verify the scale — scanned or resized pages may not match their printed scale. Calibrating against a known object on the page (above) is usually faster and more reliable than trusting a printed scale bar.

Using "Scan"

• Frame the whole document in the photo with a bit of margin around it — it's easier to drag a corner in than to guess where an edge outside the frame would be.
• Pick "Black & White" for text-heavy documents like permits and receipts; use "Enhanced Color" or "Original" when color itself matters, such as a photo with colored markings or stamps.
• On a touch screen, watch the magnifier rather than your finger while dragging a corner — it shows the exact point that will become that corner, not the point your fingertip is covering.
• Once the corners are roughly right, fine-tune each side with the handle at the middle of its edge — it slides the whole side at once, which is quicker than re-placing two corners.
• Good, even lighting helps more than a high-resolution camera — "Black & White" uses an adaptive threshold that already compensates for some shadow and glare, but an evenly-lit photo will always scan more cleanly.
• If the batch mixes portrait and landscape photos, "Auto" keeps every page portrait and shrinks any landscape photo to fit; choose "Portrait" or "Landscape" instead, on the same screen, to force every page in the batch to that orientation.

Using "Image"

• Use "Image" for anything that isn't a signature, initials, or stamp you want to keep — a photo, a certificate, a receipt, a screenshot — in JPEG, PNG, WEBP, or BMP; use "Sign"'s "Upload" tab for a signature, initials, or stamp image you want to save to the vault.
• Resize from a corner handle to keep the photo's proportions — every handle is locked to the same aspect ratio, so there's no dragging it into a stretched, distorted shape.
• Double-click an image to replace its picture in place, rather than deleting it and inserting a new one — its position and size carry over to the new photo.