How to Add a GMP Document Status Stamp to a PDF File

To add a GMP status stamp to a PDF, open the GMP Stamp tool, add your document, pick a preset such as APPROVED, CONTROLLED COPY, DRAFT or SUPERSEDED, click Place Stamp on Page, drag the stamp into position and save. The stamping happens in your browser and the PDF is not uploaded.

Be clear about what the stamp is. A document's status is controlled by your company's document management procedures: who approved it, when it became effective and who received copies. The stamp is a visual marking that shows that status on a PDF copy. It is not an approval, not an electronic signature, and it does not make a record compliant with 21 CFR Part 11 or EU GMP Annex 11. For background on status stamps and document types, see our longer GMP document stamping guide.

How to add a GMP status stamp with Priya LifePDF

1. Open the tool. Go to GMP Stamp.
2. Add your PDF. Drag one PDF onto the upload area or click to browse. The first page opens in a viewer. If the file cannot be opened, the tool tells you it may be password-protected or corrupted.
3. Choose a preset. Click a stamp in the GMP Stamp Presets list.
4. Set the look. Choose Box or Text Only under Stamp Style, then adjust Size and Opacity.
5. Place it. Click Place Stamp on Page. The stamp appears in the centre of the page you are viewing.
6. Position it. Drag the stamp to where it should go, such as the top margin. If a stamp is not already selected, click it once first, then drag it.
7. Stamp other pages. Use the arrow buttons above the page to move through the document and place stamps on other pages. The Document Stamps list shows every stamp and its page number.
8. Save. Click Save Stamped PDF, then download the file. It is saved with gmp_stamped_ added to the start of its name.

The stamp presets and options

Ten presets with fixed colours

• Green: APPROVED, CONTROLLED COPY, FOR REVIEW and GMP COMPLIANT.
• Blue: SAMPLE.
• Red: DRAFT, SUPERSEDED, VOID, CONFIDENTIAL and NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION.

Each preset has its own colour and it cannot be changed. The wording cannot be edited either, so if your procedures use different wording, such as OBSOLETE or UNCONTROLLED, this tool cannot produce it.

Style, size and opacity

• Box draws a coloured border around the text. Text Only draws the words on their own, which covers less of the page.
• Size runs from 50% to 300% of the standard stamp size.
• Opacity runs from 30% to 100% and starts at 100%.

These settings apply to the next stamp you place. If a stamp is selected, changing them also updates that stamp. A selected stamp shows in an Active panel with a Remove button, so you can delete a stamp placed by mistake before you save.

What the tool does not do

There are no fields for a date, a name, a document number or a revision, and stamps cannot be rotated. Stamps are placed one page at a time; there is no option to stamp every page in one step. If each page needs a reference line such as a document number or the date, Header & Footer can add custom text with page number and date placeholders.

What ends up in the file

When you save, each stamp is drawn into the page content in Helvetica Bold, with its border if you chose Box. It is not added as a comment or annotation, so it prints and displays like the rest of the page. It is not locked, though: PDF editing software can alter or remove page content, so a stamp is not evidence that the file has not been changed.

Tips and common mistakes

• Stamp the right version. Before stamping, confirm in your document management system that the file is the current effective revision. A CONTROLLED COPY stamp on an out-of-date revision creates a misleading copy.
• The stamp does not approve anything. Approval is recorded in your document system, by the people your procedures name. Stamping APPROVED on a PDF does not replace that.
• Use GMP COMPLIANT with care. A stamp cannot make a document compliant. Use this preset only if your procedures define what it means.
• Keep content readable. Place stamps in a margin or blank area, and use Text Only or a lower opacity if the stamp has to sit near text.
• Use a mouse or trackpad. Stamps are positioned by dragging, which is easiest on a desktop or laptop.
• Check the downloaded file. Open it and look at every stamped page, particularly if the document mixes page sizes or orientations.
• Keep the master unstamped. Stamp copies, and leave the controlled master in your document system.

Is your document uploaded?

No. The PDF opens, is stamped and is saved inside your browser tab, and the stamped copy is created on your device. It is not uploaded to a server. You can check this yourself with our guide on how to check if a PDF tool uploads your files. Local processing removes one category of risk, but it does not replace your company's assessment of any software used for GMP documents; our article on online PDF tools in pharma and GMP work sets out the questions to ask.

Example: preparing SOP copies for a training session

A document control specialist at a medical device site is preparing a training session on a revised cleaning SOP. Trainees need to compare the new revision with the one it replaces, and neither printout should be confused with the copies used on the line. Their site procedure allows status stamps on training copies.

They export both revisions from the document management system and open each in the GMP Stamp tool. On the previous revision they place a red SUPERSEDED stamp in Text Only style in the top margin of each page. On the current revision they use the blue SAMPLE stamp. They check each page, download the stamped copies and print them for the session. The approval, effective date and distribution records for the SOP stay in the document management system; the stamps only make the status of each training copy obvious at a glance.

Priya LifePDF is a general-purpose tool, not a validated GxP system. If your organisation's approved document system can apply status markings itself, use that for controlled copies.