? Combine Stamps ?

[PHK]

I have four stamps where each represents a portion of a page with slight overlaps to assist with alignment. They were created by selecting, serially, regions of the source page that are small enough not to exceed the clipboard capacity and then copying that selection. Repeat four times for different quadrants/regions. Then, I use the Paste as Stamp tool to apply them to the target page and visually align the four stamps with 60% Opacity to match up the overlaps. Once, I have all four positioned so that it looks like one stamp or patch I can select all four.

What I would like to do now is to convert these four stamps (or patches) into a single stamp that can be repositioned and subsequently pasted into a new location and maybe even flattening there after revising the Opacity to 100%. I see that I can create a proper full-blown Stamp to be added to the Stamp palette but I would rather just be able to Paste as Stamp without creating a full proper Stamp that I will never reuse.

Is there a way of doing that?

[PHK]

N. B.: I have to Paste as Stamp immediately after copying the region before repeating the selection on the source page and copying each four times. The app clipboard can save only one 'save' at a time unlike the Windows clipboard that can accomodate 25 saves in memory.

[Daniel - PDF-XChange]

Hello, PHK

The simplest way to do this would likely be to make a new document with a blank page at the target size, and place all of these in it (optionally, you can flatten them). Then use the "new stamp > from active document" function to create one stamp containing all of the requisite items. This bypasses the need to rely on the clipboard size for creation of the stamp in the first place, by using the document as a medium.

Kind regards,

[PHK]

Hello, PHK

The simplest way to do this would likely be to make a new document with a blank page at the target size, and place all of these in it (optionally, you can flatten them). Then use the "new stamp > from active document" function to create one stamp containing all of the requisite items. This bypasses the need to rely on the clipboard size for creation of the stamp in the first place, by using the document as a medium.

Kind regards,

That's a genius solution, Daniel, although I would attack it differently. The key is to create a one-page buffer file as the source for the stamp.

The way I would do it differently from your suggestion is first to assemble all the pieces in the buffer file. I would start by selecting and saving a source page region and create a new document by using the File->New Document->From Clipboard route. I would just paste subsequent pieces onto that new page, probably resizing the page to accomodate. Then, when all the pieces are aligned the way I want them I will reset the Opacity to 100% and flatten. Next, I will use the Select Page Region tool and elect Select Whole Page and save that to the clipboard. Then, on the target page I will use the Paste As Stamp tool to retrieve it from clipboard and place it where I want it.

This achieves one object for me that your approach does not: It allows me to avoid adding bloat to my Stamps Palette by creating a single-use Stamp and I don't have to get involved with finding it in the Palette and pasting it if the stamp region is small enough. I still get the stamp functions in the Comments panel of the document with all the good things I can do to it there. Unfortunately, for larger stamp regions I have to go the New-Stamp-from-Active-Document route.

On the positive side for the NSFAD tool, the user can batch-create stamps from multi-page files where stamps will be created from selected document pages rather than just a single page or all document pages.

Still, it would be nice if I were able to have an even simpler way of combining page region stamps.

[Daniel - PDF-XChange]

Hello, PHK

Ahh, I missed that this was for a single use scenario, not a repeat use stamp item. In that case, your method may be the best option. I cannot say I forsee any changes to simplify your process, but I will keep it in mind for the next time we have discussions in this area.

Kind regards,

[PHK]

No problem, Daniel.

I have been refining my thinking on this issue and my latest is as follows.

Whole new proper stamps seem to be capable of containing more content than what I think of as the "lower-case" stamps and that can be important so I don't want to avoid "upper-case" stamps entirely. But I think a relatively simple expedient for me to manage the dreaded stamps bloat is to set up a 'special' stamp collection that I am calling "Buffer." Then, I put all the single-use stamps in that collection as I create them. Periodically, I can go just to that Buffer collection and delete all to hold down the bloat without cluttering up valid collections of multi-use stamps.

[Stefan - PDF-XChange]

[David.P]

Hello all,

I haven't been following the entire thread in detail, but I believe there’s an easy way to achieve what Phil is after.

First, flatten all the stamps (that you want to combine into one stamp).

Second, switch to the Edit Content tool.

Third, CTRL-select the stamps you just flattened and copy them to the clipboard.

Last, switch back to the Select Comments tool or simply the Hand tool, right-click, and choose "Paste as stamp."

If you like, you can undo everything after step 3, and your grouped stamps will still be in the clipboard for pasting.

"Viola"

[PHK]

Thank you, David! On its face, it seems to be an excellent suggestion. I am looking forward to experimenting along those lines. I'm thinking I might want to set up a dedicated page (one that can be deleted post-use) onto which the stamps would be flattened where the objects in the Contents panel would be easily spotted for manipulation purposes.

[David.P]

Sure Phil, that's a good idea to carry out everything on a separate page or document for better control of what is happening.

[PHK]

Hi, David, your suggestion pointed me down an interesting path although I found a slightly different approach.

First, I select a page region (a to-be element of my compound stamp) and copy that.

Second, I make a new page using the Insert Pages from Clipboard tool.

Third, I make my next page selection and copy that and use the Paste as Stamp tool on the page created above without much concern for where it is placed.

Fourth, repeat third step above for all subsequent stamp elements.

Fifth, align the stamp elements on the new scratch page for the desired compound stamp and flatten.

Sixth, select the XForms of the stamp elements created by flattening in the step above in the Content panel and copy them all as one.

Seventh, I have created a clipboard stamp (not a Stamps Palette stamp) that lives in the volatile clipboard envrionment but can be stamped anywhere so long as the clipboard carries it. Delete the scratch page before final save.

I like this for single-use applications because it does not create stamp bloat in the Stamps Palette with stamps that will never be reused. My one concern is that the stamp elements have to be smaller than full-blown Stamps for the Stamps Palette to be saved to clipboard it seems for reasons I do not fully understand.

[David.P]

Awesome Phil. I believe that your Sixth is roughly equivalent to my Third.

[PHK]

Awesome Phil. I believe that your Sixth is roughly equivalent to my Third.

Yes, indeed it is exactly equivalent.

The main differences, I think, are that I go into more detail about the steps prior, particularly with respect to the scratch page.

[Daniel - PDF-XChange]

Hello, PHK

Well, regardless of how many steps we each want to break the description into, I am glad to hear you have a working solution.

Kind regards,

[PHK]

Hello, PHK

Well, regardless of how many steps we each want to break the description into, I am glad to hear you have a working solution.

Kind regards,

Yes, the essence of collaboration.

[Daniel - PDF-XChange]

[PHK]

The important takeaway for me from this thread is to copy XForms to work around the quite-limiting capacities of simple saves of region selections with the current state of the application. It was David.P's suggestion that opened my eyes to other possibilites.

In my first post in this thread, I tried to express my frustration with the rather measly clipboard capacities when copying regions of pages for a single use. Fortunately, those constraints don't matter if the user converts page regions to XForms. Many, many XForms can be selected at a time for copying and applying to a different document location. No stamp, not for the clipboard, not for the Stamps Pallete, and not for the Comments panel gets created even though you use the Paste as Stamp tool to create this thing I would rather call a patch as it is not a stamp in many regards. It seems that the clipboard can store a lot of XForms whereas it cannot if it is simply text and image content off the page. Once content is in XForms, it seems the sky is the limit.

Unfortunately, converting page content to XForm is a bit cumbersome as things stand now and as the above flow description shows. Wouldn't it be lovely if we could just convert page regions directly to XForms without dealing with clipboard capacity limitations and going through all those steps?

[Daniel - PDF-XChange]

Hello, PHK

Thank you for the extended explanation, I will admit I was a tad confused by your initial mention of specifically locating the Xforms for selection. I think you may just be using the wrong tool for the job here. The "select region" tool is itself an extension of the snapshot tool, and is intended and adapted from the core screenshot functionality. Since it has the ability to be used in the same way, it has the same limitations for selection area, just in case that data needs to be copied to the clipboard.

If all of the content you wish to copy is already "base content" items, (aka. has been "flattened"), you can simply switch to the "Edit content > all content" tool instead of the select region tool, for area selection/copy of what is present on the page. This should not be restricted by the maximum image size constraints the clipboard has in place, and make simplify the process for you.

Kind regards,

[PHK]

...

The "select region" tool is itself an extension of the snapshot tool, and is intended and adapted from the core screenshot functionality. Since it has the ability to be used in the same way, it has the same limitations for selection area, just in case that data needs to be copied to the clipboard.

OK, thank you for that explanation. I was coming to the conclusion it was something like that.

But the following was much more interesting to me.

If all of the content you wish to copy is already "base content" items, (aka. has been "flattened"), you can simply switch to the "Edit content > all content" tool instead of the select region tool, for area selection/copy of what is present on the page. This should not be restricted by the maximum image size constraints the clipboard has in place, and make simplify the process for you.

Yes, I want to copy a region of base content on a page and I think you have prompted me to explore functionality that I heretofore was mostly ignoring. But rather than the "Edit content > all content" route you suggest, I think I have found what I was looking for. And that is to use the Edit Objects tool with "All Objects" ticked as the option choice.

image.png

In Edit Objects, I pull a rectangle for my region and then Copy. I then open a target page (it can be a blank 'scratch' page) and using the Paste as Stamp tool

image(1).png

I paste that object onto the target page. I repeat the above for all elements of the compound stamp on the same page and arrange them to fit them together, usually with 60% opacity to assist in visually placing the elements. When happy with the arrangement I select all the XForms of the assemblage in the Contents panel and save that. I can now place that wherever I want, perhaps even using it several times. There are a million things that can be done this way. See the attached file as an example.

PDF Manual Pages 1305&06 Combined.pdf

A final logical step would be to assure opacity is set to 100% and then flatten. I think this is an improvement on what I laid out yesterday with respect to region copying and finishing with my step number 6 above completes the process. This, I think, solves my question. Thank you.

[Daniel - PDF-XChange]

Hello, PHK

But rather than the "Edit content > all content" route you suggest, I think I have found what I was looking for. And that is to use the Edit Objects tool with "All Objects" ticked as the option

My apologies, old memories... That is the tool I was referencing, the name changed some time ago along with functionality enhancements, and I still refer to it by the old name when I am not actively reading it.

I am very glad it could help though! Have an excellent day!

[PHK]

When I couldn't find the tool, I thought you were gaslighting me LOL!

[Daniel - PDF-XChange]

Hello, PHK

I gaslight myself enough for the both of us with this one tool! its been probably 2 years now and I'm still making this mistake!

Anyway, I hope you have an excellent day,