Glossary
Stamping
Applying a visible mark — date received, paid, approved, certified — onto a document's rendered output.
Stamping
Stamping is applying a visible mark — typically date-received, paid, approved, certified true copy — onto a document's rendered output. The digital equivalent of an office stamp.
Papyrus supports stamping in two modes:
- Overlay stamps: applied as a layer; the original document is unchanged; users with sufficient permissions see the stamped or unstamped version
- Burned-in stamps: flattened into a new PDF; the stamped copy is a separate document, often shared externally as evidence
Common Kenyan use cases:
- “RECEIVED [date]” on incoming correspondence
- “PAID [date]” on supplier invoices after settlement
- “CERTIFIED TRUE COPY” on documents authenticated by an authorised officer
- “DRAFT” or “FOR APPROVAL” watermarks (a form of stamping)
- Statutory stamps (where physical revenue stamps are being digitised)
Stamps include metadata: who applied, when, on what document version. This is captured in the audit log.