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Author Topic: IDEA: Dynamic date and time stamping of a document when it is printed  (Read 7088 times)

Byte

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I need a way to automatically place a dynamic stamp onto a document when it is printed to the default printer.  The dynamic stamp would include the current date and time of printing (the dynamic aspect) and also include some static text, something along the lines of "This document expires 8 hours after the date and time listed."  Customizable text here would be sweet.

This needs to work with any printed document type, be it .TXT, .PDF or whatever, and this stamp must appear on every printed page.

All of the programs I have found seem to allow dynamic stamping but require the document be stamped and then saved prior to being printed.  In other words, sure I can place a dynamic date and time stamp on a batch of .PDF's and save them in one sitting, but then they will have the date and time on them from the stamping session instead of an "on the fly" stamp with the current date and time at the moment of printing, as is needed.

Thank you for your consideration, and any input would be greatly appreciated.

--Byte
The Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over.  --  Hunter S. Thompson

questorfla

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Re: IDEA: Dynamic date and time stamping of a document when it is printed
« Reply #1 on: November 15, 2014, 09:04 PM »
I can tell you where you will find the basics for it.
depending on the printer, there is an option for a watermark on most larger officer systems.  If you set that watermark to appear in lower rigt corner and show the date and time you might have what you need.  Alternatively, look  at this site

Using WORD it looks like it may do what you want

questorfla

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Re: IDEA: Dynamic date and time stamping of a document when it is printed
« Reply #2 on: November 15, 2014, 09:15 PM »
I checked. It works.  I did not try it on a pdf opened with Word but i presume it will work there too.  It does print the date and time it was printed.  If you print it later, the time changes.  The description of how to set it up is very clear and short.  But i will say the navigaton to get to the "info" you want among all the others could have been done better.
This gets you a little closer.
Hope this helps.

skrommel

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Re: IDEA: Dynamic date and time stamping of a document when it is printed
« Reply #3 on: December 05, 2014, 10:57 PM »
Try PDF Creator in combination with Coherent PDF!  :)

http://www.pdfforge.org/pdfcreator
http://community.coherentpdf.com

PDF Creator installs a printer. Anything printed to it creates a PDF file, and the process of saving, stamping and finally printing to a real printer can be automated! Use Coherent PDF to add text to every page.

To make it work I also had to use AutoHotkey, PDF Creator wouldn't send the proper variables to Coherent PDF.

http://www.autohotkey.com

Install all three tools, save the script below as Stamp.ahk and pont to it in PDF Creator's Actions - Run script. Also configure Auto-Save and Actions - Print Document and you'll be datestamping every page you print in no time!

;Stamp.ahk
; Adds timestamp to the the top of every page of a PDF file
;Skrommel @ 2014

RunWait,cpdf.exe -topleft 10 -font Courier -add-text "%A_Now%" "%1%" -o "%1%"

mouser

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Re: IDEA: Dynamic date and time stamping of a document when it is printed
« Reply #4 on: December 06, 2014, 01:50 AM »
WAIT.
DID.
THAT.
JUST.
HAPPEN?

SKROMMEL?








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Stoic Joker

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Re: IDEA: Dynamic date and time stamping of a document when it is printed
« Reply #5 on: December 06, 2014, 10:09 AM »
I need a way to automatically place a dynamic stamp onto a document when it is printed to the default printer.  The dynamic stamp would include the current date and time of printing (the dynamic aspect) and also include some static text, something along the lines of "This document expires 8 hours after the date and time listed."  Customizable text here would be sweet.

This needs to work with any printed document type, be it .TXT, .PDF or whatever, and this stamp must appear on every printed page.

So you're needing something that can hook into the printer driver and modify/expand on the built-in (very limited) watermarking capabilities. And this has to auto-magically work for any print job, that is sent from any application ... Correct?

A commercial (e.g. very not cheap) version of this functionality can be found here: http://www.papercut....mt-watermarking.html. I have not personally used it extensively, but I did once review it for our company, and they do make some very nice software.