Time stamps are used to specify the date and time you signed a document. A trusted time stamp proves that the contents of your PDFs existed at a point-in-time and have not changed since then. The application allows you to add a trusted time stamp to digital signatures or documents.

To add a time stamp to digital signatures

To add a time stamp to digital signatures, a default time stamp server is required before you make the digital signature. If you have configured a default time stamp server and added it to your trusted certificate list, the time stamp will be embedded with the signature, and the signature properties will show the date/time in the time stamp server when you signed the document; otherwise, the signature properties will display the local date/time of the computer.

1. Go to File > Preferences > Time Stamp Servers, and set a default time stamp server.

2. Sign the document. See also the instruction on "Sign a PDF". 

3. You will be prompted with a pop-up Security Warning to ask you to allow connecting to your time stamp server. Click Allow.

4. Then the signature you made has been successfully embedded with a timestamp. When validating the signature, users need to add the time stamp server into the trusted certificate list so that the signature properties will display the date/time in the time stamp server when the document was signed. See also the instruction on "Trusted Certificates".

Note: By default, if only one time stamp server is available in the system, it will be set as default automatically.

To add a time stamp to documents

Ø  Before adding a time stamp to documents, you need to configure a default time stamp server. Click Protect > Time Stamp Document and create a timestamp server by clicking New… in the pop-up dialog box. Specify the server name and complete other settings of the server on demand. Click OK.

Ø  Select the created server and click Set Default to set the server as the default time stamp server. Click Next to continue.

(Tip: You can also create, edit, and delete time stamp servers as well as enable/disable the default time server in File > Preferences > Time Stamp Servers. To disable the default time stamp server, select the default time stamp server and click Clear.)

Ø  Specify a name and location for the signed document. Click Save.