Watermark PDF

What this tool does

Watermark PDF adds a mark such as CONFIDENTIAL, DRAFT or your company logo to every page or a range of pages. Set the opacity, rotation, size and position, or tile the mark across the page, and check the live preview before saving.

Watermarks tell readers how a document should be treated. A diagonal DRAFT stops an unfinished proposal from being mistaken for the final version, CONFIDENTIAL reminds recipients not to forward a file, and a faint tiled line with the recipient name discourages leaks because any copy can be traced back.

This tool draws the watermark onto each page with pdf-lib, using real PDF transparency, so the page text underneath stays readable and selectable. Text marks use the standard PDF fonts; image marks accept PNG (with transparency) or JPG logos. Positions are measured on the page as displayed, so rotated and landscape pages are handled. Processing happens in your browser.

How to use Watermark PDF

1. Drop a PDF onto the upload area.
2. Choose Text or Image. For text, start from a preset such as Confidential or Draft, or type your own wording.
3. Set font, size and colour for text, or upload a logo and set its width as a percentage of the page.
4. Adjust Opacity and Rotation; 45 degrees gives the classic diagonal stamp.
5. Pick Single with a position, or Tiled to repeat the mark across the page.
6. Optionally limit Pages to a range, check the preview, then press Add watermark and download.

Tips for better results

• Opacity between 15 and 30 percent keeps body text legible while the mark stays obvious.
• Tiled text with the recipient name and date at a small size, for example 18 pt, is a simple way to personalise each copy you send.
• Use a transparent PNG for logos; a JPG has a solid background rectangle that covers page content.
• Corner positions respect the Margin value, so a small COPY mark in the top right stays clear of the edge.

Common use cases

• Marking proposals and contracts as DRAFT during review rounds.
• Stamping CONFIDENTIAL on HR, legal or financial documents.
• Branding a portfolio or price list with a company logo.
• Adding the recipient name to each page of a document shared outside the organisation.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Treating a watermark as protection. Anyone with a PDF editor can remove an overlay, so use it as a label, not as security.
• Choosing full opacity and a large size, which hides the content the reader needs.
• Typing characters outside the Western European range, such as Cyrillic or Chinese, which the standard fonts cannot draw. Use an image watermark for those scripts.