PDF Watermark
Put a watermark on a PDF: “Draft”, “Confidential” or a wording of your own, with an adjustable angle and opacity. Runs locally in your browser.
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The PDF is processed locally in your browser and is never uploaded.
Guide: PDF Watermark
A watermark tells a document what it is. “Draft” across the page stops an interim version from passing as a final invoice; “Copy” separates the duplicate from the original; a company name over a quotation shows where it came from, even when a single page is printed and passed on.
This tool puts such a wording into an existing PDF — with a size, colour, opacity and tilt of your choosing, on every page or only on the ones you name. The four placements cover the usual cases: diagonally across the page, horizontally in the centre, discreetly as a footer, or tiled over the whole surface.
The expectation matters: a watermark is a marking, not a copy protection. It makes the status of a document visible at a glance and makes it harder to reuse single pages unnoticed. Anyone determined to strip it can, with enough effort — no tool of this kind changes that, and vendors who promise otherwise are overpromising.
Typical use cases
Marking drafts unmistakably
While a quotation is still being agreed, “Draft” belongs on every page. It costs nothing and prevents the most embarrassing mix-up in correspondence.
Flagging confidential papers
Costings, personnel files and internal analyses get a visible note that is still legible on a printout left lying around.
Sending out samples and templates
Anyone handing out a sample document does not want it filled in and returned as a genuine case. A marking across the surface makes that unambiguous.
Showing where a document came from
For papers that pass through several hands, a discreet company wording in the footer records which office the page originally came from.
Telling versions apart
A printed date or version number saves the question of which of the three printouts on the desk is the current one.
How to use it
Choose the PDF and the wording
Load the document and type the wording. Short is better: one word stays legible at any size, while a whole sentence forces a font size at which the watermark is barely noticeable.
Pick the placement
Diagonal is the classic choice for a status note and keeps the text underneath most readable. Tiled covers the whole page and suits samples; the footer is the most restrained variant for an origin note.
Tune the opacity and colour
Between 15 and 25 per cent is the range where the marking is clearly visible without disturbing the text under it. Check the result on a page full of text rather than on the cover sheet.
Narrow the pages and save
Left empty, the field marks every page. For the cover sheet alone a 1 is enough, for a range something like 1-3,5. Then download the finished document.
What happens to your data
The document is opened and marked entirely inside your browser; neither the file nor the watermark wording leaves your device. With papers being marked confidential, anything else would be self-defeating — uploading a document to a stranger's server in order to stamp it “Confidential” removes exactly the confidentiality at stake.
Frequently asked questions
Can the watermark be removed again?
With enough effort, yes — it is a marking and not a copy protection. For the purpose of making a document's status recognisable that is entirely sufficient; real protection would need encryption and rights management.
Can I use a logo instead of text?
The tool applies a text marking at the moment. For a pictorial marking the usual route is to include the logo in the template the PDF is produced from.
Why are some special characters missing?
The built-in font covers the Western European character set. Typographic quotes and dashes are substituted automatically, and anything beyond that — an emoji, say — is dropped rather than being allowed to fail the export.
Is the text under the watermark still selectable?
Yes. The marking is an extra layer over the content; text stays text and can still be selected, copied and searched.