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Watermark a PDF

A draft contract sent for comments, a quote that is not yet final or a document copy handed to a third party should say so on every page. Type the wording, choose where it goes, and the stamp is drawn onto the pages in your browser.

Choose files
or drop them here
PDF · folders work too · Ctrl+V pastes copied files
Processed on your device: your files are never uploaded.

How to use the Watermark PDF

  1. Add one or more PDFs; a whole batch can be stamped with the same text.
  2. Type the text, for example DRAFT or “Copy for Smith & Co”.
  3. Choose diagonal, centre, top or bottom placement, then opacity and colour (grey, red, black, green or orange).
  4. Press Watermark and download the stamped files.

Automatic sizing

You do not pick a font size. A diagonal stamp stretches across about 70% of the page’s diagonal and a horizontal one across about 80% of its width, so a short word is large and a long sentence smaller, on any paper size.

Around 20 to 30% opacity leaves the content easy to read. Raise it when the mark must be obvious on a photocopy or printout.

Wording that does its job

Single capitalised words such as DRAFT, SAMPLE or VOID read well at an angle. Adding a recipient name and a date makes it clear where a forwarded copy came from, which discourages passing it on.

Top or bottom placement suits a longer line, such as a firm name or “Not for distribution”, since horizontal text is easier to read across a page.

Limits worth knowing

The mark is written into each page as semi-transparent text, so it appears in every viewer, in print and in image exports. A person with a PDF editor can still remove it.

Only Western European characters can be drawn, which includes accented letters like é, ü and ñ. Other alphabets and logo images are not supported.

Questions

Can I watermark just some pages?

Yes. Under More settings type the pages, for example 1 or 2-end. Leave it empty to stamp every page.

Are the files uploaded?

No. The watermark is added with pdf-lib in your browser.

Can I make the stamp regular weight instead of bold?

Yes. Bold is on by default; untick it under More settings for a lighter look.