How it works
PDF Watermark — Add a text or image watermark to every page of a PDF. All processing happens in your browser — no upload, no signup, no email required. Free forever.
Last updated:
About PDF Watermark
PDF Watermark stamps a text watermark — a label like CONFIDENTIAL, DRAFT, or your company name — across every page of a PDF. It is the right tool when you need to mark ownership, indicate a document's status, or discourage unauthorised redistribution.
Lawyers, designers sharing previews, HR teams sending offer letters, and consultants delivering reports rely on watermarks to protect work-in-progress and signal intent. With this tool you can apply one in seconds, choosing color, opacity, position, rotation, and even a tiled, full-page diagonal pattern.
Everything runs in your browser using pdf-lib, so even highly sensitive PDFs (financial models, legal drafts, internal memos) are watermarked locally and never sent to a server.
How to use PDF Watermark
- Drop the PDF you want to watermark onto the upload area.
- Type the watermark text — anything from a single word like DRAFT to a longer string like Property of Acme Corp.
- Choose a font size, pick a color with the color picker, and adjust opacity (lower for a subtle mark, higher for a more visible stamp).
- Select a position: center, one of the four corners, or Tile to repeat the watermark diagonally across the whole page.
- Click Apply and download the watermarked PDF; the original file on disk stays untouched so you can re-run with different settings.
Common use cases
- Sending design or copy drafts to clients with a DRAFT watermark to prevent them being mistaken for final deliverables.
- Marking internal HR documents and salary letters as CONFIDENTIAL before circulating them to a small group.
- Adding a Property of [Company] watermark to PDFs shared with external partners or freelancers.
- Stamping SAMPLE on demo PDFs of a paid e-book or report before publishing them on a landing page.
- Indicating revision number or a date watermark across a long technical document to keep version tracking unambiguous.
Tips & common mistakes
- Tile mode is the most tamper-resistant — the watermark repeats diagonally across the whole page, making it hard to crop or cover up.
- Keep opacity around 25-35% for a watermark that is clearly visible without obscuring the underlying content. Bump it to 60%+ for stronger discouragement.
- Choose a mid-grey color rather than pure black or red; it blends naturally with most documents and looks more professional.
- Watermarking adds an overlay but does not encrypt the file — anyone with PDF editing software can technically remove the watermark. For real document protection, combine watermarking with a password and access logging.
Frequently asked questions
Is the watermark visible behind text and images?
Yes — we draw it as a vector overlay on each page. Adjust opacity to make it subtle (default 30%) or assertive (80%+). Tile mode covers the whole page in a repeating diagonal pattern.
Does the source PDF stay intact?
Yes. We load the file into memory, add the watermark via pdf-lib, and offer a fresh PDF for download. The original on disk is never modified.
Can I watermark a specific page only?
Currently every page gets the same watermark. Per-page selection is on the roadmap; for now you can split the PDF, watermark one part, and re-merge.
Can I apply different watermark text on different pages?
Not in a single pass — the same watermark goes on every page. As a workaround, split the PDF, watermark each section with its own text, and merge the parts back together.
Does the watermark go on top of existing content or behind it?
On top, as a semi-transparent overlay. Reduce the opacity if the watermark is making the text underneath hard to read.
Will the watermark survive printing, screenshotting, or photocopying?
Yes. Because it is rendered into the page itself, anyone who prints, photocopies, or screenshots the PDF will also reproduce the watermark.