How to Add a Watermark to a PDF
A watermark is a quiet but powerful signal. 'DRAFT' across a proposal stops anyone from treating it as final; 'CONFIDENTIAL' reminds readers not to forward it; a faint logo on every page reinforces your brand. The trick is making it visible enough to register without burying the text underneath.
Text or image watermarks
- Text — words like Draft, Confidential, Sample, or Copy, usually set diagonally.
- Image — a logo or stamp for branding documents and presentations.
Getting opacity right
Opacity is the whole game. Too solid and the watermark fights the content; too faint and nobody notices it. A setting around 15–30% usually reads clearly while leaving the underlying text perfectly legible. Diagonal placement across the center is the classic choice because it's hard to crop out and easy to see.
Watermark before you share
Add the watermark as the last step before distributing a document, so the marked version is the one that goes out and your clean master stays untouched. A browser-based tool applies the watermark locally, which keeps an unreleased or sensitive document off any server.
Frequently asked questions
Can I watermark every page at once?+
Yes. Apply a text or image watermark across the whole document in one step.
Will the watermark make the text hard to read?+
Not at a low opacity. Around 15–30% keeps the watermark visible while leaving the content legible.
Can I use my logo as a watermark?+
Yes. Upload a logo image and place it as a branded watermark on each page.