Add a watermark to a PDF
Stamp text across every page — DRAFT, CONFIDENTIAL, or your own wording.
Drop your file here
Processed securely and deleted within the hour.
A layer, not a re-render
The watermark is drawn as a transparent overlay on top of each page, leaving the original content untouched underneath. That matters for two reasons: the text in your document stays selectable and searchable, and the file does not balloon the way it would if every page were flattened into an image.
Many watermarking tools do flatten. You can spot them afterwards — the document becomes a stack of pictures, the file triples in size, and you can no longer copy a sentence out of it.
What a watermark is for
Mostly to communicate status. DRAFT stops a working version being mistaken for a final one. CONFIDENTIAL is a reminder to whoever receives a forward. A company name across a sample deters casual reuse.
What it is not is protection. A watermark drawn over a page can be removed by anyone determined enough, and this is by design — the page underneath is still an ordinary page. If a document genuinely must not be redistributed, encrypt it.
Getting the appearance right
The defaults — 45 degrees, centred, 18% opacity — are the classic look, and they exist because they work: diagonal text crosses the maximum page area, and low opacity stays legible without fighting the content underneath.
Raise the opacity above roughly 35% and the document becomes noticeably harder to read. If you need it more prominent, increase the size rather than the opacity — a large faint watermark reads more clearly than a small dark one.
Specific pages
The pages field accepts ranges, so you can mark an appendix without touching the covering letter.
Common questions
Will the text still be selectable?
Yes. The watermark is an overlay, not a re-render, so the document underneath is unchanged.
Can the watermark be removed?
By someone determined, yes. Watermarks communicate status; they do not protect a document. Use encryption for that.
What opacity should I use?
Around 18% is the classic setting. Above 35% the document gets hard to read — increase the size instead.
Can I watermark only some pages?
Yes, the pages field accepts ranges like 2-5.
Will it make my file much bigger?
No, because pages are not flattened into images. The increase is negligible.
Can I use an image instead of text?
Not currently — this tool places text. For an image stamp, place it in the source document first.