Add Watermark to PDF
Add a text or image watermark to a PDF online. Pick centered, tiled, or corner placement, tune the opacity and angle, and download. Good for copyright and confidential markings.
Related
What is a PDF watermark?
A PDF watermark is a visible text or image overlay on a page. It does not block the original content and is commonly used for copyright, document classification, company logos, or to deter screenshot leaks.
There are two common uses: a visible copyright watermark (logo, translucent text) and an anti-tamper watermark (diagonal, repeated tiling). The first emphasizes brand, the second emphasizes being hard to remove.
This tool uses pdf-lib in the browser to write the watermark into the PDF content stream. No server, no upload; the exported file is ready to print and share.
If you only need to mark up an image, convert it to PDF first or use the image watermark tool. For higher-stakes sharing like contracts, layer the watermark with PDF encryption.
Use Cases
- Add a company logo or signature to contracts, quotes, and outward-facing documents to protect the brand.
- Mark internal briefs, reports, and slide decks with a diagonal 'Confidential / Internal / DRAFT' watermark to indicate classification.
- Apply a DRAFT watermark before delivering a final version, to avoid sending the wrong file.
- Add a tiled watermark to training material, course slides, and ebooks to deter screenshots and piracy.
- Sign scanned album or catalog PDFs with a watermark (convert images to PDF first if needed).
- Watermark first, encrypt after: layer both protections for safer distribution.
How to Use
- Upload the PDF to watermark. After upload, the tool shows the page count and a preview of the first page.
- Pick the watermark type: text or image. For image, select a PNG / JPG / SVG from your device.
- Adjust the font size or image scale, color, opacity, rotation angle, and margin.
- Choose the layout: centered, tiled, or corner. For corner, pick one of the 9-grid positions.
- Preview the result, then click Apply and Download. The new file is named after the original with _watermark appended.
Features
- Runs locally in the browser: nothing is uploaded; the file stays on your device and in browser memory.
- Text and image watermarks: change text size and color; for images, support PNG / JPG / SVG logos, stamps, and signatures.
- Three layouts: centered, tiled, or 9-grid corner. Text and image watermarks share the same parameters.
- Live preview: see the watermark immediately after upload; tweak parameters without re-exporting.
- Full opacity and rotation control: opacity 5%-100%, rotation -180° to 180°, covering diagonal through horizontal.
- Adjustable tile spacing: 60 to 400 px lets you control density for any page size.
How should you add a PDF watermark? Text / image / tiled — which to pick?
Text, image, and tiled watermarks differ in visual impact, change effort, and best fit. Decide the main goal first to save time.
| Your goal | Better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Just a temporary marker; no long-term visibility needed | Text watermark + centered | The string can be edited anytime and the file barely grows. Good for internal sharing, DRAFT, and temporary labels. |
| Long-term branding on outward-facing documents | Image watermark + logo | More professional look and strong recognition. Good for contracts, external proposals, and whitepapers. |
| Discourage screenshot or photo leaks | Tiled + diagonal + low opacity | Repeated diagonal watermarks stay readable even after partial cropping, making screenshots harder to clean up. |
| Just a small logo or signature in a corner | Corner layout + 9-grid | Corner watermarks stay out of the body text, less intrusive than centered or tiled. Good for long reports, manuals, contract body pages. |
| Need stronger protection against tampering | Watermark first, then encrypt | Watermark is a visual reminder, encryption is access control. Together, they make distribution safer. |
Best Practices
Start from the defaults, then tweak
The defaults (red, 30% opacity, -30°, centered) cover most cases. Preview first, then adjust size and opacity. Tweaking one or two values at a time is faster than dialing in many at once.
Pick a different opacity for internal vs external
For internal sharing or temporary labels, 20%-40% keeps the content easy to read. For formal releases or important documents, go above 60% so the watermark always shows.
Watch tile size and spacing together
Large tile text and small spacing will hide your content. A balanced starting point is 24-48 px text and 150-220 px spacing.
Use a transparent PNG for logos
Transparent PNG logos keep the background clean in the PDF — no white box behind the logo. JPG works for photo-style watermarks; SVG is usually rasterized inside the PDF.
Use an image for non-Latin text watermarks
The built-in text font is Latin-only. Adding non-Latin text directly will show boxes. Export the text as a transparent PNG from your editor and add it as an image watermark instead.
Decrypt PDFs before watermarking
Password-protected PDFs block the write step. Remove the password with the PDF decrypt tool first, then watermark and re-encrypt.
FAQ
Does the watermark affect printing?
By default, yes. The watermark is part of the page content stream and prints along with the page. If you want it on screen only, lower the tile density to reduce its impact when printed.
Can a watermark be removed?
Technically yes, professional PDF editors can strip a watermark. A combination of tiled, diagonal, and translucent is hard to remove by hand and acts as a strong defense against screenshot leaks.
What font sizes and colors are supported?
Font sizes range from 12 to 120 px. Any hex color is supported, and changes show up in the preview instantly. The text itself supports Latin letters and digits only.
Can I keep the original file?
Yes. The original PDF is not modified. The download is a new file with _watermark added to the name, and the original stays on your device.
Is the file uploaded anywhere?
No. Preview and final export both run locally in the browser. No upload or sign-up is required, and closing or refreshing the page clears the data.
Are password-protected PDFs supported?
No. Use the PDF decrypt tool to remove the password first, then come back to watermark.
Can I watermark just one page?
This version watermarks all pages by default. If you only want some pages, split the PDF first, watermark the relevant parts, then merge them back.
Do you support non-Latin watermarks?
The text watermark field supports Latin letters and digits only. For other scripts, export the text as a transparent PNG and add it as an image watermark.
Troubleshooting
Non-Latin watermark shows up as boxes or garbled text
The built-in font is Latin-only. Export your text as a transparent PNG and add it as an image watermark instead.
Watermark position does not match the preview
Usually because the PDF has mixed page sizes. The preview only shows the current page; export draws the watermark on each page independently based on its size. To force a consistent layout, split pages by size first and watermark them separately.
Image watermark ends up blurry
Use a high-resolution transparent PNG. 500×500 px or larger avoids interpolation blur when the PDF is enlarged.
Error saying the PDF is encrypted or invalid
Password-protected PDFs cannot be watermarked. Use the PDF decrypt tool to remove the password, then come back to this page.
The recipient cannot see the watermark
Rare. Some PDF-to-image converters drop translucent layers. Ask them to open the PDF in Adobe Reader, Foxit, or Chrome's built-in viewer.
Glossary
- Opacity
- 0% means fully transparent (invisible), 100% means fully opaque. Watermarks usually sit between 10% and 40%, visible yet unobtrusive.
- Tiled watermark
- Repeating the same watermark at equal intervals horizontally and vertically across the page. Common for 'Confidential' or 'Internal' markers.
- Diagonal watermark
- A watermark rotated 30° to 45°. Even after partial cropping, the rest stays readable, which is the classic anti-tamper style.
- 9-grid corner position
- Divides the page into a 3×3 grid (top/middle/bottom rows × left/center/right columns) so you can drop a logo or signature into a precise spot.
Recommended watermark combinations
Opacity, size, and rotation combinations for common scenarios.
| Scenario | Rotation | Opacity | Size / scale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internal sharing | 0° | 20%-40% | 24-36 px |
| DRAFT before final | 0° | 10%-20% | 48-72 px centered |
| Confidential mark | -30° to -45° | 10%-25% | 48-72 px tiled |
| Company logo | 0° | 70%-90% | Logo 1/4 to 1/3 page width |
| Corner signature | 0° | 40%-60% | 12-24 px |
Centered vs tiled vs corner
Visual impact and best use for the three layouts.
| Layout | Best for | Watch out |
|---|---|---|
Centered | Temporary labels, DRAFT, signatures | Oversized text covers the content |
Tiled | Confidential marks, anti-screenshot | Too-tight spacing looks cluttered |
Corner | Logo, signature, date stamp | Limited space, avoid complex art |