Text or image watermark, your choice
With this tool you can add a watermark to a PDF in two ways. A text watermark lets you type any words, such as “CONFIDENTIAL”, “DRAFT” or “COPY”, and set the font, size, color, opacity and rotation. A classic choice is large gray text at 45 degrees with low opacity.
An image watermark uses a PNG or JPG, usually a logo or a stamp. You can set its size and opacity. A PNG with a transparent background looks cleaner, because a JPG always brings its rectangle along.
Position: one spot or a tiled pattern
Place the watermark in one of nine spots: the corners, the middle of each edge, or the center of the page. A small logo in a corner works well for branding a price list or a portfolio.
For documents you share outside your team, the tiled option repeats the watermark across the whole page. It is harder to crop out of a screenshot than a single stamp. You can apply it to every page or only to a range, for example leaving the cover clean.
Common reasons to watermark a PDF
Photographers and designers send proofs with their name tiled across them before the client pays. Landlords and job seekers mark copies of ID or bank documents with a note like “Only for rental application at 12 Oak St”, so the copy is less useful if it ends up somewhere else.
Teams mark drafts so nobody mistakes an early version for the final one. Schools and trainers stamp handouts with the course name before sharing them.
What a watermark can and cannot do
The watermark is drawn on top of the page content. It is a visible deterrent, not copy protection. Someone with editing software could still work around it. If you need to stop opening or copying, add a password with Protect PDF after watermarking.
Keep opacity low enough that the text underneath stays readable, especially on forms and contracts. Your PDF is processed in your browser and never leaves your device. Locked PDFs must be opened first with Unlock PDF.
Getting the look right
For a text watermark that reads as a warning, use a short word in capital letters, a large size and a gentle diagonal rotation. For a watermark that should be subtle, use a smaller size, a light color and an opacity low enough that the page still reads easily.
Test it on a page with dense text or a photo, since that is where a watermark gets in the way most. If it covers important details, move it to another of the nine positions or reduce the size before processing again.