How to add a text or image watermark to a PDF

Choose what the watermark communicates

A watermark can label a draft, show a project name or identify a review copy. It is a visible mark, not proof of ownership, a digital signature or a redaction feature. Only mark documents you are authorized to edit. Start with a copy, because structural changes can affect signatures and interactive content.

Select text or a supported image

Open Add Watermark and upload one PDF. For a text mark, enter the label and use the controls shown by the tool. For an image mark, select the image option and provide one PNG or JPG/JPEG watermark image. The image is uploaded to the same temporary processing service as the PDF.

Balance visibility and readability

Use the position, opacity and size controls to make the mark visible without covering small print, signatures or form fields. Review representative portrait and landscape pages. A lower opacity may work for a draft label across a page, while a compact logo may fit a corner more cleanly. There is no automatic guarantee that every page has an empty area.

Example: a draft review copy

Add a DRAFT text mark to a copy of a report, choose the intended pages and process it. Download the result and inspect the title page, a dense text page and a table. If a label obscures content, adjust the settings using the original PDF. Avoid repeatedly modifying a previously watermarked result unless you intend to keep earlier marks.

Understand the access and storage limits

A watermark does not prevent screenshots, copying or removal by someone with suitable PDF editing tools. Protect PDF adds password controls with separate limitations; neither tool is an end-to-end encrypted processing service. Download the finished document, compare page count and appearance, keep a local copy before the temporary files expire.

Related tools

Tool and data details

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