A watermark tells readers at a glance that a document is a draft, is confidential, or belongs to you — without changing the content underneath. Whether you are circulating a proposal for review, protecting a design, or branding a quote with your logo, you can stamp text or an image across every page in a few clicks.

Add a watermark

1. Open the Add Watermark tool and upload your PDF.
2. Add a text watermark (like DRAFT or CONFIDENTIAL) or upload an image or logo.
3. Set the opacity, rotation, and position, and choose which pages receive it.
4. Preview page one to check placement, then download the watermarked PDF.

Getting the look right

A good watermark is visible but does not stop anyone reading the document. A few settings to think about:

• Opacity: around 10–30% is usually enough to be clear without obscuring text.
• Rotation: a 45° diagonal across the page reads as a classic watermark and is hard to crop out.
• Position: centre for a bold statement, or a corner for a subtle logo or copyright line.
• Pages: apply to every page for confidentiality, or just the first page for branding.

Common uses

• DRAFT or CONFIDENTIAL labels on work-in-progress documents.
• A company logo across proposals, quotes, or portfolios.
• A copyright or "Do not copy" notice on shared material.
• Your name across sensitive scans before sharing them.

Watermarking is not the same as locking

A watermark is a visible deterrent — it signals ownership and status, but it does not restrict who can open or copy the file. If you need to actually control access, add a password with the Encrypt PDF tool, either instead of or alongside a watermark.

Text watermark or image watermark?

Both have their place, so pick based on what you are signalling:

• Text — best for status and warnings like DRAFT, CONFIDENTIAL, or "Do not copy". It is crisp at any size and instantly readable.
• Image or logo — best for branding proposals, quotes, and portfolios, or stamping a signature-style mark across a document.

A watermark does not meaningfully increase file size, because it is a single repeated element rather than extra content on every page. You can also combine the two — for example a faint logo in the corner and a bold DRAFT across the centre.

Frequently asked questions

Can the recipient remove the watermark?

A watermark is a visible deterrent, not access control — someone determined could crop or cover it. To genuinely restrict access, add a password with the Encrypt PDF tool.

Can I watermark only some pages?

Yes. Choose which pages receive the watermark — for example only the first page for branding, or every page for confidentiality.

Can I use my logo instead of text?

Yes. Upload an image or logo and position it with the opacity and placement controls, just like a text watermark.

Is adding a watermark free?

Yes — you can add text or image watermarks for free, and no extra watermark of our own is placed on your file.

Can I remove a watermark again later?

Re-create the document from your original, un-watermarked file. A watermark baked into a finished PDF is meant to be hard to remove cleanly, so always keep the original safe.

Will the watermark show up when printed?

Yes. The watermark becomes part of the page, so it appears both on screen and in print exactly as you positioned it.

Watermarking runs in your browser, so your file is not sent to a separate service, and the original PDF structure is kept.