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Watermark PDF – Add a Text Watermark to Every Page

Stamp a word or phrase such as CONFIDENTIAL, DRAFT, SAMPLE, COPY or your company name across the pages of a PDF. Choose the size, colour, transparency and angle, place it once in the centre or repeat it across the page, and apply it to every page or just the first.

Your files stay on your device

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How to watermark a PDF

  1. Choose your PDF.
  2. Type the watermark text.
  3. Adjust the text size, opacity, angle and colour.
  4. Choose Once, centred or Repeated (tiled), and whether to mark all pages or the first page only.
  5. Press Add watermark and download the PDF.

Common watermarks

TextWhen to use it
CONFIDENTIALInternal reports, HR and legal documents
DRAFTWork in progress that shouldn’t be relied on
SAMPLE / SPECIMENTemplates, examples and proofs
COPYDuplicates of originals
PAIDSettled invoices
Your name or companyPortfolios, designs, photos in PDFs
For [purpose] onlyID copies shared for one specific use

Watermarking ID copies

When you share a copy of a passport, driving licence or bank statement, a watermark such as “For rental application to Acme Lettings only — 8 Nov 2026” makes it much harder for the copy to be reused for something else. Use a tiled watermark at about 25% opacity so key details stay readable but the purpose is clear on every part of the page.

Design tips

  • Diagonal (45°) watermarks cover more of the page and are the most recognisable.
  • Light grey or red at low opacity is conventional for CONFIDENTIAL and DRAFT.
  • Keep it short — one or two words read best at large sizes.
  • Test readability by zooming in on small print after watermarking.

Watermarks and printing

Transparent watermarks print as a lighter shade of the colour you choose. If your printer prints them too faintly, increase the opacity to 30–40%. For documents that will be photocopied, a darker, tiled watermark survives copying better than a pale one in the middle of the page.

Test a single page first if you are printing many copies.

Text that can’t be shown

The watermark uses a standard PDF font, which covers English and Western European letters. Characters from other scripts are replaced with a question mark, so write the watermark in Latin letters.

How it works

The watermark is drawn as real text in a bold standard font, with the transparency you choose, on top of each page’s existing content. Page rotation is taken into account, so the watermark is centred and angled correctly on every page. Your PDF is processed in your browser and never uploaded.

Lock the watermarked PDF with protect PDF, number its pages with add page numbers, or sign it with sign PDF.

Frequently asked questions

How do I add a watermark to a PDF?

Choose your PDF, type the watermark text, adjust the size, opacity, angle and colour, and press “Add watermark”. Download the result when it’s ready.

Can a watermark be removed?

A text watermark added to the page can be removed by someone with PDF editing software. It deters casual copying and makes the status of a document clear, but it isn’t strong protection. Combine it with a password using the protect tool for sensitive files.

What opacity should I use?

15–25% keeps the document readable while the watermark stays visible. Use higher values for proofs and samples you don’t want reused.

What is a tiled watermark?

The text is repeated in rows across the whole page, which is harder to crop out than a single watermark in the middle.

Does it work on landscape pages?

Yes. The watermark is placed according to how each page appears when you read it, so landscape and rotated pages are covered correctly.

Can I use an image or logo as a watermark?

This tool adds text. For a logo, you can place an image on any page with the sign PDF tool, or watermark images before turning them into a PDF with the image watermark tool.

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