A watermark — CONFIDENTIAL, DRAFT, or your company name — diagonally across each page signals how a document should be treated and discourages misuse. Here's how to add one.
Choosing your watermark text
Common choices are CONFIDENTIAL, DRAFT, COPY, or a name. Keep it short so it reads clearly across the page.
Opacity matters
A watermark should be visible but not so dark it obscures the text underneath. A medium, semi-transparent setting usually strikes the right balance.
Step by step
- Open the watermark tool and drop your PDF in — it loads in the browser, so nothing is sent anywhere.
- Type the watermark text. Short beats clever: "DRAFT", "CONFIDENTIAL", or a name and date.
- Set the opacity and angle, then check the preview against your busiest page, not your title page.
- Download the marked copy and keep the unmarked original separately.
What usually goes wrong
It reads as clean black text, not a watermark
Opacity above roughly 40% stops looking like a watermark and starts looking like content — and it competes with the text underneath. If you want it obvious, make it bigger rather than darker.
The watermark can be removed
A text watermark is drawn onto the page, not welded to it. Anyone determined can strip it. It deters casual reuse and marks provenance; it is not copy protection. If you need that, password-protect the file instead.
It disappears over dark images
Diagonal light-grey text vanishes on a photo-heavy page. Check the page with the most ink on it before you commit.
Frequently asked questions
Can a watermark be removed?
A flattened watermark is part of the page and hard to remove cleanly, but determined editing can sometimes strip it. It's a deterrent, not encryption.
Does a watermark stop someone copying my PDF?
No. It marks the document and discourages casual reuse, but the text sits on the page like any other content and can be removed by someone determined. For actual restriction, use a password instead.
Will the watermark appear on every page?
Yes — the watermark is applied across all pages of the document in one pass.