Add a Text Watermark to a PDF
Stamp DRAFT, CONFIDENTIAL or your company name across the pages. Pick the position, size, opacity and color, then download — your file never leaves the browser.
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This PDF watermark tool stamps text across your pages — DRAFT, CONFIDENTIAL, a company name or a copy number. You control the position, size, opacity and color, and the watermarked file downloads straight from your browser.
The watermark is real PDF text drawn into each page, so it prints and scales cleanly at any zoom level. Nothing is uploaded: your document is opened, stamped and saved on your own device.
Why Use This PDF Watermark Tool?
- Real vector text — crisp at any zoom, prints cleanly, no image overlay
- Full control — position, size, opacity, color and which pages get the stamp
- Private — your document never leaves the browser
- Free, no signup, no watermark of ours on your file
- Fast — most documents are stamped in a second or two
How to Add a Watermark to a PDF — 3 Steps
- Drop your PDF into the box above and type the watermark text, for example DRAFT or CONFIDENTIAL.
- Set the position (center, diagonal or footer), then adjust the text size, opacity and color until it looks right.
- Press the blue Add Watermark button and download the stamped PDF.
Choosing a Watermark That Does Its Job
A watermark has two jobs: marking a document's status and making unauthorized reuse obvious. Both depend on picking sensible settings. For review copies, DRAFT in a light gray at 40–60% opacity across the center of the page is the standard look — visible at a glance, but light enough that the body text stays readable underneath. CONFIDENTIAL and internal-use-only stamps work the same way. For documents that leave your control, repeating a company name or the recipient's name in the footer of every page is quieter and just as effective at proving where a leaked copy came from.
Opacity is the setting that decides whether a watermark helps or hurts. Full-opacity black text across the middle of the page makes a document hard to read; 20% is so faint it disappears on some printers. The sweet spot for most documents is 30–50% opacity in gray. The diagonal position is popular because it crosses the content without covering a single line of text, and it reads as a status mark rather than a header.
Because the watermark is drawn as actual PDF text in the standard Helvetica font, it scales without the blur you get from image-based watermarking, and it does not add a bitmap layer to every page — file size barely moves. One honest note: a watermark is a deterrent, not encryption. Anyone with a PDF editor can cover or remove a visible stamp, so treat watermarking as one layer alongside the password protection tool when a document really must not circulate.
If you stamp selected pages rather than the whole file, enter the ranges exactly as your PDF reader counts pages — first page is 1. Copy numbers (Copy 1 of 5, Copy 2 of 5) are a common trick for printed handouts: stamp one copy per run, changing the number each time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes — a visible watermark can be covered or deleted by someone with a PDF editor. It deters casual copying but does not protect a file by itself. For real protection, also encrypt the file with our Password Protect PDF tool.
Yes. Choose page selection and enter ranges like 1-3, 7. Leave it on all pages for a document-wide stamp.
Not yet — this tool stamps text only. Logo watermarking is on the roadmap.
The watermark uses Helvetica, which every PDF viewer renders. Stick to standard letters, numbers and punctuation.
30–50% works for most documents: clearly visible, still readable underneath. Use 60–80% when the stamp matters more than the text behind it, like CONFIDENTIAL on drafts.
Yes. The stamp is part of the page content, so it prints exactly as it appears on screen.
No. Watermarking runs in your browser — the PDF is read, stamped and saved on your device.