Watermark PDF - Permanent Branding & Stamps
Protect your documents with custom watermarks. Add text watermarks with full control over appearance.
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About PDF Watermarks
- •Add custom text watermarks to protect your documents
- •Customize text, color, size, and opacity
- •Watermark is applied to all pages automatically
- •100% free - no watermarks on your watermarks!
About PDF Watermark Tool
Stamp a text watermark across every page of a PDF with Convertify. Set the wording, colour, font size and opacity, and the stamp is drawn diagonally across the centre of each page — useful for CONFIDENTIAL and DRAFT marks or light brand text. Everything runs in your browser, so the document is never uploaded.
Why Use Convertify's PDF Watermark Tool?
Text or Image
Stamp custom text or upload your logo
Position Control
Tile, center, header or footer placement
Drafts Stay Private
Watermarking happens on your device
Opacity Slider
From subtle to bold with a single drag
Common Use Cases
- 1Adding 'CONFIDENTIAL' stamps to sensitive reports
- 2Branding architectural drawings with company logos
- 3Marking draft versions of manuscripts for review
- 4Adding copyright notices to creative portfolios
- 5Stamping archive documents with Bates numbering or dates
Convertify processes all files directly in your browser — nothing is uploaded to any server. Your documents stay private and secure on your device at all times.
The complete guide to PDF Watermark Tool
Last updated July 26, 2026Watermarking a PDF signals ownership, confidentiality or draft status — 'CONFIDENTIAL', 'DRAFT', a company name, a copyright line — so the mark travels with the document wherever it's forwarded. Convertify adds a text watermark to every page of your PDF in the browser; the file is never uploaded.
The watermark is drawn as a single line of text across the centre of each page at a fixed 45-degree diagonal. You control the wording, the colour, the font size and the opacity. Lower opacity (20-30%) keeps the underlying content comfortable to read; higher opacity (40-60%) makes the mark the first thing anyone notices.
Set expectations honestly: a watermark is a deterrent and a status signal, not a lock. It's drawn into the page content, so it survives normal viewing, forwarding and printing — but anyone with a proper PDF editor can strip it out. Use it to discourage casual redistribution and to stop people acting on a draft, not to secure a document against a determined party.
How PDF Watermark Tool on Convertify compares
| Feature | Convertify | Typical online tool |
|---|---|---|
| Files uploaded | Never | Yes |
| Watermark type | Text only | Text and image |
| Angle | Fixed 45-degree diagonal | Adjustable |
| Opacity, colour, size | Yes | Sometimes |
| Pages covered | All pages | All or selected |
| Daily limit | Unlimited | Limited |
| Sign-up | No | Often |
Step-by-step: how to use PDF Watermark Tool
- 1
Upload the PDF
Drop the PDF onto the upload zone. Every page in the document will be watermarked — there's no per-page selection.
- 2
Configure the watermark
Type the text ('CONFIDENTIAL', 'DRAFT', a client name), then set the font size, the colour and the opacity. 30% is a good starting point for something readable but unobtrusive.
- 3
Apply and download
Click apply. The stamp is drawn diagonally across the centre of each page and the watermarked PDF downloads straight away, with no watermark of ours added on top.
Real-world scenarios
Confidential distribution of sensitive documents
Watermark each copy with the recipient's name — 'CONFIDENTIAL - J. Smith'. If the document later turns up somewhere it shouldn't, the mark says which copy it came from.
DRAFT documents in a review cycle
Send a contract or policy out for comment with a clear DRAFT stamp, so nobody countersigns or acts on a version that isn't final.
Copyright marking on published PDFs
Authors, photographers and consultants distributing paid content stamp their name and website across each page, making unauthorised reposts identifiable at a glance.
Sample versions of paid documents
Mark a preview copy 'SAMPLE - full version at yoursite.com'. Readable enough to evaluate, branded enough that it isn't a substitute for buying.
Troubleshooting and edge cases
Can the watermark be removed?⌄
Yes, by someone who knows how. It's drawn as a PDF content object, not encrypted into the file, so a capable PDF editor can delete it. Treat it as a deterrent and an attribution mark rather than a security control.
The watermark is too dark and obscures the text.⌄
Drop the opacity to 20-30% and reduce the font size. Light grey at 25% is the usual choice for legal documents; bold DRAFT or CONFIDENTIAL marks sit around 40-50%.
Can I change the angle, or use an image or logo?⌄
Not yet. The stamp is fixed at a 45-degree diagonal, and image or logo watermarks aren't supported — the option is visible in the interface but disabled until it actually works.
I only want the watermark on some pages.⌄
The tool marks every page. To do a subset: split the PDF with our Split PDF tool, watermark just the section you want, then merge it back together with Merge PDF.
My watermark text is running off the edge of the page.⌄
The stamp is a single centred line, so long text at a large font size will overrun. Shorten the wording or reduce the font size until it sits inside the page.
How to Add Watermark to PDF - Step by Step Guide
Upload
Select the PDF file(s) you want to brand.
Design
Add text or logo, adjust opacity and rotation.
Inject
Apply the watermark permanently and download your file.