About Add Watermark to PDF

Watermarking PDF documents is a standard practice for protecting intellectual property, indicating document status (DRAFT, CONFIDENTIAL, SAMPLE), asserting copyright, or adding branding to shared materials. LocalPDF's Watermark tool lets you apply custom text or image watermarks to every page of your PDF, directly in your browser with no server processing.

Text watermarks are rendered with fully configurable settings: you choose the text, font size, color, opacity level, and rotation angle. A diagonal watermark at 45 degrees is the traditional choice for status indicators, while horizontal or centered watermarks work well for branding. Image watermarks support PNG files, allowing you to use logos or custom graphics.

The watermark is embedded permanently into each page using pdf-lib, so it appears in all viewers, cannot be easily removed by recipients, and is included when the document is printed.

How to Use

  1. 1Upload your PDF using the file selector or drag-and-drop.
  2. 2Choose "Text Watermark" or "Image Watermark" from the options panel.
  3. 3For text: enter your watermark text, choose font size, color, opacity, and rotation angle.
  4. 4For image: upload a PNG file to use as the watermark graphic.
  5. 5Preview the result, then click "Apply Watermark" and download.

Key Features

Text & Image Watermarks

Apply custom text (with configurable font, color, size, and rotation) or a PNG image watermark to your document.

Adjustable Opacity

Control how visible the watermark is, from a subtle ghost watermark to a full-opacity overlay.

Applied to All Pages

The watermark is applied consistently to every page of the document in a single operation.

Permanent Embedding

Watermarks are baked into the PDF page content, not added as a removable overlay layer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can recipients remove my watermark?

Once embedded using our tool, the watermark is part of the page content stream and cannot be easily removed with standard PDF readers. Advanced PDF editing software could theoretically obscure it, but this requires significant effort.

What opacity should I use for a CONFIDENTIAL watermark?

Typically 20 to 40 percent opacity works well, visible enough to convey the message clearly but not so heavy that it obscures the document content. Adjust based on the background content of your pages.

Can I use my company logo as a watermark?

Yes. Use the "Image Watermark" option and upload a PNG file of your logo. For best results, use a PNG with a transparent background.

Can I place the watermark in a specific position rather than centered?

The tool currently places the watermark centered on each page, which is the standard for most use cases. Opacity and rotation can be adjusted freely.

Does watermarking affect page content quality?

No. Adding a watermark does not re-compress or alter the existing page content. The watermark text or image is added as an additional layer over the existing content.