Utilore

Add a Watermark to a PDF

Marking a document costs one word: draft, copy, not for distribution. Pick it, see it on the page, and get the file back with the mark on every sheet.

A watermark marks a document, it does not protect it. Anyone can take the mark off the same way it was put on, and the text underneath stays selectable and copyable. It is the right tool for “draft”, “copy” or “not for distribution” — and the wrong one for keeping a file out of the wrong hands.

or drop it here · A PDF up to 100 MB

    The document stays in this browser: it is not uploaded anywhere.

    Also on PDFs: Sign a PDF · Stamp a PDF · PDF Editor · Compress PDF

    How to use

    1. Choose a PDF — it is read in your browser, not sent anywhere.
    2. Type the word or pick a logo, then set colour, size, tilt and opacity while watching the page.
    3. Press build and download the marked file.

    Good to know

    A watermark marks, it does not protect

    It is worth saying plainly, because the two get confused constantly: a mark laid over a page can be removed the same way it was added, and the text underneath stays selectable and copyable. What it is good for is telling a reader what they are holding — a draft, a copy, a sample, a file not meant for forwarding. What it cannot do is keep a document out of the wrong hands.

    Any language, because the text is drawn, not typed

    The standard PDF fonts only encode Latin letters: «Копия», «副本» and «प्रति» break the file outright. Embedding a font that covers eleven writing systems would cost megabytes on every page of this site. So the word is drawn on a canvas — the same way the browser draws it on screen — and placed as a picture. Every alphabet works, and nothing extra is downloaded.

    Tilted grids and rotated pages

    Two things go wrong quietly here. A tilted mark laid out on a grid measured along the sides of the sheet leaves the corners bare — exactly where a signature or a stamp usually sits — so the grid is measured along the mark itself and covers the page diagonally. And a scan almost always carries a rotation flag: a mark placed without accounting for it lands sideways or off the sheet. Both are calculated by the same code that places our signature and stamp tools, and checked against all four rotations.

    Frequently asked questions

    Is my document uploaded?

    No. The PDF is read and rebuilt in your browser, which is why a contract or an invoice can go through it.

    Does the mark go on every page?

    Yes, on all of them. The preview shows the first page, and every other page gets the same treatment, each with its own size and rotation taken into account.

    Can I use my company logo instead of a word?

    Yes. A PNG with a transparent background works best — a logo on a white rectangle lands on the page with that rectangle.

    Will the watermark stop someone copying the text?

    No. The text under the mark is untouched and can still be selected, copied and searched. A watermark is a label, not a lock.

    Can it be removed afterwards?

    By someone with the right tools, yes — a picture placed on a page can be taken off a page. Keep the original file if you may need a clean copy later.

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