Watermark a PDF
Stamp DRAFT, CONFIDENTIAL or your own text across every page.
- Runs on your device — the file is never sent anywhere
- No sign-up, no watermarks, no daily quotas
- Free, with no limit on how often you use it
How it works
Marking a document DRAFT or CONFIDENTIAL is a small job with an awkward requirement: the documents that most need the mark are exactly the ones you should not be uploading to an unknown service to get it. This applies the mark to every page inside your browser, and the file never goes anywhere.
Real text, not a picture
The watermark is drawn as genuine PDF text in Helvetica Bold, one of the fonts every PDF reader is required to have. Nothing is rasterised, so the page stays sharp at any zoom, the original text stays selectable and searchable, and the file barely grows.
Every page, sized to each page
The mark is applied to all pages and sized relative to each page's own width, so a document mixing portrait and landscape pages comes out looking consistent rather than having one page's mark spill over the edge.
Choosing a placement
Angled across the middle is the standard for drafts and proofs. Tiled is the harder-to-remove option for documents you expect to be copied. Corners suit a quiet ownership line on something otherwise finished. Centred suits a single blunt word.
Be clear about what this protects
A watermark tells a reader the status and origin of a document. It does not stop anyone doing anything: the watermark text sits in the file as a separate drawing and someone with the right tools can strip it out. Treat it as a label, not a lock.
Watermark a PDF — questions
Does the watermark appear on every page?
Yes. The preview shows page one, and the same mark is applied to every page in the document.
Will the document still be searchable?
Yes. The watermark is added as extra text and the original content is untouched, so text stays selectable and searchable.
Does the file get much bigger?
Barely. The watermark is a line of text per page using a standard font, which adds very little.
Is my document uploaded?
No. It is read and rewritten in your browser by pdf-lib. Nothing is transmitted to us or anyone else.