Sejda PDF

Watermark PDF

Stamp text or a logo across every page.

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Supported: PDF

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About Watermark PDF

Add DRAFT, CONFIDENTIAL or your own branding at any angle, size and transparency. Place it behind the content so the text stays readable, or on top so it cannot be missed.

  • Text or image watermarks
  • Behind or in front of content
  • Apply to selected page ranges

How to watermark pdf

  1. 1

    Upload the document

    Any number of pages.

  2. 2

    Design the mark

    Text or image, rotation, opacity, position.

  3. 3

    Apply

    The watermark is written into every selected page.

A practical guide to watermark pdf

Choosing text or an image

A text watermark is best for status and warnings, DRAFT, CONFIDENTIAL, SAMPLE, DO NOT COPY, because you can set the wording, angle, size, color and transparency in seconds and it stays razor sharp at any zoom. An image watermark suits branding: a company logo or a faint seal placed across the page. For an image, a PNG with a transparent background sits cleanly over the content, while a JPG carries a solid rectangle that can look boxy. Pick the type by intent first, then dial in opacity so the mark is visible without fighting the words underneath.

Placement that protects without ruining readability

The strongest deterrent is a semi-transparent mark angled across the center of the page, ideally tiled so there is no blank corner to crop into. The most readable option is a low-opacity mark behind the text, which labels the document while leaving every line legible. Match the choice to the job: internal review copies want readability, while previews you send to outsiders want protection. Test on a page dense with text and on a page full of images, since a mark that reads well over paragraphs can vanish against a dark photo, and adjust the color or opacity accordingly.

Making a watermark stick

Once applied, a watermark is written into the page content, which is exactly what you want for a mark meant to travel with the file. To make it genuinely hard to strip, put it in front of the content, tile it, and then flatten the document so it is not sitting as a removable layer. Remember it is a deterrent, not encryption: it discourages casual reuse and marks provenance, but it does not stop someone determined. When the goal is truly locking a file down, pair the watermark with password protection and permission restrictions rather than relying on the stamp alone.

Frequently asked questions

Should the watermark sit behind or in front of the text?
Behind keeps the document fully readable and is right for a subtle DRAFT or a faint brand mark. In front is harder to ignore or crop out, which suits a strong CONFIDENTIAL stamp or a sample you do not want reused. Lowering the opacity of a front watermark is a good middle ground.
Can I tile the watermark so it repeats across the whole page?
Yes. Instead of a single centered mark you can repeat it in a diagonal pattern that covers the page, which makes a document much harder to reuse cleanly because there is no clear area to crop or paint over.
Will a big watermark bloat the file size?
A text watermark adds almost nothing. An image watermark is embedded once and reused on every page, so even a large document grows only slightly. Keep a logo modestly sized and use PNG for the smallest, cleanest result.
Can I use different watermarks on different pages?
Apply one watermark to a chosen page range, then run the tool again with a different mark and range for another set of pages. That lets you stamp, say, a cover differently from the body, or watermark only the pages you plan to share.

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