PDF Watermark Adder

What a PDF watermark is

A watermark is text or an image placed over a PDF page. It is usually made partly transparent so the document can still be read underneath it. Common examples include “CONFIDENTIAL” on private reports, “DRAFT” on work in progress, a student or business name on a document, or a logo on a shared brochure.

This tool adds the watermark directly to the PDF page instead of turning the complete page into a screenshot. Text is drawn as PDF text and an image is embedded as a PDF image. The existing page content is kept in the document, and only the pages you select receive the watermark.

Upload and check your PDF

Click the upload area to choose a PDF, or drag a PDF into the drop zone on a desktop. The page accepts PDF files only. After selection, the browser reads the file locally, stores a copy of its bytes for the final PDF operation, and opens it with PDF.js so the page count and preview can be prepared.

A loading bar shows stages such as reading the file, parsing the PDF, loading pages, and rendering the preview. If the file is damaged or cannot be opened, the tool shows an error instead of applying a partial watermark. The original PDF is not replaced during this step.

Preview the document before applying changes

After the PDF loads, the page displays a preview card for each page prepared for preview. The page number appears on each card, so you can identify the cover, signature page, blank page, or section that needs a watermark. The preview is useful for checking placement and readability before you create the final PDF.

Preview rendering uses a smaller scale to reduce memory use. On desktop-sized screens it previews up to 200 pages, and on mobile devices it previews up to 50 pages. If the document is larger, a message explains that the preview is limited. The final watermark operation still checks the complete PDF and can apply the watermark to pages outside the visible preview.

Text watermark: write your own message

Text watermark mode is selected by default. Enter any short message in the Watermark Text field. The default text is “MYPDF GURU”, but you can replace it with a name, status, warning, department, website, or any other text that is suitable for your document. The tool checks that text is present before it starts applying the watermark.

Text is placed as real PDF text with a standard embedded font. That means the watermark is not just a painted screenshot. The original document is still kept as a PDF, and the watermark can remain sharp when the page is zoomed or printed.

Change font size, color, and style

Font Size accepts values from 10 to 200. A small value works for a corner label or a light ownership mark. A larger value is useful for a centered “DRAFT” or “CONFIDENTIAL” message. The font size is measured against the PDF page, so it remains consistent when the watermark is applied to pages of the document.

Use Text Color to choose the watermark color. You can then choose Helvetica, Times New Roman, or Courier New as the font family. The Font Style menu provides Normal, Bold, Italic, and Bold Italic. These choices are mapped to standard PDF fonts so the final document does not need a separate custom font upload.

Set text transparency with opacity

Text Opacity controls how strongly the text appears over the page. A lower value creates a lighter watermark that lets the document show through. A higher value makes the message easier to notice. The current percentage is shown next to the slider while you adjust it, and the preview updates after a short pause so repeated slider movements do not overload the browser.

For a normal document, a light watermark is often easier to read. For a draft or warning, you may choose more opacity. Check both dark and light parts of your page because a color that looks clear on one page may be difficult to see on another.

Image watermark: use a logo or picture

Switch to Image Watermark when you want to place a logo, stamp, seal, signature image, or another picture over the PDF. Click Select Image and choose an image from your device. The selected file name and a small image preview appear in the settings panel, so you can confirm that the correct asset is being used.

The browser reads the image once and keeps its data available for the preview and final PDF. PNG and JPEG images can be embedded directly. WebP and SVG images are loaded in the browser and converted to PNG before they are embedded, which allows those formats to work with the PDF output engine. For the most predictable result, use a clear PNG or JPEG logo with a suitable background.

Control image width and image opacity

Image Width controls the watermark width as a percentage of the PDF page width. The available value is 5% to 100%, and the default is 30%. A small percentage is useful for a corner logo. A larger percentage works for a centered brand mark or a full-page stamp, but it can cover more of the original text.

Image Opacity controls how strongly the logo or picture is shown. At lower opacity, the page remains easier to read underneath. At higher opacity, the image is more visible. The tool keeps the image’s natural aspect ratio, so changing its width does not stretch the logo vertically.

Choose a ready-made position

The Position menu provides Center, Top Left, Top Right, Bottom Left, Bottom Right, Top Center, and Bottom Center. The tool measures the watermark before drawing it and adjusts the anchor point so the watermark stays inside the page with a small edge margin. This is more reliable than using the same fixed pixel coordinates on every page size.

Use Center for a visible draft or review mark. Use a corner for a logo or ownership label that should not cover the main text. Top Center and Bottom Center are useful for headers, footers, or document status marks.

Place the watermark with custom X and Y values

Select Custom when the preset positions are not enough. The X Position and Y Position fields use percentages from 0 to 100. An X value of 50 places the watermark around the horizontal center, while an X value near 0 moves it toward the left and a value near 100 moves it toward the right. Y values work from the top of the page in the preview.

The tool uses the same page-relative position for different page sizes. This makes a custom position more flexible than a fixed pixel location. The preview and final PDF also account for the watermark’s width and height when calculating the anchor point.

Rotate text or image from -180 to 180 degrees

Rotation accepts values from -180 to 180 degrees, with 45 degrees as the default. Use a positive or negative angle to create a diagonal stamp, turn a label slightly, or keep a logo horizontal. The preview rotates around the watermark’s center, and the final PDF uses the matching rotation direction so the downloaded file should look like the preview.

A rotated watermark can reach closer to an edge than an unrotated one. Check the corners in the preview, especially when using a large text size or an image width near 100%.

Turn live preview on or off

Show Preview is enabled by default. While it is on, changing the text, font, color, style, opacity, image width, position, or rotation redraws the preview. On desktop, small groups of pages can update in parallel. On mobile, updates are processed more gently to reduce GPU and memory pressure.

If you are working with a large document and only need to change settings quickly, turn the preview off while editing the controls. The final Apply Watermark operation still uses the selected values even when the live preview is disabled.

Apply the watermark to selected pages

Leave Page Range empty to watermark every page. To choose specific pages, enter page numbers and ranges separated by commas. For example, 1-3 applies the watermark to pages one through three, 5 applies it only to page five, and 1-3, 7, 10-12 combines ranges and individual pages.

The page accepts only valid page numbers between 1 and the document’s last page. It removes duplicates and sorts the final list. For example, 5, 2-3, 3 becomes pages 2, 3, and 5. Pages outside the final list remain unchanged. This is useful when you need a logo on the cover and final page, or a “DRAFT” mark only on selected sections.

The final PDF keeps the original pages

When you click Apply Watermark, the page loads the original PDF bytes with pdf-lib. It embeds the selected image once for reuse, or embeds the selected standard text font once before processing the pages. It then walks through every page and adds the watermark only when that page is in your selected range.

The tool draws text as vector PDF text and images as PDF image objects. It does not rasterize the entire document into page screenshots. The original page content stays in the PDF, while the new watermark is added as an extra layer on the selected pages.

Follow the progress while the PDF is built

During the final operation, the Apply Watermark button is disabled so the same job cannot start twice. The progress message shows the current page and says when a watermark is being added. A short pause is used after groups of pages to give the browser time to update the progress display, which is especially helpful on mobile devices.

When all pages have been handled, the PDF is saved in the browser and the progress reaches 100%. If an image cannot be read, the PDF is invalid, or the device runs out of memory, the tool shows an error and enables the button again so you can correct the input or use fewer pages.

Download a new watermarked PDF

The completed file is downloaded automatically with a name such as watermarked-1720000000000.pdf. The number is a timestamp used to make the file name different from earlier downloads. Your original PDF remains on your device, and the tool does not overwrite it.

Open the new file and check the pages that matter before sending it. Look at small text under the watermark, the exact rotation, image proportions, and whether the selected page range matches your plan. If needed, return to the original PDF, change the settings, and create another copy.

Private browser-based processing

The PDF and watermark image are read by the browser. PDF.js creates the preview, and pdf-lib creates the final PDF in the same browser session. This tool does not send the PDF to a MyPDF Guru server conversion endpoint. The browser may keep temporary data in memory while the page is open, and the downloaded watermarked file stays in your browser’s normal download location.

For sensitive documents, use an updated browser and a trusted device. A watermark can identify or discourage sharing, but it is not the same as encryption or access control. If the document needs a password, use the PDF Password Adder after adding the watermark.

Useful watermark examples

Use a light “CONFIDENTIAL” watermark on an internal report, “DRAFT” on a document that is still being reviewed, a company logo on a proposal, a student name on notes, or a “COPY” label on a reference version. A corner watermark is usually best when people must read the page. A centered diagonal mark is more visible when the main goal is to show document status.

Choose the message, position, opacity, and page range based on the reader’s needs. A watermark should communicate useful information without hiding important text, signatures, numbers, or diagrams.

Clear the page and start again

The Clear button removes the loaded PDF, preview canvases, stored PDF bytes, selected watermark image, image preview, and progress state from the page. A confirmation message appears first so an accidental click does not remove your current work. After clearing, the upload area returns and you can choose another PDF.