6 Useful Ways to Add Watermarks to PDF [Online & Offline Tools]

A watermark on a PDF can both provide clarity and prevent unauthorized use of your work, such as “SECRET FILE”, “CONFIDENTIAL”, or “DO NOT COPY”. Check out the following paragraphs to figure out several approaches to adding a watermark to a PDF.

Method 1: Add a Watermark to a PDF in SwifDoo PDF

SwifDoo PDF is an all-in-one PDF program for Windows. This is an easy-to-use PDF watermark creator that lets you add commonly used draft watermarks to your PDF documents, such as “No Copying”, “Confidential”, and “Office Use Only”. Furthermore, users can customize their watermarks in SwifDoo PDF.

Here’s how to watermark a PDF:

Step 1: Download and install SwifDoo PDF on your Windows device. Open the software and add a PDF to its workstation;

Step 2: Click Watermark in the Protect tab. Then specify the watermark. By default, the watermarks will be labeled on every page;

Step 3: Use a provided draft watermark and then put the watermark in the document. For better protection, SwifDoo PDF allows users to place the watermark tiled.

Tip 1: How to add a watermark to a PDF with text

Adding a text watermark to a PDF is easy in SwifDoo PDF. Navigate to Protect > Watermark > Custom Watermark. Enter the text within the input box. Change the font, size, color, rotation, and opacity as needed. If you need tiled watermarks, check the “Tile” box.

Tip 2：How to add an image watermark to a PDF

If your required watermark is an image file instead of text, click “File” to upload and insert the draft watermark into the PDF.

Moreover, this Windows-based watermark creator can change the location, appearance, and page range of the image watermarks. For instance, the rotation, opacity, and orientation can be customized.

Tip 3: How to update PDF watermarks

For users who need to re-watermark the PDF and replace the existing watermarks with new ones, the "Update Watermark" feature sounds like a viable option. Just as the image shows, click on "Update Watermark" and change the relevant settings to complete the operation. Seconds later, new watermarks are added to the current PDF.

In case you have saved the changes accidentally and need to remove watermarks from PDFs, please refer to this article.

Method 2: Watermark a PDF in Sejda PDF Desktop

Sejda PDF has incorporated more than 30 PDF capabilities to make itself an easy and productive PDF tool. Inserting watermarks into PDFs is one of the features we must mention. Similar to other PDF watermark creators, Sejda PDF enables users to put both text and image watermarks. Let’s take a look at how to add a watermark to a PDF for free:

Step 1: Download and install Sejda PDF Desktop;

Step 2: Launch the PDF editor and upload the PDF document;

Step 3: Choose Watermark in the Security tab;

Step 4: Select Add Text or Add Image to create a new watermark.

If you need to adjust the color, size, or appearance of the text watermark, change the settings in the boxes located on the right. Aside from its desktop version, Sejda PDF provides online PDF services. Users can conveniently access free online services to watermark a PDF without downloading or registering.

Method 3: Put a Watermark on a PDF in Foxit PDF

Foxit PDF is a robust and comprehensive PDF editing program with multiple features. It offers useful functions often favored by professional users. With an organized user interface similar to Microsoft Office, users may benefit from this design and easily find what they want.

This PDF editor enables users to view, convert, annotate, protect, and watermark a PDF. Check out how to insert watermarks into a PDF using Foxit PDF:

Step 1: Download and install Foxit PDF on your computer. Foxit PDF has three different versions, just choose the version that best fits your needs;

Step 2: Open the program and upload the PDF to its workplace;

Step 3: Select Organize and click Watermark;

Step 4: Enter text or use image files as the watermark.

The above three recommendations are for Windows users to add to a PDF. SwifDoo PDF provides several built-in draft PDF watermarks for your reference. Therefore, if you need to use existing PDF watermarks, SwifDoo PDF can be a good choice.

Method 4: How to Add Watermark to PDF in Pages

If you are curious about how to watermark a PDF on Mac, then Pages offers a free solution. This word processing and page layout application can help users add watermarks to PDF documents. Take a look at how to add a watermark to a PDF in Pages:

Step 1: Open a PDF document with Pages, then insert a text box by clicking Text at the top of the window;

Step 2: Move your cursor to draw a text box that fits the margin;

Step 3: Type the text within the box as a draft watermark, and use the formatting tools on the right side to change the text alignment, font, size, color, and opacity.

By doing so, you’ll watermark a single page of a PDF document, but if users need to add watermarks to every page, here’s what you have to know:

Step 1: Choose Section Masters in Arrange, and click Move Object to Section Master to add the watermark to other pages;

Step 2: Select Section Masters in the Arrange tab, then press Make Master Objects Selectable;

Step 3: Place your cursor on the watermark and move it anywhere on the pages.

The process of inserting a watermark into a PDF on Mac seems a little overwhelming, does it not? Don’t worry, you can resort to some dedicated PDF watermark creator on macOS. Additionally, a few easier methods are offered in the following paragraphs. 

Method 5: Add a Watermark to a PDF in LightPDF Online

Thanks to the ever-advancing technology, many developers have brought out Internet-based free PDF watermark creators to enhance productivity. Such products include LightPDF. LightPDF is a web-based PDF service provider, including PDF converting, editing, splitting, merging, and protecting. One of the reasons it is recommended is because there are no time or file size limits while using it.

When it comes to inserting watermarks into a PDF, LightPDF now allows users to type text or upload images as the draft watermark:

Step 1: Enter the URL in the search bar;

Step 2: Choose the file that requires watermarks;

Step 3: Select Watermark PDF in Other tools.

In the boxes on your right-hand side, you are capable of choosing the pattern of your draft watermark: text or image. If your watermark is in text, feel free to change the color, size, position, transparency, and placing layer. Aside from the online version, LightPDF equally has a desktop version, known as ApowerPDF.

Method 6: Watermark a PDF in PDF24 Tools for Free

Developed in 2006, PDF24’s functionality has served millions of people around the world. Though only a small team, PDF24 staff members are dedicated to helping resolve problems in the PDF sector. Here's how to watermark a PDF online in PDF24 Tools:

Step 1: Open the website and export your PDF document to the workstation from a local folder, Google Drive or Dropbox;

Step 2: Type the watermarked text in Text, and change the font, size, color, space, and position if you need;

Step 3: Click Add watermark to save the changes.

Compared to LightPDF, the ability to batch-add watermarks makes it a superior choice. However, PDF24 Tools doesn’t support adding an image watermark, but it can assist in comparing PDFs, extracting PDFs, and creating PDFs from the camera.

Conclusion

Generally, adding a watermark to a PDF isn’t a difficult task. Both online and desktop PDF watermark creators are reliable. However, think twice before you watermark a PDF, as it is hard to remove watermarks from a PDF without the help of professional desktop PDF programs.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: How can I add a watermark to a PDF in Adobe Acrobat?

A: If you have Adobe Acrobat on your computers and want to know how to watermark a PDF in it, here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Click Tools > Edit PDF > Watermark > Add. Optionally, you can directly search “watermark PDF” on the search bar;

Step 2: Then, apply the watermark to a PDF. By default, this watermark will be added to each PDF page. If you need to specify where needs the PDF watermark, choose Page Range Options;

Step 3: Next, change the appearance and position of the added watermarks when needed.

What’s best about Adobe Acrobat is that this program can watermark multiple PDF documents with the same settings. A tap on “Apply to Multiple Files” can batch-process this task quickly.

Q: How do I add a watermark to my Microsoft Office documents?