How to Add a Watermark to a PDF Online

Why add a PDF watermark?

A watermark makes the status or intended use of a document clear. Common watermark text includes CONFIDENTIAL, DRAFT, SAMPLE, APPROVED, or INTERNAL USE ONLY.

Watermarks are useful for contracts, reports, proposals, training material, and review copies.

Choosing good watermark settings

A watermark should be visible without making the document hard to read. Use medium opacity for most documents and stronger opacity only when the document must be clearly marked.

• Use short text for better readability.
• Use diagonal placement for general document status.
• Use horizontal placement when you need a subtle label.
• Preview before downloading to confirm the text is readable.

Private watermarking in the browser

FreePDFLab adds the watermark locally in your browser. Your PDF does not need to be uploaded to a processing server, and you can preview the watermarked PDF before downloading it.