Watermark a PDF: Text Lines, Opacity and Tiling
A watermark has to survive three things: the screen, the printer and a black-and-white copy. The settings that look subtle in a preview are often the ones that vanish on paper.
Why this comes up
A watermark is applied to a copy, so a bad setting costs a re-run rather than a lost original. The expensive mistake is sending the wrong version because the mark was too faint or the text box split into several files.
Check before you run it
- One line is one document. The text box splits on line breaks and returns a separate watermarked copy for each line, zipped. Type DRAFT on one line and use the repeat setting to tile it, not multiple lines.
- Opacity and angle decide whether it reads as a mark. The default is 30% at 45 degrees, which is a starting point. On a dense page, lower the opacity or move the mark away from the body text.
- Check the mark in the colour the recipient will see. A pale mark can vanish on a mono printer; a strong one can obscure a signature. Look at the first and last selected page at print size.
When to reach for it
- Several recipients need individually marked copies. Put one name per line in the text box; the tool returns one watermarked PDF per line in a ZIP.
- An image mark must sit consistently across mixed sheet sizes. An image watermark is sized as a percentage of the page, so it keeps its proportion when the paper changes.
One question we get
Can I watermark only some pages?
Yes — set pages like 1-3 or even and the mark lands only there. Text or image, any colour, size, rotation and opacity, over or under the content.
Where it fits
The tools people usually open next to Watermark:
- Grayscale — Make a PDF text and images grayscale
- Header & Footer — Apply page numbers or text labels to PDF files.
- Bates Numbering — Bates stamp multiple files at once.
Every tool works on a copy, so the original file is never touched. Uploads are stored under an unguessable id and deleted automatically two hours after you last open them; nothing is listed, shared or indexed. More on the security page.