How-To2026-03-213 min read
How to Add a Watermark to PDF — Protect Your Documents
Why Add Watermarks to PDFs?
Watermarks protect your documents and communicate their status:
CONFIDENTIAL — mark sensitive documents
DRAFT — indicate work in progress
Your brand name — protect intellectual property
COPY — distinguish copies from originals
Add Watermarks with PDFEdits
Go to Add Watermark
Upload your PDF
Type your watermark text
Adjust opacity (15% is subtle, 50% is prominent)
Click "Process & Download"
Watermark Best Practices
Keep it readable but not distracting — 10-20% opacity works well
Use short text — "CONFIDENTIAL" works better than a full sentence
Apply to all pages — PDFEdits automatically watermarks every page
Use uppercase — watermarks are more visible in caps
Common Watermark Text
| Purpose | Suggested Text |
|---|---|
| Confidentiality | CONFIDENTIAL |
| Draft status | DRAFT |
| Branding | Your Company Name |
| Copy control | DO NOT COPY |
| Sample documents | SAMPLE |
| Review process | FOR REVIEW ONLY |
Related Tools
Add Stamps — predefined stamp overlays (APPROVED, VOID, etc.)
Protect PDF — password-protect your documents
Add Page Numbers — number your pages