How to watermark a PDF with your name

Marking a document with who it went to, or what it is for, is a simple way to discourage it travelling further than intended.

Watermark a PDF
Whichever tool you use here, the file stays on your device. How that works

Step by step

  1. 1Decide what the mark should say. A name, a date, or a purpose is more useful than the word CONFIDENTIAL.
  2. 2Add the PDF and set your text across every page.
  3. 3Keep it light enough to read through and heavy enough to notice.
  4. 4Save a separate marked copy and keep your clean original.

A specific mark does more than a generic one

CONFIDENTIAL tells a reader nothing they did not assume. A mark that reads with a name and a date tells anyone holding a copy exactly where it came from, which is what actually changes behaviour.

If you send the same document to several people, mark each copy differently. A leaked document then identifies its own source, which is the entire reason organisations do this.

Always keep an unmarked original. Watermarking writes a new file, so your clean copy survives, but it is worth being deliberate about which one you file and which one you send.

Questions

Can a watermark be removed?

By someone determined, yes. It is a deterrent and a trace, not a lock.

Will it cover the text?

Set the opacity so the page stays readable. Most people go too dark on the first attempt.

Is the document uploaded?

No.