Text vs. Image Watermarks
Text watermarks (e.g., DRAFT, CONFIDENTIAL, SAMPLE) are generated on the fly from a string and font settings — no image file needed. Image watermarks let you use a company logo or a complex stamp with specific branding. Both are overlaid on each page as a transparent layer.
Opacity and Legibility
The watermark should be visible enough to communicate its message but transparent enough not to obscure the document content. Common opacity settings:
- 20–30% — subtle, content fully readable
- 40–50% — clearly visible, content still legible
- 60%+ — prominent, used for samples or rejected documents
Diagonal Rotation
Rotating the watermark text 45° counter-clockwise (the standard "DRAFT" angle) makes it impossible to miss while covering less of any single content element than a horizontal stamp would. Most tools offer a rotation input in degrees.
Positioning
- Center — maximum visibility, good for DRAFT and SAMPLE
- Bottom-right corner — unobtrusive logo watermark for branding
- Tiled — repeating pattern across the page, harder to crop out
Permanent vs. Removable Watermarks
A watermark added as a PDF content stream (not an annotation) is permanent and cannot be removed without a PDF editor. Annotation-based watermarks can be stripped by anyone with a PDF viewer that exposes annotation controls. For security-sensitive documents, always use content-stream watermarks.
Watermark a PDF Now
Open ToolsVito's Watermark PDF, type your watermark text or upload a logo, set opacity and rotation, and download — no upload required.