How to Add Watermarks to Your PDF: Overview and Step-By-Step Guide (With Screenshots)
Wondering how to add watermarks to your PDF? In this step-by-step guide, we'll show you everything you need to know about editing PDFs with watermarks.
Need to add a logo or a watermark to your PDF to make it more confidential or professional?
Watermarks are important in any type of work document.
They’re a seal used to show the identity of the individual who created the document. Adding watermarks to PDFs protects the documents and makes them confidential.
Watermarks can be added to PDF through various means and you are about to find out how below.
Here’s what we’ll cover below:
Watermarking a PDF: An Overview
How to Add a Confidential Watermark to Your PDF
How to Add Watermarks to Multiple PDFs
How to Add a Watermark to Your PDF: An Overview
There are a couple of tools you can rely on to confidently watermark your PDF document.
You can choose to add the watermark directly on the PDF file or alternatively, create a separate file with the watermark and then turn it into a PDF document. Whichever method you choose, we’ll cover the step-by-step and a few different ways of achieving this below with examples.
Quick steps to Watermark your PDF document with Adobe Acrobat
Want to watermark your PDF document with Adobe but don’t know where to begin?
Well, you’ve come to the right place! However, it is important to state that Adobe Acrobat is not very efficient in protecting digital copies of documents but they are very significant in protecting print copies of a document.
On the bright side, adding a watermark to your PDF document is a smooth and easy process.
If you have Adobe Reader, you can make use of its in-built feature to watermark a PDF document you want to edit.
Here’s how:
· First step: Select the document section and click on ‘watermark’
· Second step: Go to ‘add’ and click it.
If you need to add a text-based watermark, just click on ‘text’and type in the text you want to add to the PDF document.
The next thing to do is to adjust the font and other settings of the watermark that needs to be corrected. We recommend doing this until your watermark looks right and appealing to you.
However, if you wish to make use of an image as a watermark, you can do this by clicking ‘file’ and then ‘browse’. Then, you can select the image that suits you the most and use it as a watermark.
Watermarks are a secure way of keeping your information protected.
It ensures that these documents are not unnecessarily exposed. One good thing about the use of watermarks is that it is transparent enough to allow anybody to see the text or images you use.
At the same time, you can also update your watermark.
Perhaps, you want a change and are no longer comfortable with the old watermark, you can rightly do this by clicking on ‘update’ in the ‘watermark’ menu and then choosing a new one.
How to watermark an original PDF file with Microsoft Word
A lot of times people complain of the difficulty they encounter in watermarking an original file. The good news is that you can watermark your original file even before converting it to PDF.
How?
You can make use of free watermark tools or photo editing tools to help you achieve this.
Are you working with Microsoft Word?
Here’s how to watermark an original file:
Go to design.
Click on ‘watermark’.
Select ‘custom watermark’ or make your choice from the desired watermark that appears.
If you make use of the ‘custom watermark’ option, click on picture or text.
Select the image or text that appeals to you the most.
Repeat the process until it appears on all selected pages.
After you have successfully carried out the process in Word, you can convert the file you have worked on to PDF. Simply go to ‘File’ and click on ‘Save As -> PDF’.
Congratulations!
You have converted your word document to PDF and yes, it is already watermarked.
Pro tip: You can also add text boxes to your PDF documents in addition to your watermarks. Check out our guide to make sure your PDFs are as detailed as they can be.
Out-of-the-box PDF generation
The easiest way to automatically generate and manage paperless documents at scale.
By submitting this form, I confirm that I have read and understood Inkit's Privacy Policy.
Get Started Today
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
By submitting this form, I confirm that I have read and understood Inkit's Privacy Policy.
How to Add a Confidential Watermark to Your PDF
Want to make your PDF confidential?
Adobe Acrobat has a provision for a watermark tool to enable you to mark your PDF document as confidential by making use of the watermark stamps that will display anytime the document is printed or viewed.
It is important to emphasize that watermarks are unique to each document type. One benefit associated with watermarking is that as soon as you add the watermark to the document, it is reflected anytime that you view the document.
The essence of a confidential watermark is that it reminds the users to handle the document very carefully as it contains important information.
Now, here’s how to make your PDF confidential with a watermark:
Go to PDF on Adobe Acrobat Pro DC.
Click on ‘Tools’.
3. Select ‘edit PDF’.
Click the arrow located close to the watermark to select ‘add’. At this stage, the watermark dialogue box will be displayed.
At the top of the dialogue box, click on ‘text’ and click inside the text field to type ‘confidential’.
Make use of the ‘fonts’ and ‘size’ fields to adjust the settings. This also includes paying attention to the style.
Go to the ‘appearance section’ and make use of radio buttons. This will display how the text lettering will appear on the pages.
Adjust the ‘opacity’ to enable access to the PDF document.
Go to the appearance option and choose when the confidential stamp should be made visible and how it should be displayed on the pages of the PDF.
Click on ‘page range’ to select the pages that should contain the confidential stamp.
Click on the ‘save settings’ to save the watermark for future purposes and references.
Make use of ‘preview’ on the right to ensure that the text stamp is displayed according to your desires.
Click on ‘ok’.
Note: If you notice you made a mistake while using the watermark, you only need to click on ‘remove’ on the watermark option to get rid of the mark.
Need more info on watermarks?
Check out our guide to digital watermarking examples for more info on the types of watermarks out there and how to add each kind.
How to Add Watermarks to Multiple PDFs
You can easily add watermarks to multiple PDFs without breaking a sweat.
You can send your watermarked PDF documents to several people and still get the results you desire.
Here’s how to add watermarks to multiple PDFs:
Make use of the initial steps that were explained in the section titled ‘Confidential watermark’.
Click on the ‘Apply to multiple files’.
Click on ‘add files’ in the watermark dialog box and select either ‘add files’ or ‘add open files’. You should note that both options are available. So, you only need to make a pick.
If the option you selected is ‘add files’, you can click on the ‘open’ button in the add files dialog box. An interesting tip for PC users is that they can hold the Ctrl key to select multiple files at the same time.
If you selected the ‘add open files’, you will select files from the open PDF files dialog box.
Click on ‘OK’ in the watermark dialog box.
Select ‘overwrite existing files’ in the output options dialog box and put the watermarks on the files that you have selected.
To sum up, watermarks are transparent logos that are used to show the identity of an individual who created the PDF.
The importance of watermarks cannot be overemphasized as they protect information contained in documents and keep it safe.
Confidential watermarks as the name implies are very useful in concealing information that you do not want to be seen or printed by others.
Of course, change is constant and your choice of the watermark may vary with time.
To this effect, you can replace or update your watermark anytime that suits you.
There are easy tips you can make use of to add a watermark to your PDF file using Adobe Acrobat.
The pictorial representation contained in this article is a perfect way for you to get started and get a mastery of it. Now, you can add watermarks to your PDFs without any form of discomfort!
Looking for more ways to organize and manage your PDF files?
