---
title: "Watermark PDF — Stamp Text Across Pages | Compress Pro"
description: "Add a diagonal text watermark to every PDF page right in your browser — CONFIDENTIAL, DRAFT or your own text. Nothing is uploaded anywhere. Free."
canonical: https://compress-pro.com/watermark-pdf
---

# Watermark PDF files.

> Your stamp on every page — added right in your browser.

Stamp a diagonal text watermark across every page of a PDF — **CONFIDENTIAL, DRAFT, a client name, anything you type — added entirely in your browser**. The stamp is semi-transparent, sized to the page, and becomes part of the document.

**No uploads · No ads · Free & open source.**

## How it works

1. Drop files anywhere on the page, click to browse, or paste with Ctrl/⌘ + V.
2. Pick a quality or preset — or set an exact target size and let the tool find it.
3. Compress, compare before/after, and download — individually or as a ZIP.

## What a watermark is (and is not)

A watermark labels the document visibly — every reader sees it, every print carries it. It is a deterrent and a statement of status, not security: determined editing can remove it, and it does not encrypt anything. When the content itself must be locked, [Protect PDF](https://compress-pro.com/protect-pdf) adds real AES-256 encryption; the two combine well — watermark first, then protect.

## Stamps that do their job

The stamps that work are short, specific and in caps — a whole sentence shrinks to fit the diagonal and loses its punch. A few that have earned their place:

| Stamp | When it earns its place |
| --- | --- |
| DRAFT | Work in progress — invites comments, forestalls sign-off |
| CONFIDENTIAL | Marks restricted material before it circulates |
| A client or recipient name | Each copy traceable to its receiver — leaks lose their anonymity |
| SAMPLE — DO NOT COPY | Portfolios, proofs and previews sent ahead of payment |

## Frequently asked questions

### Can the watermark be removed later?

Not by this site, and not trivially — it is drawn into each page’s content. But a watermark is a visible label, not DRM; treat it as a deterrent, not protection.

### Where and how large is the stamp?

Diagonally across the middle of every page, semi-transparent gray, automatically sized to the page — long texts shrink to fit, short ones stay bold.

### Does it work on scanned PDFs?

Yes — the stamp is drawn over whatever the page contains, scans included. The pages themselves are not re-encoded.

### Is it private?

Yes. The document never leaves your browser — nothing is uploaded, and the server only delivers this page. That makes it safe for contracts, invoices, medical records — anything you would not email to a stranger. Want proof? Run one file through, switch your connection off, and run another — it still works.

## Related tools

- [Add page numbers to PDFs](https://compress-pro.com/pdf-page-numbers)
- [Password-protect PDF files](https://compress-pro.com/protect-pdf)
- [Compress PDFs](https://compress-pro.com/compress-pdf)

---

Part of [Compress Pro](https://compress-pro.com/) — every tool page has a markdown twin at `<page url>.md`. Full tool index: [llms.txt](https://compress-pro.com/llms.txt)