In the digital era, as business transactions increase, adding watermarks to PDFs is now crucial for branding, security and copyright safeguarding. This proliferation of technology also means there are several techniques individuals can use to watermark sensitive documents.
Read on as we explore the significance of watermarks, the top methods to add them to PDFs and tips for making changes to watermarked documents.
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What Is a Watermark?
A watermark is a recognizable design or text that’s embedded into a digital image, document or PDF file to indicate its authenticity, source or ownership. This overlaid component is generally semi-transparent, so the document or PDF content remains visible. Watermarking is a powerful tool for businesses and individuals to discourage plagiarism and copyright infringement, enhance credibility and trust and act as a protective measure.
Why Add a Watermark to a PDF?
Here are three key reasons why a company or individual might add a watermark to a PDF online:
- Confidentiality: To make it clear that information is sensitive and discourage sharing with unauthorized personnel, organizations often use a classified or confidential watermark.
- Authentication: In specific instances, a watermark image can be used to establish the legitimacy of a PDF document. Individuals, companies or even government entities might include logos or other marks to demonstrate their approval or authenticity to document recipients.
- Branding: Many organizations integrate their custom business logo or business name into their electronic documents to add visual appeal and function as a marketing tool for the company.
The Importance of Watermarking Today
Emerging trends, such as the adoption of hybrid and remote work, cloud migration and the increasing prevalence of online data, are greatly influencing data security. The 2022 Data Risk Report from Concentric reveals that there was a staggering 60% increase in the number of vital business documents being overshared compared to 2021. Given the growing concerns about safeguarding sensitive information, watermarking is a progressively utilized strategy for protecting electronic documents.
4 Ways To Add a Watermark to a PDF File
Statistics from Zippia reveal that online business constitutes 29.7% in the U.S. and 18% globally, underscoring the rising awareness, among both organizations and individuals, of watermarks’ significance in preserving content integrity and protecting intellectual property. With this in mind, discover four different ways you can add a text watermark or image watermark to a PDF page when needed:
1. Use PDF Reader From Kdan Mobile
Kdan Mobile’s PDF Reader is a comprehensive tool for PDF editing that can help you considerably simplify the process of watermarking. Here are the simple steps to add a watermark using our PDF editor:
- Open a PDF document and click “Security” from the main menu bar on top of the screen. Then, click “Watermark” on the toolbar.
- Next, choose “Add Watermark” from the menu.
- PDF Reader provides 2 types of watermarks for you to choose from: text and image watermarks.
For a Text Watermark
- Click “Text” to start text watermark mode and enter content in the text box.
2. You can change the watermark text color, opacity, position, and page range options (i.e., where the watermark will be added).
3. After setting this up, click “Done”, and a new copy with a watermark will be created.
For an Image Watermark
- Click “File” to start image watermark mode and choose an image file to add as your watermark.
- Then, adjust the opacity, position, and page range.
- Click “Done” to add an image watermark to the PDF.
2. Insert an Image as a Watermark
To add an image watermark to a PDF, you can:
- Open your PDF file using compatible software (e.g., Adobe Acrobat).
- Navigate to the “Watermark” or “Background” options within the software/platform.
- Select “Image” as your watermark type and upload your desired image file.
- Adjust the image’s size, position, and opacity to your preferences.
- Once this meets your requirements, save the PDF with the added image watermark.
Keep in mind that the best placement for image watermarks within a document may depend on the content and purpose of the PDF itself. Some of the most common placements for image watermarks in PDF files include in the corner, centered, or diagonally. However, you can always choose a custom placement that fits your document’s layout and modify the opacity to your preferences.
3. Leverage Online PDF Tools
In the era of digital technology, there are plenty of PDF tools online that offer a hassle-free approach to watermarking. You can typically visit your trusted online PDF tool and use the following steps to add watermarks as needed:
- Upload your PDF document to the online tool’s platform.
- Look for the watermarking option with the solution’s features.
- After selecting the watermarking option (i.e., text or image), follow the platform’s provided instructions.
- Now you can customize the watermark’s settings, including text, image, position, or transparency.
- Finally, the online tool will process your PDF with the added watermark, and you can download the file directly to your device or cloud storage for use.
4. Create a Custom Watermark Stamp
You can also create a custom watermark stamp to make the process of watermarking documents simple moving forward. To do this:
- Open your PDF document and navigate to your tools menu.
- Look for a stamp or custom stamp option.
- Now, create a custom watermark for your PDF, carefully choosing the content, font style, size, and color you’ll want to continuously use.
- After configuring the watermark to your preferences, save it as a custom stamp for future use.
- To apply the custom watermark, simply select it from your saved stamps and place it on your PDF documents.
Tips For Removing or Editing a Watermark
Because a watermarked PDF file is intended to be secure, it can be difficult to amend it later on. However, it’s far from impossible. Here are a few of the best practices for removing or editing a watermark successfully:
- Check for a watermark layer: Before trying to remove or edit a watermark, check and see if the image or text was applied as a separate layer that can be toggled on and off. If it’s an easily removable layer, then the process might be much simpler than you anticipated.
- Recreate the document: If it’s impossible to remove the watermark and you need to work off of an unmarked version, you can recreate the document from scratch by copying the text and content into a new file.
- Request the original file: Depending on the circumstance, it’s helpful to reach out to the document’s creator or source to obtain an original watermark-free version. This is generally the most straightforward way to ensure a clean document.
- Use an online watermark removal tool: If you’re working with documents online and need a reliable tool for removing or editing watermarks, you can always opt for a comprehensive PDF editing platform to support and streamline the process.
Simplify Your Watermark Adding Process With PDF Reader
At the end of the day, a watermarked PDF is essential in the digital age for preserving content integrity and protecting intellectual property managers. And while there are several methods for adding watermarks to documents online, they’re not all created equal in terms of speed and simplicity.
If you or your organization has been looking for an efficient and user-friendly watermark tool, the PDF Reader from Kdan Mobile emerges as a standout solution. With PDF Reader and a subscription to Document 365, you can streamline the process of adding watermark images or text. This comprehensive platform helps you:
- Enhance the document management experience.
- Support digital workflows.
- Foster collaboration efforts.
- Elevate security standards.
With its user-friendly interface and advanced features, PDF Reader enables the quick and seamless integration of watermarks across multiple PDF files on demand.
Ready to get started? Learn more about the PDF Reader from Kdan Mobile or contact us to discover how our solutions can support your unique business needs.