Add a CONFIDENTIAL watermark to a PDF before sending it out
2026-09-22
Proposals leak to competitors and quotes get used as leverage with other vendors more often than anyone admits. A watermark does not make a document un-copyable, but it marks where a copy came from and makes casual misuse awkward.
Use the tool
What to write
- CONFIDENTIAL — the default
- Prepared for <client name> — traces which copy leaked
- Do not copy or distribute
- DRAFT / SAMPLE — for design drafts and specimens
Settings that look professional
In Add watermark, set opacity to 20–30 % so the body text stays readable, angle 30–45° diagonal, and size around 12–15 % of page width. Turn on Repeat across the page if you want to defeat cropping a screenshot down to a clean region.
The part a watermark does not cover
PDF document properties often still hold the author's name, the software used and the original file path. Before sending, open Edit PDF metadata to see exactly what is there and clear it. Staff names and internal folder structures should not travel with the file.
One caution
Watermarks are drawn into the page and cannot be undone. Keep an unmarked original. Text in the document stays selectable and searchable after watermarking.