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29 December 2020  Amanda J. Brook  Senior Product Manager
Last update by Emma Johnson at 1 February 2021

Summary
If you want to know how to add watermark to PDF files, this article is very suitable for you because this article will provide a variety of ways to add watermark to PDF files. With the popularity of the PDF format, we often use this format in our daily work. When trademark is used as watermark, it is the brand indentification. In order to facilitate you to quickly complete the operation of adding watermark to PDF files, we will recommend several useful tools and online services. Let's learn about them as follows!



Part 1: Why We Add Watermark to PDF?

The PDF files with watermark can prevent them from being copied. People cannot modify or remove any page of these PDF files, apart from viewing. Besides, watermark is a way of advertisement. You can use the company logo and the contacts as watermark and then add them to the PDF file.
how to add watermark to pdf
It is very common to add watermark to images. But do you know how to add watermark to PDF? Here are some methods for you.

Part 2: How to Add Watermark to PDF?

You can use the specific tools and online services to add watermark to PDF. Here are some methods.

1. Add Watermark to PDF with Renee PDF Aide

Renee PDF Aide - Powerful PDF Converting/Editing Tool (100 FREE Quota)

Convert to Editable Word/Excel/PPT/Text/Image/Html/Epub

Multifunctional Encrypt/decrypt/split/merge/add watermark

OCR Support Extract Text from Scanned PDFs, Images & Embedded Fonts

Quick Convert dozens of PDF files in batch

Compatible Support Windows 11/10/8/8.1/Vista/7/XP/2K

Convert to Editable Word/Excel/PPT/Text/Image/Html/Epub

OCR Support Extract Text from Scanned PDFs, Images & Embedded

Support Windows 11/10/8/8.1/Vista/7/XP/2K

Free TrialFree TrialNow 800 people have obtained the free version!
Renee PDF Aide is the software that supports to edit PDF and convert PDF. With utilization of the advanced OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology, it can convert PDF to Word/Excel/PowerPoint/Image/HTML/TXT and the other common formats. You can designate the specific pages to be converted at the speed of 80 pages/min. Besides, it can repair the damaged PDF files, compress PDF files to shorten the loading time, merge several files into one and rotate the file position. En/decryption and watermark are allowed to add for PDF files, too.
What’s more, Renee PDF Aide supports English/French/German/Spanish/Portuguese/Chinese/Korean/Japanese. Under the mode of OCR, it can greatly improve the accuracy of character recognition. Even though you are a new user, you can use this software easily.
How to add watermark to PDF with Renee PDF Aide:
Step 1: Download and install Renee PDF Aide.
press to the download button
Step 2: Open the software and select [PDF Tools].
select pdf tools in renee pdf converter
Step 3: Select [Watermark].
select watermark in renee pdf aide
Step 4: Click on [Add Files] to select the PDF file.
how to add watermark to pdf with renee pdf aide
Step 5: Next, select [Add watermark (Overlay)] or [Add background]. Besides, preview and configure the watermark position.
Note: the watermark file can be image and PDF.
select to add watermark or background in renee pdf aide
Step 6: Select the output folder in [Custom Settings]. And finally click on [Convert] to add watermark to PDF.
customize the storage folder to add watermarj with renee pdf aide

2. Add Watermark to PDF with Adobe

Adobe is the professional software that supports to convert PDF to the other formats, modify the PDF files. For example, you can add watermark to PDF.
Steps:
Step 1: Download and install Adobe (link: https://acrobat.adobe.com/free-trial-download.html/). Run the software and select the PDF file.
how to open pdf files with adobe acrobat
Step 2: Click on [Edit PDF] at the right pane. Then, select [Watermark] at the top menu. Add the text or image watermark and adjust the position.

add watermark with adobe acrobat
Step 3: Finally, save the PDF file.

3. Add Watermark to PDF with CleverPDF.com

CleverPDF.com is the website where you can convert and edit PDF files. You can add watermark to PDF on the web.
Steps:
Step 1: Get into CleverPDF.com (link: https://www.cleverpdf.com/add-watermark-pdf).
Step 2: Click on [Choose file] to upload the PDF file. Then, select [Text Watermark] and [Image Watermark].
upload pdf file to cleverpdf
Step 3: Click on [Start conversion] to add the text watermark to PDF and finally download the file.
add watermarkk on cleverpdf

Part 3: Conclusions

In this article, we’ve known about how to add watermark to PDF with three methods. Here are the comparisons.
● Function:
The three methods introduced in the article are all very simple. As for the online converter, it needs to have a stable network and it takes a long time to upload files in the case of a bad network environment, and the functions are relatively simple. Adobe is special PDF editing software that can create PDF. It is also very convenient to use this software to add watermarks to PDF files, merge PDF files, and add notes and signatures. In addition, it can optimize and repair PDF files. However, Renee PDF Aide also has the PDF format conversion function. After converting the PDF format to other editable formats, you can copy or edit the content in the PDF file. The software interface is simple and intuitive, and the operation is convenient and fast, which is very suitable for users.
● Cost:
Adobe software is more expensive. The basic version of Adobe Acrobat DC 2017 is US$239 per year, and the advanced version is US$359 per year. By contrast, Renee PDF Aide is cost-effective. The lifetime professional version only costs US$59.95, and the one-year version is US$39.95, and the free trial version is provided. CleverPDF.com is free to use, but the watermark content has certain restrictions. The text watermark cannot exceed 120 characters, and the image watermark only supports JPG and PNG up to 500KB.
● Security:
You can use the website to add watermark to PDF. If it is a confidential file, it is not safe to upload the files to the online server. Therefore, we recommend you use the software to edit PDF files. Both of Renee PDF Aide and Adobe are acceptable at this aspect.
Through these three methods, you can add watermark to PDF files very quickly. You can refer to the above introduction and choose one according to your own usage habits.