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How to watermark PDF: Add non-removable dynamic watermarks
Unlike Adobe PDF watermarks, which can be easily removed, Safeguard creates permanent dynamic watermarks that identify users.
Safeguard enables you to add a watermark to a PDF simply and securely.
Safeguard has multiple watermark options, enabling you to choose the watermarks you want to add:
How to add a non-removable watermark to a PDFHere’s how to add a watermark to a PDF and make it non-removable and dynamic:
Protecting PDF with watermarks
Select the “View Watermarks” tab and then check the “Add Text Watermark” option.
Adding a text watermark in Safeguard Secure PDF Writer
Type in the watermark text you want to use and customize it with dynamic variables by selecting the 
button. For example, you might want to add the text “This document is confidential and is only authorized to be viewed by %UserName% %Email%”. When a user views the document, their name and email address will appear where you have inserted the dynamic variables.
The “Position” and “Opacity” sliders are particularly important for customizing where you want the watermark to be displayed and how transparent it should appear. Pressing the 
button will allow you to adjust the precise position of the watermark on your page. You can also adjust the font type, color, size and other formatting options by pressing the 
button.
Below is an example of how the dynamic text watermark is displayed when a user views the protected PDF:
Confidential text watermark displayed in Safeguard Secure PDF Viewer
In the “View Watermarks” Image Watermark tab, check the ‘Add Image watermark’ box.
Adding a confidential image watermark in Safeguard Secure PDF Writer
Then browse for the image watermark you want to add. We recommend that you add a large background watermark so that it remains visible throughout the page, as in the example below.
Confidential watermark image
You can change the opacity slider to reduce transparency to make sure it remains unobtrusive.
Below is an example of how the image watermark is displayed when a user views the protected PDF:
Image watermark displayed in Safeguard Secure PDF Viewer
If you want to allow printing, you can add a different watermark (or the same one if you prefer) when a user prints the protected PDF document.
Customizing your print watermark independently of the digital one is generally a good idea, as it can enable you to distinguish between viewed and printed copies. You can of course apply print only watermarks if you prefer, so that a watermark is only displayed when the PDF document is printed.
Open the “Print Watermarks” tab and adjust its options.
Adding a print watermark in Safeguard Secure PDF Writer
Follow the same process as for viewing watermarks and adding text and/or an image to your PDF content.
Press the “Publish” at the bottom of the PDF Writer window.
Before doing so, you should ensure that any other copy protection controls you want to apply to your document are selected. By default, users cannot edit, copy or paste content, print, or take screenshots using screen capture tools.
On pressing “Publish”, the PDF file will be encrypted, and non-removable watermarks added.
How to add non-removable text watermarks, image watermarks, confidential watermarks, dynamic watermarks, and print only watermarks to PDFs.
Inserted automatically at view/print time – identify the user and deter content redistribution
Cannot be removed by password recovery programs or PDF editors
Display different watermarks for viewed and printed content
Add both static & dynamic text and static image watermarks to content
Display watermarks in any custom location or repeatedly on the page
Choose multiple fonts & styles, opacity, unlimited font & background colours
Create non-removable PDF watermarksIf you want to watermark PDF documents securely so that the watermarks CANNOT be easily removed, then use PDF document security software that uses digital rights management (DRM) controls to impose dynamic and static watermarks on your PDFs.
Safeguard PDF Security uses multiple methods to make watermarks permanent and prevent them from being easily removed:
Examples of secure non-removable watermarks created by Safeguard PDF Security.
Why Safeguard PDF Watermarks over Adobe Acrobat Watermarks?You can add watermarks to PDF files without Adobe Acrobat. Using Safeguard PDF security to add a PDF watermark has many advantages over Adobe Acrobat watermarks.
Add watermark to PDF files for security
What is a watermarked PDF?A watermarked PDF is a PDF that has a text and/or image watermark added to it which is displayed when the document is viewed and/or printed.
Text watermarks may be static (“This document is the property of ABC Corp.”), or dynamic (“This document was viewed by Joe Bloggs joebloggs@acme.com on 04/08/2021”). In dynamic watermarks, the text is automatically updated with the system/user information at the time of opening or printing.
Watermarks are added as a layer to the PDF (which is why they are easy to add) and can be made to appear on top of or behind existing document content.
PDF watermarking is able to emulate many of the subtleties of the physical world. If you think of a banknote, some watermarks seem inside the paper whilst others are on top. You can get a similar effect with PDF watermarks.
Think of the information being printed as if it were in layers, rather like a sandwich. The content sits in the middle, and the PDF watermarking can be over content, or under content, or both. Also, the PDF watermark can be set to be lighter or darker than the content. This lets the watermark ‘blend’ with the content so that it has a more seamless presentation and is less distracting, if that’s what you desire.
Applying PDF watermarking takes a certain amount of discipline and artistic judgement, then. It is not necessarily a mechanical process of having a ‘bog standard’ graphic and/or text and applying it to every document that goes out.
What is the point of watermarked PDF files – why add watermarks to a PDF?One way to improve the security of your PDF documents is to add a watermark to them – see also Using Document Watermarks as a copying deterrent.
Watermarks can be used in several ways:
When using watermarks to resist falsification, PDF watermarking is used in exactly the same way as watermarks on banknotes or cheques. If you try to make a fake it can be made very difficult to exactly copy the PDF watermark, so anyone seeing the document will also see that it is a fake. This use of PDF watermarking can be very important where official documents have to be printed/printable and must be demonstrated to be authentic. (This is how you know a 20-dollar bill or a ten-pound note is genuine. It doesn’t mean documents can’t be faked. There are still fake banknotes doing the rounds and one pound coin in 36 is a fake. But PDF watermarking is significantly better than doing nothing.)
This might include text such as ‘It is illegal to copy content from this document’, and/or by using dynamic watermarking to display user information so that users are discouraged from giving copies to others.
This is the method of classifying documents by adding a watermark to them that displays how the document should be treated. For example, adding a confidential watermark or a ‘top secret’ watermark as a stamp or text.
This is achieved by adding a stamp or text to a PDF document to mark it appropriately. For example you might watermark a PDF with “copy” before printing and/or when it is viewed.
PDF watermarking is a useful way to link an identity to a document. The PDF watermark may be something as simple as a unique number that is associated with the authorized user of a document, or it may be their name, email address, company name and so on. The point of this PDF watermark is to make it clear who the source of the document is if it is not intended to be copied and passed around. This technique has been in use for a long time to identify the source of documents ‘leaked’ to the press or who it was obtained from by IPR pirates. The PDF watermark works because the source of the information (whether a leaked or pirated document) usually does not want to be linked to it. This does mean that when using PDF watermarking in this way you need to have a clear link between the identity on the document and the identity of the entity that it was authorized to.
The owner of the document may be different to the document Publisher. If for example a reseller has been given permission to sell a book, report, etc. then they might want to add a PDF watermark that establishes them as the authorized reseller.
PDF print watermarks – add print only watermark to PDF filesThe most common reason why people want to add watermarks only when the PDF file is printed (i.e. no watermark is displayed when the document is viewed) is to prevent printed copies from being easily re-distributed.
The best way to discourage this is for the watermark to display user identifiable information (such as the user’s name, email, etc.). This can easily be achieved by using dynamic watermarks where user information is automatically inserted when the PDF document is printed.
Locklizard supports dynamic watermarks and enables you to apply a PDF watermark only when printed, only when viewed, or both.
Watermarks for confidential documents: why add a confidential watermark to a PDF?Many companies need to distribute confidential PDF documents to selected users or third parties but do not wish them to be distributed any further. As a security measure (and sometimes for classification) they add a confidential watermark to PDF documents (the same as a confidential watermark stamp on paper documents) on the basis that they will be honored.
However, in reality adding a confidential watermark to a PDF document provides zero protection since it is meaningless. It does not stop PDFs from being shared with others. The confidential watermark can also be easily removed in any PDF editor.
If you want PDFs to remain confidential then adding a confidential watermark will have no benefit unless you have other PDF security measures in place to make the watermark protected in the PDF and prevent document sharing.
Locklizard provide our Publisher customers with a range of confidential image watermarks which they can use to add a confidential watermark to PDFs. Confidential image watermark examples are below:
Does adding a watermark to a PDF make it more secure?If the watermarked document contains the recipient name, and it cannot be removed, then yes, it does make it more secure.
If you use Adobe Acrobat or a similar PDF editor to add a watermark to a PDF document then that does not make it any more secure. The reason for this is because users can easily remove the watermark even if the file is password protected. See Removing PDF watermarks. This is true of all password protected PDFs that have a watermark applied to them and includes secure data room systems that enable users to download watermarked PDF files such as Digify and DocSend.
If you want to add a watermark that cannot be removed then you need to use PDF DRM software that adds watermarks to PDFs that cannot be removed using PDF editing software.
Invisible watermarks & social DRM: Worth using?In a bid to stop users from removing PDF watermarks, some DRM providers had a seemingly bright idea: what if, as well as displaying the watermark on the document, they hid them in the document’s code? Unique identifiers would be applied to each document so that when they are published online the publishers can track down who shared them.
It’s not a terrible idea, but it’s not very effective at preventing document sharing in practice. Watermarks are primarily used as a deterrent, and it’s hard to deter a user with a watermark they can’t see. Sure, you can track them down afterward, but at that point, the damage is already done.
If the user does know about the hidden watermarks, they can simply remove them. Most social DRM / hidden watermark solutions don’t use any encryption or DRM, so the code is visible and editable. All the user has to do is find the “invisible” watermarks and delete them. Granted, this is more time-consuming than removing Adobe protection, but it’s still not going to stop a determined party from leaking your document.
Dynamic Watermarking: What is a PDF dynamic watermark?A dynamic watermark is a text watermark that uses variables or placeholders that are replaced by user and/or system data when a PDF is viewed and / or printed.
Inserting a dynamic watermark in Safeguard PDF Security
The publisher adds variables to the document, for example, “%UserName%”, for the recipient name, and the software replaces the text with details of the end-user each time they open it. In the above example, %Email%, would be replaced by their email address.
With dynamic watermarking you only ever have to protect the document once – the correct user details are always displayed because they are taken dynamically from the user’s license. This is much faster than protecting a document for each user with fixed watermark data and can save potenetially thousands of hours.
PDF Watermarking & Watermark Security Tips
Here are some things to bear in mind when using PDF watermark software and adding watermarks to PDF files:
So, if you want to add PDF watermarks to your documents then there are many things to consider including whether they are dynamic, if they are protected, the position of the watermark, and how easily they can be removed.
If you want to add a PDF watermark that cannot be easily removed then you need to use PDF DRM software that enforces controls over the document (such as preventing editing, screen grabbing, printing to PDF or image printers, etc.). Safeguard PDF Security and PDF Enterprise Security software ensure your watermarks are permanent and protected at all times.
There are many reasons why you would want to use standard Adobe watermarks in PDF documents (for PDF watermarking methods see document watermarking), but the problem is that Adobe PDF watermarks can be easily removed, even if the PDF file is password protected to prevent this.
Adobe PDF watermarks are easy to add to every page of a document in one go because they are applied as a layer on top of the original PDF content. This makes them easy to remove in one go too by just removing that layer.
Many secure data room systems say they provide secure PDF watermarks or lock a watermark in PDF files, but if you let users download PDFs, then those watermarks can be easily removed using any of the methods below.
Remove watermarks option in Nitro Pro
How to remove PDF watermarks from standard and protected PDF documentsBelow are some of the many ways you can remove watermarks from Adobe PDF files.
PDF Watermark FAQs
Protecting it using PDF DRM software that effectively prevents editing and saving to new files. On printed copies, the best way is to place the watermark across the page to make it more difficult to remove via editing software.
Usually, a PDF watermark is clearly displayed on your document or print preview. Some solutions, however, apply hidden watermarks that can only be discovered by searching the document’s code.
You can use a tool like Adobe Acrobat to add email watermarks, but you’ll have to do it manually for each person, and they’ll be able to remove them anyway.
A better way is to use a DRM tool like Safeguard PDF security to add dynamic watermarks, which will automatically populate with the user’s email, name, etc. when they open the PDF and cannot be removed.
If the PDF uses an Adobe Acrobat watermark, you can just upload it to one of the many free online tools used to strip Adobe permissions. For PDFs protected with Locklizard Safeguard, the only route is to ask the publisher or IT admin to disable watermarks on the document.
First of all, don’t use Adobe Acrobat watermarks. To make your watermarks permanent you’ll need to use a solution that utilizes a combination of encryption, DRM controls, and secure licensing to stop the document from being opened and edited by unauthorized users.
There are numerous online and offline tools that will let you add a watermark to your document for free. Before you use them, however, you should consider whether they meet your requirements, as they are easily removed. When it comes to PDF watermarking, you usually get what you pay for.
No, we only watermark PDF files. If you want to insert a watermark in PowerPoint for example then you have to convert it to PDF first.
It depends on the software you use to create, insert, or apply them. If you use Adobe Acrobat, other PDF tools that use password protection, or similar software (Microsoft Word, etc.), they can be easily removed. Safeguard PDF is far more secure, with users’ only option to take a picture of their screen and painstakingly remove the watermark in photo editing software.
A security watermark is a visible watermark that verifies the authenticity of a file or document. A security watermark ensures that a document cannot be readily altered without destroying the watermark in some way.
Using dynamic watermarks, you can add a dynamic variable for the recipient’s name when protecting the PDF. The recipient’s name is automatically added at view/print time so that you do not have to create a personalised PDF document for each user.
PDF watermarking and watermark security can be very effective at deterring unauthorized document sharing, tracking down the source of a leaked document, asserting copyright, and reminding users of their obligations. This is especially useful when dealing with sensitive information and confidential documents. However, this only holds if users cannot easily remove the watermark—if users can edit PDF files, adding a watermark for security is pointless.
Locklizard supports png, gif, jpg and jpeg image file formats, transparency for watermark text and images, font sizes and colors, multiple layout postions, and custom watermark text – both static and dynamic.
Download PDF Watermarker Software
Download PDF watermark creator software that protects PDF files with DRM controls and enables you to add watermarks to PDF documents that are dynamic and permanent.
You can dynamically insert usernames, email addresses, and date and time information into your PDF watermarks, yet you only ever have to protect the PDF once for all users. You can add print-only watermarks, view only watermarks, or both.
Safeguard PDF security does not rely on passwords for security – it uses public key technology (transparent to the user) so there are no passwords that can be easily broken or passed on to other users.
Safeguard secure PDF Viewers protect watermarks from being removed, ensuring that they are always enforced.
See our customer testimonials or read our case studies to see why thousands of organizations use Locklizard PDF security to add and copy protect PDF watermarks.
Remove Watermark from PDF files
