WatermarkPDF

How to add a draft watermark to a PDF

A draft watermark is cheap insurance against a half-finished PDF being quoted as policy. Apply it on export, check page 1, and remove it only on the approved file.

Steps

  1. 1

    Finish editing first

    Watermark the review PDF, not every autosave.

  2. 2

    Force all pages

    Disable “different first page” if you came from Word.

  3. 3

    Send the marked file

    Name it clearly, e.g. budget-2026-DRAFT.pdf.

  4. 4

    Issue a clean final

    Export again from source without the draft mark.

In this browser tool

Open the draft tool. Defaults are large gray DRAFT at 28% opacity. Download. Every page, including the cover, gets the mark because it is drawn into the page content, not a Word header.

In Word (then export to PDF)

Design → Watermark → Custom. Text DRAFT, diagonal, washout. Turn off Different First Page under Header & Footer, or page 1 will be unmarked. Export to PDF. If you already have a PDF and no .docx, do not round-trip through Word just to add a mark.

In Acrobat Pro

Watermark → Add → DRAFT. Behind content, all pages. Save a preset. To remove later: Watermark → Remove (only works if the watermark was added as an Acrobat watermark, not baked into a flattened scan).

FAQ

Should DRAFT sit behind or in front of text?

Behind, at low opacity. In front at high opacity makes the document unreadable and still does not prevent screenshots.

Why is my Word draft watermark only on page 2?

Different first page is on, or the first section has a different header. Fix in Word or stamp the PDF with this tool after export.

If the mark must exist on the PDF you send, stamp the PDF. Do not trust a Word header to survive every export setting.

Stamp DRAFT

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