Choosing Opacity, Size and Color: Balancing Visibility and Readability
Key points
- Start with "Medium" opacity
- Aim for roughly half the page
- Gray is the safe color
A watermark is pointless if you cannot see it, and too strong makes the body text hard to read. Here is how to find the balance.
Opacity
In Add a Text Watermark to PDF you can choose Light, Medium or Strong.
- Start with Medium.
- For text-heavy pages, Light keeps the body easier to read.
- For pages dominated by photos or figures, Medium to Strong is less likely to hurt readability.
Size
- For one centered mark, "Medium" to "Large" looks good.
- For repeating, "Small" to "Medium" spreads smaller marks across the page.
- For small, bottom right, "Small" is enough.
Color
- Gray: blends with any background; the safe choice.
- Red: when you want it to stand out; suits "For submission" or "Sample".
- Blue: a calm impression.
- Black: with light opacity it looks close to gray.
Angle
- Diagonal: spans the whole page and stands out without overlapping the body too much.
- Horizontal: easy to read and suited to short words.
Decide by trying
First add it to the first page only and check the preview. When satisfied, add it to all pages.
When printing
Light colors look even lighter on paper than on screen. If you will print it, go a bit darker.
Use "Add a Text Watermark to PDF" (free)Tools that go well with this
- Add Page Numbers to PDF: Add page numbers to a PDF, choosing position and style.
- Compress PDF: Shrink a PDF to fit under a size you choose, for upload limits.
- Merge PDFs: Combine several PDF files into one, in the order you choose.
More guides for this tool
- How to Add a Watermark Like "For Submission" or "Copy" to a PDF
- Watermark Text Ideas: For Submission, Copy, Confidential, Sample, Draft
- Watermarking Copies of ID and Contracts to Reduce Misuse
- What a PDF Watermark Can and Cannot Do
- Marking Drafts and Review Copies with DRAFT to Avoid Version Mix-ups
- Checklist for Submitting or Sending a Watermarked PDF