Mark the document, not the whole conversation.

A watermark is a label that travels with the page. It can help a recipient distinguish a draft from an approved copy, but it should not make the underlying document harder to read.

Decide what the mark needs to say

Short phrases work best: “DRAFT,” “REFERENCE COPY,” or a project name. A long paragraph across every page competes with the actual content. A watermark also does not enforce access control or prevent copying.

Apply a restrained mark

Open Add Watermark and upload the PDF. Enter the label and review the available appearance settings. Start with moderate sizing and a light appearance where supported. Process the file and download it for inspection.

The right choice depends on the page. A dark mark may be acceptable in an empty margin but disruptive over a dense spreadsheet. If settings differ between text and image stamps, check the resulting pages rather than assuming they behave identically.

Test more than the first page

Look at a page with a photograph, one with small text, and one with a table. The mark should communicate status without obscuring values. Check a print preview if the PDF will be printed; a pale mark on screen can behave differently on paper.

Keep a clean master

Watermark the delivery copy after the content and page order are final. Do not treat removal as a guaranteed undo operation. Keeping the unmarked source is the simplest way to produce a new version later.

If the document also needs page numbers, add them in a location that does not overlap the watermark. Give the download a name that reflects its status so the label is visible even before someone opens it.