Although PDF files are uneditable, there are ways you can make changes to the file without altering it. This makes it easy for anyone on the internet to tweak, modify, or pirate PDF documents.
As someone who manages many PDF files, you should protect sensitive documents against data piracy or unauthorized sharing. Fortunately, a reliable PDF editor comes with essential tools that allow you to remain at ease when you transfer files to anyone online.
A watermark creator is one such tool on a PDF editor that helps you prevent information leaks. Follow this guide to find out when it’s right to use a watermark tool and how to add watermarks to a PDF.
Why do you need to watermark a PDF?
A watermark is a transparent text imposed on any print or visual media. Here are the reasons to use a PDF watermark tool.
To enhance PDF security
A watermark is one of the security options available on PDF editors to protect PDFs and other digital media. Once you share a PDF, you have little control over how receivers read, view, or share your file.
A PDF watermark tool will prevent confidential data from being misused, altered, or corrupted. That’s why most legal and government personnel watermark PDFs to safeguard the content within files during distribution.
To protect intellectual property
Information theft is a popular form of digital theft because it’s easy to share and receive files over the internet. These days, content creators put extra effort into retaining the copyright of print, audio, and visual content they share online.
Once a file goes online, it enters a realm of piracy and theft. But you can limit these risks by adding a text watermark before sharing the PDF with others. Using a custom mark would dissuade people from blatantly copying your work.
To maintain authenticity
Watermarks on PDF files will help recipients confirm whether the documents’ data is credible. It also categorizes the status of files in the workflows. Some institutions apply watermarks to indicate whether documents are classified or approved for external use.
Watermarking PDFs will help you keep information within documents trustworthy and confidential. You can mitigate the risks of leaking sensitive information while supplying only accurate information to workers and clients.
Steps you need to take to watermark a PDF
To add a watermark to a PDF, you can follow these simple steps.
1. Sign up on Lumin
Go to luminpdf.com and create a free account. Then upgrade to Professional (free for the first seven days) to explore the extensive suite of tools.
2. Upload File
Next, upload a PDF file via Google Drive or Dropbox. You can also add files from your device storage and click to open.
3. Select Watermark
When you open the document, you’ll see the “Annotate” feature at the top of the toolbar. Click to choose from any of the PDF annotation tools. In this case, add a watermark.
Why choose the Lumin watermark tool?
Certain features distinguish the Lumin PDF watermark tool from other tools. It’s the perfect software to make changes to a PDF without altering text within the file.
Digital editing
The Lumin watermark tool provides many ways to protect, identify, and authenticate files you share on the cloud. You can use the instant editing tools on Lumin to annotate and write on PDF files.
Auto-sync feature
Another fascinating thing about Lumin PDF is its auto-sync feature that automatically updates any changes you make to PDFs. You can switch on this feature to sync changes to your documents.
Cross-platform compatibility
Lumin is compatible with all devices – from your desktop computer to your smartphone. So you don’t need to restrict how you manage work files, whether at work, at home, or in transit.
Additional Lumin PDF tools
Let’s cover some added Lumin PDF tools that make this software a must-have.
PDF Compressor
Lumin PDF has a compressor tool that helps you reduce the size of PDFs for easy sharing. Even a free account on the tool will allow you to use the compressor to make PDFs smaller.
Most people are used to zipping to make files smaller, but this can corrupt the data within PDFs. Instead of using the old zip method to compress files, trust Lumin to help you create a smaller version of PDFs that you can quickly transfer.
PDF Merger/Splitter
You need a merger tool when you need to extract pages from a PDF or combine multiple PDF documents.
Fortunately, Lumin PDF merger/splitter makes rearranging PDFs for specific purposes without ease. You can crop, rotate, add or delete pages from any file you upload via Google Drive or Dropbox. You can even use Lumin’s page positioning feature to shape and reorder larger documents.
PDF File Conversion
Since PDFs are the universal document formats accessible by most people, it’s crucial to convert your documents to PDFs before you share. If you convert files to PDFs, it will be hard for anyone to edit or make changes without your knowledge.
With the Lumin PDF converter, you can convert spreadsheets, Word documents, photos, and PowerPoint presentations to PDF before use. The PDF file format ensures that your data remains intact as you transfer to other users.
OCR
The OCR feature within Lumin PDF allows users to digitize paperwork by scanning hard copy documents to convert to PDF file formats. You can take handwritten notes or print documents and transform them into searchable text to make them easier to annotate and edit.
Once you change those printed documents into digital text, you can use PDF annotation tools to alter the text or provide feedback on PDFs.
eSign Functionality
Lumin’s free eSignature tool ensures that your documents remain secure as they circulate online. You can protect your business contracts and legal documents by adding electronisignatures with this tool.
While Lumin’s eSign feature is free, you can only sign on two documents per month with the free tool. If you need to get several documents signed in a short time, you should opt for the Pro version.
Conclusion
Watermarks can be useful to PDF security, especially when dealing with confidential or sensitive information in PDFs. Anyone who receives a PDF with a watermark online understands that the file shouldn’t be shared without authorized access or tampered with.
While several tools help you add watermark words, you should go for a tool like Lumin PDF, with additional features for working with PDFs. Thanks to PDF editors, it’s becoming easier to bring documents to life and work on them from any device.
