Using digital technology for document archiving is pretty standard at present. The convenience that this kind of innovation brings about undoubtedly made us more capable of managing our files. Despite this, humans have always been imperfect beings. Hence there might be errors in using technology.
For instance, an employee may mishandle a particular file because there are no warnings or indicators about how it should be used. Maybe the file is meant to be kept confidential, or it isn’t yet final, but the person who has access to it unintentionally (or intentionally) misused it. This situation may result in legal liabilities, conflict, and other adverse outcomes.
Fortunately, there are some ways to prevent that from happening. Most people, including you, should have heard of watermarking at least once in your digital experience, right? Learn how watermarking works and how to add watermark to PDF files effectively.
Table of Contents
What is watermarking?
Watermarks can be elements – image or text – superimposed onto your intellectual property. You can put some text atop a particular picture or PDF document, and that action is indeed the art of watermarking. If you have searched for stock photos on the web, you’ve already seen what watermarking looks like.
There are many reasons why watermarking your PDFs is a necessity. It can range from indicating a file’s status, claiming ownership of your intellectual property, and it can essentially function as a layer of security of your files. Take a look at our explanation below and see why that is indeed the case!
Watermarks can protect copyrights
The world wide web is a vast platform wherein people are interconnected. Maintaining copyright online might be challenging. For instance, you uploaded a photo of a scenic place on a particular social media platform. Without taking preventive measures such as watermarking the picture to indicate that it’s yours, someone can just copy the photo and claim that it is theirs!
You can think of sending your PDFs through email to various people you are collaborating with from another perspective. You wouldn’t want them to make a counterfeit of your file. Watermarking is one of the options that you can take. Doing so would mean imposing a layer of security over your intellectual property.
Watermarking can regulate intellectual property use
As we’ve glossed over above, people can mishandle their PDFs due to a lack of indicators. For example, a draft for an agreement may be released unintentionally without approval from the management. This action could incur losses and even tarnish the credibility of the institution. Fortunately, watermarks enable you to solve that issue.
You can use text as a watermark. Utilizing this feature, you can indicate CONFIDENTIAL, FOR APPROVAL, or whatever status a PDF document has. People who view that particular file would see a huge sign (what you put as a watermark) and be constantly reminded of it as they go through the contents.
How to add watermark to PDFs
PDF stands for portable document format and is a preference for file sharing and document archiving. That’s why files in this format need watermarking primarily. If you are clueless about adding a watermark to your PDF files, the answer lies in your web browser. Just search for online watermarking tools, and you’ll find many websites that you can use.
We recommend using PDFBear’s Add Watermark tool, a 100% free online service that helps you do this specific task. It is a popular choice for its trusted tight security and friendly user interface that welcomes all sorts of people (tech-savvy or not). What makes it better is that it requires no software downloads. Just go to this website, and follow the steps below.
- Upload your selected PDF.
- Grab the picture or type in the text that you will use as the watermark for your file.
- Position your watermark and apply changes.
- Download your file!
PDFBear can help you do this task in a matter of few minutes. The tool boasts high-quality rendering at a fast pace with your own customizations and personalization included. Everything happens on the cloud, and you can access it on any device. Moving forward, let’s take a look at some watermarking tips that you will definitely find useful.
Tips in watermarking
There are some reminders that you need to know in watermarking your files. The main goal of watermarking is to protect copyright while letting other people still access the file. You would want to choose the right opacity of the watermark. The position is important too! It is recommended that you put the watermark where it wouldn’t be edited out easily. Adding a huge one would be best!
Additional security measures
Watermarking may not suffice for all situations as you might encounter people who are indeed cunning. But, you can level up things by doing some additional security measures on your PDFs. For instance, you can opt to password protect them, which is a feature of PDF files. Control access to your intellectual property and only share your files with trusted people.
You can also impose security on your archive, track the people who view the documents, and many more. Another thing that you can do is install anti-malware protection on your devices to prevent spyware and online threats. Sending your files to other people on trusted and safe platforms is also recommended.
Doing these tips may help you make your PDFs more secure than ever. Layer upon layer of security reduces the probability of information leak and loss of copyright on your intellectual property.
Final thoughts
Technology truly made us more capable, and more so for those who are knowledgeable. Some people could misuse or steal your content online, and that might result in unfavorable outcomes. Fortunately, you can impose preventive measures to protect your intellectual property. One such method is to add a watermark to your PDF files.
Watermarks can ultimately prevent content theft, preserve copyright, and prevent others from counterfeiting your work. Go to PDFBear’s Add Watermark tool today, and start making your way in protecting your PDF files!