Why make a watermark? Are there other apps to design and include a watermark on a PDF document? In order to design a watermark in PDF, you have two options. Both are easy in the right direction but may be overkill for those looking for just a basic image, text or logo, you can get around most of the complications by using the Photoshop or GIMP. Both apps will help you with the first of those options but not quite solve the problem of inserting a watermark into a PDF document. There's a reason that the third option, GIMP's, watermark maker tool is the best choice. Let's look at how to incorporate a watermark in a PDF document. You can use Photoshop or GIMP to create a watermark on a PDF document. Photoshop : You can use Photoshop to use watermarks as the foreground, background, or both the background and foreground. Watermark designers usually like to use watermarks as primary background color for the image as it's the easiest way to show the image is associated with the watermark. It also helps with creating larger images that work better on touch screens. Let's use a sample image. We'll start by adding an ellipse to an image (or the foreground). In Photoshop's File menu, choose Image > Add Image > Ellipse. Add Background Ellipse to Image: Add Image and Ellipse — GIMP Watermark Designer Using a Watermark Generator is easy in Photoshop. The “GIMP Watermark Maker” tool will do the math for you. If you have the watermark generator tool in Photoshop, you can use it to add a watermark to a PDF image. The tool generates a single image that has a text watermark and a corresponding transparent background. Here is an example: Create watermark in PDF with GIMP To create a watermark in a PDF for use as a background, you have to click the Add Watermark option in the drop-down menu. In GIMP, select File > Add Image > Watermark Generator. Add Background Watermark to PDF With Photoshop To take the text out of the background, you need to select the “Layer Mode” drop-down and enable the “Image as Layer” option. The transparency is turned off, so the white space becomes a black bar. Then click the “Draw Outer Line” button.