29 Add Stamp/Watermark

29.1 Description

The Add Stamp/Watermark task adds stamps or watermarks to PDF documents. You can use predefined standard stamps or define custom text.

Typical Use Cases

Document Status: Mark documents as “Draft”, “Approved”, or “Confidential”
Paid Stamp: Mark incoming invoices with “PAID” after payment
Copyright Protection: Watermarks with company name on documents
Copy Marking: Mark printed copies as such
Workflow Status: Add processing status to documents

29.2 General Settings

Enabled

Enable this option so the task is executed for matching PDF files. Disabled tasks are skipped.

29.3 Annotation Type

Choose between two annotation types:

Type	Description	Application
Stamp	Rectangular text with optional border	Paid stamps, status markers
Watermark	Semi-transparent, diagonal text	Copyright protection, draft marking

29.4 Stamp Settings

Standard Text or Custom Text

You can choose between predefined standard texts and custom text.

Standard Texts

Icon	Description
Draft	Draft
Approved	Approved
Experimental	Experimental
NotApproved	Not Approved
AsIs	As Is
Expired	Expired
NotForPublicRelease	Not For Public Release
Confidential	Confidential
Final	Final
Sold	Sold
Departmental	Departmental
ForComment	For Comment
TopSecret	Top Secret
ForPublicRelease	For Public Release

Custom Text

Enter your own text for the stamp. Placeholders are supported.

Examples: - PAID - PAID on <TodaysDate> - Reviewed by <RuleId:1(Reviewer)> - Copy - <TodaysYear4>-<TodaysMonth>-<TodaysDay>

Position

Select the position of the stamp on the page:

Position	Description
Top left	Left upper corner
Top center	Top edge, centered
Top right	Right upper corner (Default)
Middle left	Left edge, vertically centered
Middle center	Page center
Middle right	Right edge, vertically centered
Bottom left	Left lower corner
Bottom center	Bottom edge, centered
Bottom right	Right lower corner
Custom	Free positioning in percent

Custom Position

When selecting “Custom”, you can specify X and Y coordinates in percent: - X Position: 0% (left) to 100% (right) - Y Position: 0% (top) to 100% (bottom)

Text Color

Set the color of the stamp text: - RGB Values: Red, Green, Blue (0-255 each) - Default: Dark red (139, 0, 0)

29.5 Watermark Settings

Text

Enter the text for the watermark. Placeholders are supported.

Examples: - DRAFT (Default) - CONFIDENTIAL - © Sample Company Inc - COPY

Font

Setting	Description	Default
Font Family	Name of the font	Arial
Font Size	Size in points	72
Bold	Use bold font	Yes

Available Font Sizes: 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 84, 96, 120, 144

Color and Transparency

Setting	Description	Default
Text Color (RGB)	Red, Green, Blue (0-255 each)	Light gray (200, 200, 200)
Opacity	0.0 (transparent) to 1.0 (opaque)	0.3 (30%)

Recommendation: A low opacity (0.2-0.4) ensures the watermark doesn’t cover the document content.

Rotation

Select the rotation angle of the watermark:

Angle	Description
0°	Horizontal
-45°	Diagonal from bottom left to top right (Default)
-90°	Vertical (readable from bottom to top)
45°	Diagonal from top left to bottom right
90°	Vertical (readable from top to bottom)

Available Angles: 0°, ±15°, ±30°, ±45°, ±60°, ±90°

Position

Position	Description
Centered	One watermark in the page center
Tiled	Multiple watermarks distributed across the entire page

Tile Spacing

With tiled arrangement, you can set the spacing between watermarks: - Horizontal Spacing (X): Default 200 points - Vertical Spacing (Y): Default 200 points

29.6 Page Selection

Determine on which pages the stamp or watermark should appear:

Selection	Description
All pages	On every page of the document
First page	Only on the first page
Last page	Only on the last page
Page range	Specific pages or ranges
Pages with text	Pages containing specific text
Pages without text	Pages not containing specific text

Page Range

Specify pages as a range:

Input	Effect
`1`	Only page 1
`1-3`	Pages 1, 2, and 3
`1, 3, 5`	Pages 1, 3, and 5
`1-3, 5, 7-10`	Pages 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, and 10
`last`	Only the last page
`last-2`	The last 2 pages
`8-last`	From page 8 to the end

Text-Based Selection

For “Pages with text” or “Pages without text”, enter the search text. Extended filter syntax is supported: - AND/OR Logic: Invoice<AND>2024 - Regular Expressions: <BeginOfRegex>INV-\d{5}<EndOfRegex> - Number Ranges: <NumberRange{1,999}>

29.7 Embedding Mode

Select how the annotation should be embedded in the PDF:

Mode	Description	Application
As Annotation	Editable, can be removed later	Temporary markings
Permanent	Permanently integrated into page content	Final markings (Default)

Recommendation: For legally relevant markings (e.g., “PAID”), use “Permanent” mode so the marking cannot be removed.

29.8 Storage Location

Filename

Set the name for the processed file.

Examples:

Input	Result
(empty)	`Document.pdf` (original name)
`<FileName>_stamped`	`Document_stamped.pdf`

Name Collisions

Choose what should happen if a file with the target name already exists.

29.9 File Date

Adjust Creation and Modification Date

Optionally, you can change the file date of the processed file.

29.10 Afterwards

Call External Program

After adding the stamp/watermark, an external program can be started automatically.

Parameters: Available placeholders: - <PathIncludingFilename> - Full path of the processed file - <ParentDirectory> - Path of parent folder - <Filename> - Filename

29.11 Example: Paid Stamp on Invoices

Initial Situation

Incoming invoices should be marked with a “PAID” stamp after payment and archived.

Configuration

Enabled: Yes
Annotation Type: Stamp
Standard Icon: No (custom text)
Text: PAID on <TodaysDate>
Position: Top right
Text Color: Dark red (139, 0, 0)
Page Selection: First page
Embedding Mode: Permanent
Directory: D:\Archive\Invoices\Paid
Filename: <FileName>

Result

Original	Processed
`Invoice_001.pdf`	`Invoice_001.pdf` (with “PAID on 12/15/2024” on page 1)

29.12 Example: Watermark for Confidential Documents

Initial Situation

Confidential documents should be marked with a “CONFIDENTIAL” watermark appearing on all pages.

Configuration

Enabled: Yes
Annotation Type: Watermark
Text: CONFIDENTIAL
Font Size: 72
Bold: Yes
Text Color: Red (255, 0, 0)
Opacity: 0.2 (20%)
Rotation: -45°
Position: Centered
Page Selection: All pages
Embedding Mode: Permanent
Directory: D:\Documents\Confidential

Result

All pages of the document show a diagonal, semi-transparent “CONFIDENTIAL” watermark in the center.

29.13 Example: Tiled Copyright Watermark

Initial Situation

Documents should be protected with a tiled copyright watermark.

Configuration

Enabled: Yes
Annotation Type: Watermark
Font Size: 36
Opacity: 0.15 (15%)
Rotation: -30°
Position: Tiled
Horizontal Spacing: 250
Vertical Spacing: 200
Page Selection: All pages

Result

The copyright watermark appears multiple times distributed across each page, so it cannot be easily cut out.

29.6 Tips and Notes

Placeholders in Text

Both stamps and watermarks support placeholders: - <TodaysDate> - Current date - <TodaysYear4>, <TodaysMonth>, <TodaysDay> - Date parts - <FileName> - Filename - <RuleId:N(RuleName)> - Extracted data

Text Color for Stamps

For good visibility and professional appearance: - Dark red (139, 0, 0): Classic for “PAID” or status stamps - Dark blue (0, 0, 139): Professional for approvals - Dark green (0, 100, 0): Positive for “Approved”

Watermark Opacity

Opacity	Effect
0.1 - 0.2	Very subtle, text remains easily readable
0.2 - 0.4	Clearly visible, slight readability impact
0.4 - 0.6	Dominant, may impair readability

Permanent vs. As Annotation

Permanent: More secure, as it cannot be removed. Ideal for legal or final markings.
As Annotation: More flexible, can be removed if needed. Useful for temporary markings or review processes.

Combination with Other Tasks

Typically place “Add Stamp/Watermark” before tasks like “Send Email” or “Copy File”, so subsequent tasks use the stamped document.

Remove Pages Insert Barcode