pdfpix

Stamp a PDF

or drop them here
Choose at least one PDF first.

Add page numbers, a header, a footer, a watermark, or a Bates sequence that carries across several files. The text goes on as real selectable text, not as a picture, in one of nine positions. The result is opened again and every stamp plus the original text is checked before you download.

How to stamp a PDF

  1. Choose one or more PDFs

    Press Choose PDFs, or drop files on the page. For a Bates run, put the files in the order the sequence should follow.

  2. Choose the stamp job

    Add page numbers, a paired header and footer, a watermark, or Bates numbers. Set the pages, position, type and appearance.

  3. Check both ends

    The first and last page stay visible while you work, so the start and end of a sequence can be checked before writing.

  4. Read the verification, then download

    The result is reopened. Page geometry, the original selectable text and every new stamp must pass before the download appears.

A stamp is a new text layer, not a picture over the page

Most tools place a watermark by rendering the page to an image and drawing the label on top. The result looks right and reads as nothing: the text underneath stops being selectable, search stops working, and a screen reader gets a blank page. This tool never does that. It appends a small content stream to each page you chose and writes the label into it as real text with a real font.

Everything already on the page is left alone. The stamp is added after it, so the original text keeps its position and its characters, and the new label is selectable too. Copy a page number out of the finished file and you get the number, not an empty selection.

Bates numbering is the same mechanism with a counter across files. You set the prefix, the first number and the digit width, then order the PDFs, and the sequence runs through them without restarting. That is the format courts and discovery teams ask for, and it is why the order of the file list matters more here than anywhere else in pdfpix.

The check reopens every output. It compares the source text with the stamped text, confirms the page geometry did not move, and looks for the new label on each page that was supposed to get one. A file that fails any of those is not offered for download.

Questions

Are my PDFs or stamp text uploaded?
No. The PDFs, previews and text you enter stay in this browser tab. Anonymous analytics receive only aggregate actions and counts.
Can Bates numbers continue across several PDFs?
Yes. Choose several PDFs and put them in order. The sequence continues from the last stamped page of one file to the first stamped page of the next. The files download together in a ZIP.
Does stamping flatten the PDF?
No. The existing pages are not redrawn. The stamp is added as a permanent, selectable text layer.
Can I stamp only some pages?
Yes. Use all, odd, even, first, last, or enter page numbers and ranges such as 1, 3-5.
What happens to a digitally signed PDF?
Changing page content invalidates an existing digital signature. pdfpix detects signature fields, explains the effect, and asks you to confirm before stamping.
What does the stamp check cover?
It opens every output PDF and checks the page count and size, retention of the original selectable text, and an added text occurrence for every stamp. A failed result is not offered for download.

The other pdfpix tools

All 30 of them run in a browser tab like this one. Each reads its own output back and checks it before offering the download, and none of them needs an account.

Where to go next