DZone

Throughout history, watermarks have been used to verify the authenticity and integrity of documents, currency, stamps, and more. They were originally developed for the paper-making process in thirteenth-century Italy to identify the manufacturer of the paper, and the practice spread rapidly across the rest of Europe. Fast forward several centuries to our current state and watermarks have bridged the gap between paper and digital mediums. Digital watermarks are used to verify authenticity and integrity as well, but in a different capacity than their paper counterparts. Some of the primary tasks they’re used for include copyright protection, source tracking, fraud protection, and online content management.

Since the PDF format is frequently used to share sensitive information, watermarks can be added to increase the security of the document and ensure that it isn’t employed in an incorrect or inappropriate manner. These markers can be used to denote draft documents, specify security levels, or indicate brand name/ownership. In the following tutorial, we will demonstrate how you can use an API in Java to instantly add a text watermark to your PDF documents; customizable features are available including font name, size, color, and transparency.

Source: DZone