How to Stamp DRAFT or REVIEW ONLY on PDFs During Revision Workflows
Meta Description:
Stamp “DRAFT” or “REVIEW ONLY” on PDFs in seconds with VeryPDF PDF Overlay SDK. Fast, offline, and 100% under your controlno cloud needed.
Every time we shipped a document for internal review, someone forgot to mark it “DRAFT.”
Sounds small, but it’s a real issue. We had teams printing, sharing, and sometimes signing documents that weren’t even final.
Compliance nightmare. And in one case, a client almost signed a doc clearly marked “Version 1.2-Draft” except, nothing on the PDF said so.
So we needed a fix. One that didn’t depend on someone manually overlaying watermarks or tinkering with Adobe each time.
That’s when we found VeryPDF PDF Overlay Command Line and SDK. And it changed everything.
Why I Chose VeryPDF PDF Overlay SDK
I was looking for something fast, flexible, and offline.
Cloud-based APIs were out. We work with sensitive documentslegal drafts, financial summaries, client proposalsnothing that should leave our server.
And most “PDF editing” tools?
They were either clunky GUI apps or forced us into subscription hell with per-user licensing.
VeryPDF’s PDF Overlay SDK was different:
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Runs fully offline
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Supports both Windows and Linux
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Command-line and SDK access
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One-time commercial license, no per-seat costs
It felt built for developerslike someone who actually understands how production systems work wrote this thing.
What This Tool Actually Does (In Simple Terms)
Imagine you’ve got a bunch of PDFs, and you need to slap a big red “REVIEW ONLY” or “CONFIDENTIAL” stamp across each one.
But not manually.
Automatically.
In bulk.
Every time a PDF is generated.
In a way that doesn’t ruin the layout, fonts, or print quality.
That’s exactly what this tool does.
You feed it the base PDF, the overlay PDF, and optionally define where/how you want the overlay positioned.
And boomyou get a finished, layered PDF ready to go.
Real Example: How We Use It
We run a document generation script from our backend CRM.
Every time someone creates a contract, the system auto-generates a PDF.
But here’s the twist:
If it’s in draft stage, it pulls an overlay with “DRAFT NOT FOR SIGNATURE” and slaps it across all pages.
Here’s what that setup looks like:
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contract.pdf= generated contract -
draft_stamp.pdf= red transparent overlay -
Final output: layered PDF with stamp on top
We integrated this using a shell script. It takes less than 2 seconds per document. And it never fails.
Key Features That Make It a No-Brainer
1. 100% Offline
No internet.
No API keys.
No cloud processing.
If your company works in banking, law, healthcare, government, or anything where data privacy mattersthis alone is worth the price.
2. Works Everywhere
We’ve got staging servers on Ubuntu, production on Windows Server. This SDK runs on both.
Even better? It can be containerised in Docker and dropped into a CI/CD pipeline. That’s what we do now. Each build gets its own container with the SDK baked in.
3. Command Line and SDK Access
If you’re a dev, you’ll love this.
You can:
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Call it via command line
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Use it with Python, PHP, C#, Javawhatever
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Trigger it via shell scripts or REST endpoints
Total freedom.
4. Handles Complex Use Cases
We don’t just apply “DRAFT” to every page.
Some overlays are conditional:
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If the doc is internal watermark “INTERNAL USE ONLY”
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If it’s version 1 overlay “DRAFT”
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If it’s going to legal apply compliance footer on Page 1 only
With this SDK, you can set custom coordinates, apply overlays per page, and even layer multiple PDFs together.
Who This Is For
If you’re in any of these roles, this tool is for you:
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Developers building document pipelines
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Sysadmins managing internal print workflows
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Legal and compliance teams
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IT teams in banks or government
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SaaS providers generating PDFs
And if you’re tired of babysitting manual workflows or getting yelled at for missing watermarking trust me, this fixes the problem.
Use Cases That’ll Click With You
Enterprise Portals
Auto-stamp every outgoing PDF report with your brand’s footer and compliance note.
Print & Publishing Houses
Overlay high-res backgrounds on customer-uploaded PDFs without touching InDesign.
Universities and Schools
Mark PDFs with “SAMPLE ONLY” or “DRAFT EXAM”even batch process thousands overnight.
Financial Institutions
Apply legal text or regulatory overlays to every transaction summary or compliance doc.
DevOps Teams
Use CLI and Docker to hook into CI/CD pipelines for stamping staging docs or test reports.
Compared to Other Tools? No Contest.
Adobe Acrobat Pro?
Manual. GUI-driven. No batch processing.
Online API services?
Privacy risk. Speed bottleneck. Internet dependency.
Python PDF libs (like PyPDF2)?
Slow. Buggy with large files. Terrible font handling.
VeryPDF just works.
No cloud. No guesswork. Just consistent, pixel-perfect overlays.
How I’d Set It Up Today If I Were You
Here’s the play:
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Prepare your overlay PDFs (your stamps, headers, etc.)
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Install the SDK on your server
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Write a shell or Python script to:
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Watch a folder or trigger from your app
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Merge overlay + original using the SDK
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Save the final output
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Automate everything
Now your team never misses a stamp again.
Recommendation? 100% Yes.
Look, if you deal with high volumes of PDFs, and you’ve ever said:
“We need to watermark this before it goes out.”
This tool is what you need.
I’d highly recommend it to:
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Dev teams building apps that generate PDFs
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Companies with strict branding or compliance rules
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Print shops or publishers who need to overlay templates at scale
Click here to try it out for yourself: https://www.verypdf.com/
Start your free trial now and boost your productivity.
Custom Development Services by VeryPDF
Need something tailored? We’ve used VeryPDF’s custom dev servicesthey deliver.
Whether you’re working on Windows, Linux, macOS, or mobile platforms, they’ve got experience building:
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Tools with Python, PHP, C++, .NET, C#, JavaScript
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Virtual printers that convert print jobs into PDFs, EMF, or images
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System-wide API monitors that capture and process Windows file or print events
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OCR tools, form generators, barcode engines, font handling, document viewers, and more
They even do cloud solutions for PDF signing, conversion, and secure sharing.
Have a specific need? Reach out at:
https://support.verypdf.com/
FAQs
Q: Can I stamp only certain pages in a PDF with the overlay?
Yes, you can specify which pages receive overlays using scripting and coordinate control.
Q: Does it support batch processing for thousands of PDFs?
Absolutely. The SDK is built for batch-mode. We process hundreds daily with zero issues.
Q: Will it preserve the fonts and layout of the original PDF?
Yes. It maintains vector content, fonts, and image quality. Perfect for print-ready outputs.
Q: Can I use this in a Docker container?
Yes. We’ve containerised it ourselves. It runs smoothly in Docker on both Windows and Linux base images.
Q: Is there a GUI version, or is it command-line only?
It’s primarily CLI and SDK. That said, you can build a front-end app on top of it easily using the SDK’s APIs.
Tags or Keywords
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PDF overlay SDK
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stamp draft on PDF
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review only watermark PDF
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offline PDF watermark tool
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PDF overlay command line