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PDF Overlay: Add a Letterhead, Logo or Stamp

Lay one PDF or image over the pages of another. Put it behind your text for a letterhead, or on top for a stamp, and check the preview before you save.

How to add a letterhead or stamp to a PDF

  1. 1

    Choose your document

    Pick the PDF you want to add something to, like a letter, an invoice or a report. It opens for the current task and is not retained by PilotPDF.

  2. 2

    Add the overlay and choose where it goes

    Choose a PDF or a PNG or JPG image as the overlay. Put it behind your text for a letterhead or on top for a stamp, then pick the pages, size and position.

  3. 3

    Check the preview and download

    The preview shows the real result, page by page, as you change the settings. When it looks right, click Apply Overlay and download your new PDF.

Overlay or merge?

They sound alike but do different jobs. Merging puts files one after another, so two 10-page files become one 20-page file. An overlay lays one file over the other, so a 10-page letter with a letterhead is still 10 pages, each with the design on it.

Use merge when you're putting a report together from separate parts. Use an overlay when you want something to appear on the pages themselves: a letterhead, a background, a border, a logo or a stamp.

Nothing is turned into a picture along the way. Your text stays text you can select and search, and PDF overlays stay sharp however far you zoom in.

Getting a letterhead to look right

Put a letterhead behind your text. That way the logo and footer sit underneath and never cover a word. If you can't see it in the preview, your document probably has a solid white background on every page. In that case, put the letterhead on top and turn the opacity down a little.

Many letterheads use one design on the first page and a simpler one on the pages after it. Save both designs in one two-page PDF, choose Letterhead style, and each page gets the right one.

The overlay looks best when it's the same size as your pages, such as A4 on A4. If the sizes differ, Fit the page keeps the design's shape, while Fill the whole page stretches it to the edges. For a small logo or stamp, choose Original size and pick a corner.

Stamps, seals and logos

For an APPROVED or PAID stamp, a company seal or a signature block, put the overlay on top and choose where it goes from the nine positions. Turn the opacity down if it should look like ink rather than cover what's underneath.

You don't need a PDF for this. A PNG or JPG image works too, and a PNG with a see-through background keeps it, so only the logo itself shows. To add the stamp to one page only, choose Only some pages and type that page number.

From the blog

Your files are never retained by PilotPDF

PilotPDF does not keep copies of your original files, completed files, passwords, or document contents after processing.

Read our privacy policy for details about analytics and data handling.

Related tools

Merge PDF

Join files one after another instead.

Add Watermark

Type a DRAFT or CONFIDENTIAL mark without a second file.

Resize PDF

Make both files the same page size first.

Add Page Numbers

Number the pages of your finished letter or report.

Frequently Asked Questions

It puts the content of one file on top of, or behind, the pages of another, like laying a sheet of tracing paper over a page. The number of pages stays the same. That's different from merging, which adds pages to the end.
Choose your document, then choose your letterhead as the overlay. Pick Behind so your text sits on top of the design, check the preview, and click Apply Overlay.
Behind suits letterheads, backgrounds and page borders, because your text stays readable over them. On top suits stamps, seals and signatures, which should sit over the page. Anything solid on top will hide what's under it.
Yes. Make a two-page PDF with the first-page design on page 1 and the continuation design on page 2, then choose Letterhead style. Page 1 goes on your first page and page 2 on all the others.
Yes. Choose a PNG or JPG as the overlay. A PNG with a see-through background keeps it, so only the logo shows.
Fit the page, the default, scales the overlay to fit while keeping its shape. Fill the whole page stretches it to cover the page exactly. You can also use its original size or set your own, and pick one of nine positions.
Yes. Choose Only some pages and type the pages you want, like 1 for just the first page, or 2-5.
Some PDFs have a solid white background drawn on every page, which hides anything behind it. Put the overlay On top instead and lower the opacity so the text still shows through.
Yes. Nothing is turned into a picture. Text from your document, and from a PDF overlay, stays text you can select and search.
Not directly. Remove the password with Unlock PDF first, then add the overlay.
No. Both files are opened and combined without PilotPDF retaining a copy. Nothing is sent to us or anyone else.