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discreetpdf.com

Add a header or footer to a PDF

Put text in any corner of the top or bottom margin. Tokens fill in the page number, total, date and filename.

Files are processed entirely in your browser. Your file's contents never leave your device.

Your PDF never touches a server. There's nothing here to ration.

No daily caps. No spinner that turns into a paywall after the third file.

Private by architecture

Your PDF never leaves your device.

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About this tool

Headers and footers are how a document says what it is without anyone having to open it to the first page. A matter number in the top corner, "CONFIDENTIAL DRAFT" across the top, the filename and a page count along the bottom: every page carries its own context, so a page that gets printed, photocopied or pulled out of a bundle still identifies itself. That is exactly why courts, procurement teams and anyone circulating drafts insist on them.

You get six independent slots (three along the top edge, three along the bottom), and each takes free text. Four tokens are substituted as the stamp is applied: {page}, {total}, {date} and {filename}, so a footer written once as "{filename}, page {page} of {total}" comes out right on every page of every file. A live preview under each box shows exactly what will be drawn, and the cover page can be left alone with one checkbox, since a title page with a header on it usually looks wrong.

Nothing is uploaded and nothing is re-rendered: the labels are drawn into the existing pages, so text stays selectable and images keep their resolution. Drop several PDFs and they are all stamped with the same settings, with {filename} resolving per file. The margin text is drawn in Helvetica, which covers Latin alphabets; if you paste in characters it cannot draw the tool tells you before it stamps rather than failing halfway through.

Frequently asked questions

What can I put in the text?
Anything you like, plus four tokens that are filled in per page: {page} is the page number, {total} the page count, {date} today’s date, and {filename} the source document’s name. So "{filename}, {page}/{total}" becomes "contract, 3/12" on page three.
Can I keep the header off the cover page?
Yes. Tick "Leave the first page unstamped". The numbering still counts that page, so page two is still labelled 2; it simply carries no stamp, which is what a title page normally wants.
How is this different from adding page numbers?
Page numbers are one label in one place, from a fixed set of formats. This is six independent slots of arbitrary text with tokens, which is what you need for "CONFIDENTIAL" in one corner and a date in another. Both draw the same way; this one just gives you the whole margin.
Will the text overlap my content?
It is drawn in the page margin, inset from the edge. On a document with unusually tight margins a long line can still run close to the content. The preview shows you the text before you commit, and you can shorten it or move it to a different corner.
Are my documents uploaded?
No. The stamping happens in your browser with pdf-lib, so the file never leaves your device, which matters for exactly the documents that need a CONFIDENTIAL header. Your original file is untouched; the stamped copy downloads separately.

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