How to Add a Background to a PDF
Updated July 13, 2026
A plain white PDF works fine, but sometimes you want it to look like it was printed on letterhead, or you want a tint behind slides to make them easier on the eyes. Add Background handles that without editing the source document.
Steps
- Open Add Background and drop your PDF above (or click to select).
- Choose a solid color or pick an image.
- Click Add background, then download the PDF.
Solid colors and full-bleed images
Pick any color with the color picker for a flat tint behind every page, or choose a PNG or JPG to stretch edge to edge behind each page instead — a quick way to add a brand backdrop, a paper texture, or a letterhead look across an entire document. Either way, the background sits underneath the page’s existing text and graphics, which stay fully visible on top.
When the background won’t show
If a page already paints its own solid white fill — common in PDFs exported from office software — that fill sits above the background you add and will hide it. That’s expected behavior, not a bug: the background layer is genuinely behind the page content, not blended into it.
Notes
Everything runs locally in your browser, so nothing is uploaded — your PDF stays on your device throughout. To place a smaller image on top of the content instead of behind it, use Add Image to PDF; to add repeating text like “DRAFT” over the page instead, use Add Watermark.