How to use the add text to pdf
- Choose a PDF, up to 25 MB and 500 pages. The page shows a preview of the first page.
- Choose whether to measure positions in inches, millimeters or points. Distances run from the top-left corner of the page as you see it.
- For each text box, enter the text, the page (0 puts it on every page), the position, font, size, color and an optional background. Add more boxes as you need them.
- Add the text and download the PDF. The page previews the page you choose from the new file.
Formula
The text box is placed with its top-left corner at the distance you give from the left and the top
Line height is 1.2 times the font size, and a background is drawn a little larger than the text
On a rotated page the position is converted so the text appears where you set it on screen
72 points make 1 inch, and 25.4 millimeters make 1 inch
Text uses the standard PDF fonts Helvetica, Times and Courier, in regular, bold, italic and bold italic.
A line of text one inch from the corner
A 12 point Helvetica box with the text "Hello PDF" placed at 1 inch from the left and 1 inch from the top on a letter page is drawn with its text starting 72 points from the left. Its baseline sits 72 + 1.2 + 8.616 = 81.8 points down from the top: half of the 2.4 point extra line space plus the height of the letters above the baseline.
On a page rotated by 90, 180 or 270 degrees, the same box appears at the same place on screen, and pdf.js reports the same position. A box with a yellow background and the lines "First line" and "Second line" in Courier adds the background behind both lines, with the lines 14.4 points apart for a 12 point font.
What it is for
Use it to fill in a line on a form that has no form fields, to add a note or a label, to put a date or a reference number on every page, or to cover something with a colored box and write over it. Text goes on top of the page and does not change or remove what is there, so a background does not erase the content below it in the file, it only hides it from view.
For forms that do have fields, use the fill PDF form tool. To add a signature, use sign PDF, and to stamp see-through text across pages, the PDF watermark tool.
Fonts and characters
The standard fonts cover English and most Western European letters and common punctuation. They do not cover other scripts, many symbols or emoji, and the page tells you which characters it cannot draw instead of producing a broken file. Fonts are not embedded, because every PDF reader has them. Choose a size of 4 to 200 points.
To number the pages, use the page number tool. Your original file is not changed, and nothing is uploaded.
Assumptions and limits
- Positions are measured from the top-left corner of the page as it is displayed, including rotated pages.
- Only the standard PDF fonts are used, so only characters they can draw are accepted.
- Text is added above the page content. It does not edit the existing text.
- Up to 50 text boxes of up to 2,000 characters each.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add text to a PDF?
Choose the PDF, type the text, set the page and position and download the new file. Add more boxes for more text.
Can I put the same text on every page?
Yes. Use 0 as the page number and the text is added to every page.
Can I add text to a rotated page?
Yes. The position is converted, so the text appears where you set it as you see the page.
Why does it say it cannot draw a character?
The standard fonts cover only certain letters and symbols. Replace the character, or use a simple form of it.