What is document watermarking?
Document watermarking stamps identifying information - such as the viewer's email and the date - onto a shared document, so a leaked copy can be traced back to who received it.
A watermark is a visible mark laid over the content of a document. On a shared file it usually carries the viewer's identity, which does two things: it deters casual leaking, because a screenshot or print carries the leaker's own name, and it makes an escaped copy traceable after the fact.
Watermarking does not make a document impossible to copy - anything a person can read, they can in principle photograph. Its value is deterrence and attribution, which for most confidential sharing is exactly the point.
In 99 Data Rooms
How it works here.
99 Data Rooms offers per-viewer email watermarking on the Business tier, so each recipient sees their own identity across the document. Combined with the page-by-page view log and one-click revocation, it raises the cost of leaking and lowers the value of a copy that gets out.
Common questions
Document watermarking, in short.
Does watermarking stop someone copying a document?
No control makes a readable document uncopyable. Watermarking deters leaks and makes a leaked copy attributable to the person who received it, which is what discourages sharing in practice.
What does the watermark show?
Typically the viewer's email and the date, laid over the document so it appears on screenshots and prints.
Related terms
What is viewer analytics (document tracking)?
Viewer analytics is page-by-page tracking of a shared document: who opened it, when, how far they read and how long they spent, so you can see genuine engagement rather than guess at it.
DefinitionWhat is a virtual data room?
A virtual data room (VDR) is a secure online space for sharing sensitive business documents with outside parties, where every viewer is controlled and every view is tracked.
DefinitionWhat is an NDA gate?
An NDA gate requires a viewer to accept a non-disclosure agreement before they can open a shared document, with each acceptance recorded against their email and a timestamp.
Try it on a real document. Turn a PDF into a tracked, revocable link in a couple of minutes. Three rooms stay free for as long as you want them, no card required.