Letterhead on any PDF — overlays, under versus over, and what covering is not
Updated 28 August 2026
Overlay PDF lays one PDF over or under another: letterhead UNDER your document (the document paints last, so an opaque letterhead cannot hide your text), or a stamp OVER it. All pages, the first page, or a range; text in both layers stays selectable; the document is loaded, not rebuilt, so its links survive.
Put letterhead or a stamp on an existing PDF in your browser: overlay under or over, all pages or a range — and why covering is never removing.
UnboundPDF is a free suite of 53 PDF and image tools that run entirely in your browser — merge, split, compress, edit text, OCR in 126 languages, redact, sign, convert and archive to PDF/A. Your document is read and written by the page on your own device; there is no document-upload endpoint in the core tools, no account, no watermark and no daily cap. Every result can be checked — with the Network tab, or with the Document Passport the Workspace writes for a chain of steps.
- Open Overlay PDF, add your document, then add the letterhead or stamp PDF in the second slot.
- Choose UNDER (letterhead — the default) or OVER (a stamp), and which pages: all, first only, or a range.
- Download; both layers' text stays selectable and the document's own links survive.
Open Overlay PDF: document in the first slot, letterhead in the second, UNDER, download. Company paper, after the fact.
The two modes, honestly explained
UNDER puts the overlay behind your content — right for letterhead, and physically incapable of hiding your text, because the document paints last. OVER puts it on top — right for a COPY or DRAFT banner, and the mode that CAN cover content. The one caveat runs the other way: a document of full-page scans is itself opaque and will paint over an UNDER letterhead; the page explains it.
Covering is not removing
An OVER stamp that hides text does not delete it — select-all still finds it, and the tool says so with a pointer to Redact PDF. Use overlays for identity and status, never for secrecy.
Neighbours
A one-line footer is Headers & Footers; a diagonal DRAFT is Watermark; a full-page design under everything is this tool. Three margins of the same craft.
Frequently asked questions
Will the letterhead hide my text?
Not in UNDER mode — your document is painted last, so an opaque letterhead covers only the page background. OVER is the mode that can cover content, which is what a stamp wants.
Can I use a Word letterhead?
Export it to PDF first (Word to PDF), then overlay. A born-digital letterhead usually has a transparent background, which behaves best.
Does an OVER stamp remove what it covers?
No — covering is not removing; the text underneath is still extractable, and the page says so. Content that must be gone goes through Redact PDF.