Add Text Watermark to Excel in n8n

Add Text Watermark is a PDF4me Excel operation in n8n that stamps a custom text label such as CONFIDENTIAL or DRAFT across worksheets in an .xlsx workbook. Use it to mark sensitive spreadsheets, flag drafts before review, or apply company branding automatically, with no manual editing in Excel.

What this node does

PDF4me Excel: Add Text Watermark renders a WordArt-style text watermark onto Excel worksheets, with control over font family, text size in points, text colour, bold and italic styling, transparency, rotation angle, and a nine-position placement grid. Worksheet Selection decides whether the watermark lands on every sheet or only the ones you name. Ideal for confidentiality labels, draft markers, copyright notices, and automated spreadsheet branding.

Authenticating Your API Request

Every PDF4me node in n8n requires a valid Credential to connect with. Create or select one that holds your PDF4me API key so the workflow can authenticate watermarking requests securely.

Get your API Key

Important Facts You Should Not Miss

Text Size is a point value, not a preset code

Enter the size you want directly. A value of 20 renders a 20 point watermark and the response echoes textSize 20. Raise it to 72 or above for the full-width diagonal look.

Worksheet Selection gates the whole workbook

All Worksheets stamps every sheet and reports worksheetSelection 0 in the response. Switching to a specific selection targets sheets by name or zero-based index and reports worksheetSelection 1.

Transparency 0 is solid, not invisible

The scale runs 0 to 100 where 0 is fully opaque and 100 is fully transparent. The default of 0 produces a solid watermark, so raise it to roughly 50 when the data underneath must stay readable.

PDF4me Excel node in n8n set to Operation Add Text Watermark, Excel File Input Method From Previous Node (Binary Data), Binary Data Property Name data, Watermark Text CONFIDENTIAL, Font Family Arial, Text Size 20, Bold on, Italic off, Text Color #808080, Transparency 50, Rotation Angle -45, Position Center, Worksheet Selection All Worksheets, Output File Name excel_with_watermark.xlsx, Source Document Name myExcelFile.xlsx, Output Binary Data Name data — PDF4me Excel Add Text Watermark parameters panel in n8n

What Parameters Does Add Text Watermark Need?

Required: Operation, Excel File Input Method, the input field matching that method, Watermark Text, and Output File Name. Styling fields (Font Family, Text Size, Text Color, Bold, Italic, Transparency, Rotation Angle, Position) all ship with working defaults, and Source Document Name plus Output Binary Data Name are optional labels.

Parameter	Required	What it does	Example
Operation	Required	Selects the PDF4me Excel action to run. Choose Add Text Watermark.	`Add Text Watermark`
Excel File Input Method	Required	How the workbook reaches the node. From Previous Node (Binary Data) reads it from an upstream item; the dropdown also offers base64 and file URL alternatives.	`From Previous Node (Binary Data)`
Binary Data Property Name	Conditional	Name of the binary property on the incoming n8n item that holds the .xlsx workbook. Applies when the input method is binary data. Defaults to data.	`data`
Watermark Text	Required	The text stamped across the worksheet. Accepts any string, including expressions mapped from earlier nodes.	`CONFIDENTIAL`
Font Family	Optional	Font used to render the watermark, chosen from the dropdown of available families.	`Arial`
Text Size	Optional	Watermark size in points, entered directly. The response echoes the same number back as textSize.	`20`
Bold	Optional	Toggle that applies bold weight to the watermark text. Off by default.	`true`
Italic	Optional	Toggle that applies italic styling to the watermark text. Off by default.	`false`
Text Color	Optional	Watermark colour, set through the colour picker or as a hex code.	`#808080`
Transparency	Optional	Transparency from 0 (fully opaque) to 100 (fully invisible). Default 0.	`50`
Rotation Angle	Optional	Rotation in degrees. 0 is horizontal, negative values tilt anticlockwise for the classic diagonal watermark.	`-45`
Position	Optional	Placement on the sheet, picked from a nine-cell grid running Top Left through Bottom Right. Returned as a numeric code in the response.	`Center`
Worksheet Selection	Optional	All Worksheets watermarks every sheet. Switching to a specific selection lets you target sheets by name or zero-based index.	`All Worksheets`
Output File Name	Required	Filename for the watermarked workbook the node returns. Include the .xlsx extension.	`excel_with_watermark.xlsx`
Source Document Name	Optional	Reference label for the incoming workbook. Echoed back as originalFileName for tracking; it does not change the output.	`myExcelFile.xlsx`
Output Binary Data Name	Optional	Name of the binary property the output item exposes. Defaults to data.	`data`

Output Fields

A successful run returns one n8n item carrying JSON metadata plus the watermarked workbook as binary data.

Field	Type	What it contains
`success`	Boolean	True when the watermark was applied successfully. Use it to route error-handling branches.
`fileName`	String	Filename of the watermarked workbook, matching Output File Name.
`fileSize`	Number	Size of the returned workbook in bytes.
`originalFileName`	String	The value supplied in Source Document Name, echoed back for tracking.
`watermarkText`	String	The text that was stamped onto the worksheets.
`fontFamily`	String	Font family used to render the watermark.
`textSize`	Number	Watermark size in points, matching the Text Size input.
`isBold`	Boolean	Whether bold weight was applied.
`isItalic`	Boolean	Whether italic styling was applied.
`textColor`	String	Watermark colour as a hex value.
`transparency`	Number	Transparency level applied, from 0 to 100.
`rotationAngle`	Number	Rotation in degrees applied to the watermark.
`position`	Number	Numeric code for the placement cell used on the nine-position grid.
`worksheetSelection`	Number	0 when every worksheet was watermarked, 1 when a specific selection was targeted.
`selectedWorksheetNames`	Array	Worksheet names targeted, empty when all worksheets were processed.
`selectedWorksheetIndexes`	Array	Zero-based worksheet indexes targeted, empty when all worksheets were processed.
`message`	String	Human-readable result message for the operation.
`Binary (data)`	Binary	The watermarked .xlsx under Output Binary Data Name (default data). Pass into Write Binary File, Email, or a cloud-storage upload.

N8N Action Response

The PDF4me Add Text Watermark operation returns a response you can inspect in several formats inside n8n:

JSON
Schema
Binary

JSON Response Format

[
  {
    "fileName": "excel_with_watermark.xlsx",
    "fileSize": 219605,
    "success": true,
    "originalFileName": "myExcelFile.xlsx",
    "watermarkText": "CONFIDENTIAL",
    "fontFamily": "Arial",
    "textSize": 20,
    "isBold": true,
    "isItalic": false,
    "textColor": "#808080",
    "transparency": 50,
    "rotationAngle": -45,
    "position": 1,
    "worksheetSelection": 1,
    "selectedWorksheetNames": [],
    "selectedWorksheetIndexes": [],
    "message": "Text watermark added to Excel file successfully"
  }
]

Schema View

1 item
fileName: T excel_with_watermark.xlsx
fileSize: # 219605
success: true
originalFileName: T myExcelFile.xlsx
watermarkText: T CONFIDENTIAL
fontFamily: T Arial
textSize: # 20
isBold: true
isItalic: false
textColor: T #808080
transparency: # 50
rotationAngle: # -45
position: # 1
worksheetSelection: # 1
selectedWorksheetNames: [] Array
selectedWorksheetIndexes: [] Array
message: T Text watermark added to Excel file successfully

Type Indicators: T = String, # = Number, [] = Array.

Binary Data View

data
File Name: excel_with_watermark.xlsx
File Extension: xlsx
Mime Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet
File Size: 219.6 kB

Binary Data Access: reach the workbook at $binary.data.data, ready for download, email, or storage.

How Do I Set Up Add Text Watermark in n8n?

Add the PDF4me Excel node to your n8n workflow and set Operation to Add Text Watermark.
In Credential to connect with, select your PDF4me API credential or create one and paste your API key.
Set Excel File Input Method to From Previous Node (Binary Data) and set Binary Data Property Name to the property holding the workbook, normally data.
Enter Watermark Text, for example CONFIDENTIAL.
Style the watermark with Font Family, Text Size (in points), Text Color, Bold, and Italic.
Tune visibility and placement with Transparency, Rotation Angle, and Position.
Set Worksheet Selection to All Worksheets or target specific sheets.
Set Output File Name ending in .xlsx, then execute the node and route the watermarked workbook onward.

Typical Setups

Workflow ExamplesCommon n8n workflow patterns using Add Text Watermark for Excel.

CONFIDENTIAL label before external sharing

A Google Drive trigger fires when a workbook lands in an outgoing folder.
PDF4me Excel runs Add Text Watermark with Watermark Text CONFIDENTIAL, Text Color red, Transparency 50.
The watermarked workbook is emailed to the recipient and archived back to Drive.

Diagonal DRAFT mark on scheduled reports

A Schedule Trigger builds a weekly figures workbook from a database export.
Add Text Watermark runs with Watermark Text DRAFT, Rotation Angle -45, Transparency 50, Position Center.
The draft is posted to a Slack review channel before sign-off.

Client name stamped per record

A Loop Over Items node iterates client rows from a CRM export.
Watermark Text is mapped from an expression so each workbook carries that client name.
Each output is written to cloud storage using the client ID as the filename.

Summary sheet only, leaving raw data clean

A webhook receives a finished reporting workbook from an internal tool.
Worksheet Selection targets the summary sheet so raw data tabs stay unmarked.
The result is uploaded to SharePoint for distribution.

Practical Tips

Text Size is points, not a preset

Type the point size you actually want. There is no 1 to 4 preset scale, so 20 means 20 points and 100 means a full-width banner.

Raise Transparency before raising size

A large opaque watermark hides cell values. Set Transparency near 50 first, then increase Text Size for coverage.

Rotation -45 gives the classic look

Negative angles tilt anticlockwise. Pair Rotation Angle -45 with Position Center for the traditional diagonal watermark.

Worksheet indexes are zero-based

When targeting sheets by index, the first worksheet is 0, not 1. Mixing this up silently watermarks the wrong tab.

Output File Name needs the .xlsx extension

Omitting the extension can leave downstream nodes unable to detect the format when writing or emailing the file.

Source Document Name is reference-only

It is echoed back as originalFileName for tracking and does not affect the watermark or the output filename.

Cheat Sheet

Field	Value
Operation	`Add Text Watermark`
Excel File Input Method	`From Previous Node (Binary Data)`
Binary Data Property Name	`data`
Watermark Text	`CONFIDENTIAL`
Font Family	`Arial`
Text Size	`20 (points)`
Text Color	`#808080`
Transparency	`50`
Rotation Angle	`-45`
Position	`Center`
Worksheet Selection	`All Worksheets`
Output File Name	`excel_with_watermark.xlsx`
Output Binary Data Name	`data`
Credentials	`PDF4me API credential`

Common Questions

Is Text Size a point value or a preset number?+

Text Size is a direct point value, not a preset code. Entering 20 renders the watermark at 20 points and the response echoes textSize 20. Larger values such as 72 or 100 produce the full-page watermark look used on confidential copies.

Can I watermark only some worksheets instead of the whole workbook?+

Yes. Worksheet Selection controls this. All Worksheets applies the watermark everywhere and the response reports worksheetSelection 0. Choosing a specific selection lets you target worksheets by name or by zero-based index, and the response reports worksheetSelection 1.

How do I get the classic diagonal watermark look?+

Set Rotation Angle to a value such as -45 for a tilted watermark, raise Transparency to around 50 so cell contents stay readable underneath, and set Position to Center so the text sits across the middle of the sheet.

What does Transparency 0 mean?+

Transparency runs from 0 to 100 where 0 is fully opaque and 100 is fully invisible. The default is 0, which renders a solid watermark. Values around 40 to 60 are the usual choice when the watermark must not obscure the data.

What is the difference between Output File Name and Source Document Name?+

Output File Name is the filename of the watermarked workbook the node produces. Source Document Name is a reference label for the incoming file and is echoed back as originalFileName in the response, so it is useful for tracking rather than for controlling output.

Does the watermark support dynamic text from earlier nodes?+

Yes. Watermark Text accepts any string, so you can map an n8n expression into it, for example a client name or a generated timestamp from an upstream node, using the syntax described in the n8n expressions documentation.

Why not just use the built-in Excel watermark feature?+

Excel has no dedicated watermark button. The manual route is inserting WordArt or a header image on every sheet by hand, which does not scale past a handful of files. Running the operation through n8n applies the same visual result to every workbook in a workflow without opening Excel, and it can be chained with other n8n workflow steps.

Remove Watermark from Excel

Strips an existing watermark back out, useful when a draft label must be cleared before a workbook is finalised.

Add Text Header Footer to Excel

Places repeating text in the page margins instead of across the sheet body, often paired with a watermark for full branding.

Secure Excel

Adds password protection, a natural next step after marking a workbook confidential.