Add Text Watermark to Excel using n8n action

PDF4me Add Text Watermark to Excel enables adding customizable text watermarks to Excel documents through n8n automation workflows using WordArt with comprehensive styling and positioning control. Process Excel files via n8n triggers, binary data, base64 strings, or public URLs to add security labels, branding elements, confidentiality notices, and status markers with full control over watermark text, size presets (small, medium, large, extra-large), color (hex or named), font family, bold/italic styling, transparency levels (0-100%), rotation angles (-360° to 360°), and 9-position placement grid. This solution is ideal for document security, brand protection, status indication, and automated watermarking workflows that require text watermarks with comprehensive styling control and seamless integration.

Setup

Add the PDF4me "Add Text Watermark" node to your n8n workflow and configure the required parameters. For initial setup instructions, see our n8n Integration Guide.

Prerequisites:

• PDF4me API credentials
• n8n workflow access

Get Your API Key

Configuration:

1. Add PDF4me node to workflow
2. Select "Add text watermark" action
3. Configure input parameters (see below)

Parameters

Complete list of parameters for the Add Text Watermark action. Configure these parameters to control watermark appearance and placement.

Important: Parameters marked with an asterisk (***) are required. Worksheet indexes use 0-based numbering (Index 0 = first worksheet).

Parameter	Type	Description	Example
Input Data Type***	String	Excel Input Format Selection • Choose the format of your Excel data input • PDF4me supports multiple input types • Options: Binary Data, Base64 String, or URL	Binary Data
Input Binary Field***	Binary	Binary Excel File Input (Required if Binary Data) • Reference Excel file (.xlsx, .xls) from previous n8n node or file upload • PDF4me processes binary Excel files with automatic format detection • Required when Input Data Type is "Binary Data"	{{ $binary.data }}
Base64 Excel Content***	String	Base64 Encoded Excel Input (Required if Base64 String) • Provide Excel content (.xlsx, .xls) as base64 encoded string • PDF4me automatically decodes and processes the Excel content • Required when Input Data Type is "Base64 String"	UEsDBBQABgAI...
Excel URL***	String	Public Excel URL Input (Required if URL) • Provide a public/open permission URL to the Excel file (.xlsx, .xls) • PDF4me downloads and processes the Excel file from the provided URL • Required when Input Data Type is "URL"	https://abc.com/data.xlsx
Excel Name***	String	Excel Input Filename • Specify the name of the input Excel file with proper extension (.xlsx, .xls) • PDF4me uses this for format detection and processing optimization	data.xlsx
Watermark Text***	String	Watermark Text Content • Text to display as watermark • Required - cannot be empty • Supports any alphanumeric characters and symbols • Displayed using WordArt	CONFIDENTIAL
Text Size	Number	Size Preset • 1 = Small (50pt) • 2 = Medium (75pt) • 3 = Large (100pt) - Default • 4 = Extra Large (150pt) • Other values default to 100pt • Size Mapping: 1→50pt, 2→75pt, 3→100pt, 4→150pt	3
Text Color	String	Watermark Color • Hex format: "#FF0000" (red) • Named colors: "Red", "Blue", "Black", etc. • Default: "Black" • Invalid colors fallback to black	#FF0000
Font Family	String	Font Family Name • Font family to use for watermark • Common fonts: "Arial", "Calibri", "Times New Roman" • Default: "Arial" • Invalid fonts may use system default	Arial
Is Bold	Boolean	Bold Formatting • True - Apply bold font weight • False - Use regular font weight • Default: false • Enhances watermark visibility	false
Is Italic	Boolean	Italic Formatting • True - Apply italic font style • False - Use regular font style • Default: false • Adds stylistic variation	false
Transparency	Number	Transparency Level (0-100) • 0 = Fully opaque (solid) • 50 = Semi-transparent • 100 = Fully transparent (invisible) • Default: 0 • Controls watermark visibility	50
Rotation Angle	Number	Rotation in Degrees • Range: -360 to 360 degrees • Positive = clockwise, negative = counter-clockwise • 0 = horizontal (no rotation) • Default: 0	-45
Position	Number	Position Code (0-8) • 9-Position Grid: Top row (0,1,2), Middle row (3,4,5), Bottom row (6,7,8) • 0 = Top Left, 1 = Top Center, 2 = Top Right • 3 = Middle Left, 4 = Center (default), 5 = Middle Right • 6 = Bottom Left, 7 = Bottom Center, 8 = Bottom Right • Default: 4 (center)	4
Selected Worksheet Names	String	Comma-Separated Worksheet Names • List of worksheet names to apply watermark • Format: "Sheet1,Summary" • Empty = apply to all worksheets • Case-sensitive worksheet names	Sheet1,Summary
Selected Worksheet Indexes	String	Comma-Separated Indexes (0-based) • List of worksheet indexes to apply watermark • Format: "0,2" (Index 0 = first sheet) • Empty = apply to all worksheets • 0-based indexing (0 = first sheet)	0,2
Binary Data Output Name***	String	Binary Data Output Mapping • Define the variable name for accessing generated Excel binary data • Used in subsequent workflow actions • Essential for workflow automation	document

Output

Output Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description	Example
fileName	String	Excel document filename with watermark - The name of the output Excel document file after watermark addition	excel_with_watermark.xlsx
fileSize	Number	File size in bytes - The size of the Excel document in bytes after watermark addition	219605
success	Boolean	PDF4me operation status - Boolean flag indicating the success or failure of the watermark insertion process. PDF4me returns true for successful operations and false for any errors	true
originalFileName	String	Original Excel document filename - The name of the input Excel document file	myExcelFile.xlsx
watermarkText	String	Watermark text content - The text that was used as the watermark	CONFIDENTIAL
fontFamily	String	Font family used - The font family that was applied to the watermark text	Arial
textSize	Number	Text size in points - The size of the watermark text in points	20
isBold	Boolean	Bold formatting status - Indicates whether bold formatting was applied. true if bold, false if not	true
isItalic	Boolean	Italic formatting status - Indicates whether italic formatting was applied. true if italic, false if not	false
textColor	String	Text color - The color of the watermark text in hex format	#808080
transparency	Number	Transparency level - The transparency level of the watermark (0-100)	50
rotationAngle	Number	Rotation angle in degrees - The rotation angle applied to the watermark text	-45
position	Number	Position code - The position code (0-8) where the watermark was placed	1
worksheetSelection	Number	Worksheet selection mode - The worksheet selection mode used. Values: 0 = all worksheets, 1 = selected worksheets	1
selectedWorksheetNames	Array	Selected worksheet names - Array of worksheet names where the watermark was applied (empty if all worksheets)	[]
selectedWorksheetIndexes	Array	Selected worksheet indexes - Array of worksheet indexes where the watermark was applied (empty if all worksheets)	[]
message	String	Operation message - Descriptive message indicating the result of the watermark addition operation	Text watermark added to Excel file successfully

N8N Action Response

The PDF4me Add text watermark API returns a response that can be viewed in multiple formats. Choose the view that best fits your needs:

JSON

JSON Response Format

The raw JSON response from the API:

[
  {
    "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"
  }
]

Table

Table View

Response data in a structured table format:

Parameter	Value
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

Schema View

The data structure and types of the response:

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 (Text)
• # = Number
• ☑ = Boolean
• [] = Array

Binary

Binary Data View

The actual Excel document file data and metadata:

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:

• n8n Binary Object: $binary.data.data
• Base64 Content: Available for direct use
• File Operations: Ready for download, email, or storage

Use Cases

Document Security and Confidentiality

• Add "CONFIDENTIAL" watermarks to sensitive Excel documents
• Apply security labels and confidentiality notices automatically
• Mark documents with privacy and data protection indicators

Brand Protection and Copyright

• Add copyright notices and company branding to Excel files
• Apply intellectual property protection with visible watermarks
• Insert status markers and approval indicators

Draft and Review Status

• Mark draft documents with "DRAFT" watermarks for review
• Apply approval status indicators to finalized documents
• Indicate document version and review status

Get Help

n8n Integration Guiden8n SampleGetting Started