pdf-watermark-remover

name	pdf-watermark-remover
description	Remove watermarks from PDF files. Use when users request watermark removal, cleaning watermarks, or de-watermarking PDF documents. Supports tiling pattern watermarks (repeated image/text tiles) and semi-transparent text overlay watermarks.

PDF Watermark Remover

Remove watermarks from PDF files using PyMuPDF. Supports tiling pattern watermarks (most common in enterprise document systems) and semi-transparent text overlays.

Prerequisites

Ensure PyMuPDF is installed:

sudo pip3 install pymupdf

Usage

Run the bundled script:

python3 pdf_watermark_remover/cli.py <input.pdf> <output.pdf> [--mode auto|pattern|text|both]

Or if installed via pip:

pdf-watermark-remover <input.pdf> <output.pdf> [--mode auto|pattern|text|both]

Modes

Mode	Description
auto	Detect watermark type automatically and remove (default)
pattern	Remove only tiling pattern watermarks (repeated tiles covering pages)
text	Remove only semi-transparent text watermarks
both	Force remove both types

Typical Workflow

1. Receive PDF file from user
2. Run script with --mode auto (default)
3. Verify output by viewing 2-3 pages of the result PDF
4. If watermarks remain, retry with --mode both or investigate manually
5. Deliver the cleaned PDF to the user

How It Works

• Pattern watermarks: Detected by /Pattern CS operators in content streams. Removed by excising q...Q graphics state blocks containing pattern fill operations.
• Text watermarks: Detected by ExtGState objects with fill opacity (/ca) less than 1.0.

Limitations

• Cannot remove watermarks baked into rasterized images (scanned PDFs)
• Cannot remove watermarks embedded as part of the actual page content (same opacity as normal text)
• For encrypted/password-protected PDFs, decryption must be done first