Overlay PDF — Merge Two PDFs on Top of Each Other

What Is PDF Overlay?

PDF overlay takes two PDFs and combines them layer by layer — the content of one PDF is placed on top of (or behind) the other. Unlike merging (which stacks pages sequentially), overlay combines pages visually on the same sheet.

Common Uses

• Letterhead — overlay plain content pages onto branded letterhead template
• Stamps and signatures — overlay a signature stamp onto a document
• Templates — overlay data onto pre-designed forms
• Watermark alternative — overlay a semi-transparent logo across pages
• Certificate generation — overlay names onto a certificate template

How to Overlay Online

Step 1: Upload Two PDFs

Open MyPDF's Overlay tool and upload:

1. Base PDF — the background (e.g., letterhead template)


2. Overlay PDF — the foreground (e.g., document content)

Step 2: Configure

• Layer order — which PDF goes on top
• Opacity — for the overlay layer (100% = fully visible, 50% = semi-transparent)
• Page matching — match page-by-page, or repeat the overlay on every base page

Step 3: Combine and Download

Click "Overlay" and download the combined PDF.

Overlay vs Merge vs Background

Operation	What It Does	Result
Overlay	Stacks pages on top of each other	Single page with both contents
Merge	Places pages one after another	More total pages
Background	Adds color/image behind content	Single page with background

Example: Adding Letterhead

You have:

• letterhead.pdf — one page with company logo, address, and borders


• report.pdf — 10 pages of plain text content

Overlay report.pdf on top of letterhead.pdf (set letterhead to repeat on all pages). Result: 10 pages of report content on branded letterhead.

Tips

1. Use transparent backgrounds — the overlay PDF should have transparent or white background areas where the base PDF needs to show through
2. Match page sizes — both PDFs should be the same page size for proper alignment
3. Test with one page first — verify alignment before processing a long document
4. Use for batch stamping — create a one-page "APPROVED" stamp PDF and overlay it onto a multi-page document

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I overlay more than two PDFs?

Overlay two at a time. For three layers, overlay A+B first, then overlay the result with C.

What if the PDFs have different page counts?

If the overlay PDF has fewer pages, its last page can repeat on remaining base pages. Or pages without a matching overlay remain unchanged.

Does overlay flatten the result?

The result maintains separate PDF objects, but they're visually combined on the same page.

Related Tools

• Add Background — Add color or image behind content
• Add Watermark — Add text/image overlay with opacity control
• Merge PDF — Combine PDFs page-after-page (not layered)
• Sign PDF — Add signature specifically