How to Add an Image to a PDF for Free (Logo, Photo or Signature)

"Add an image to a PDF" usually means one of three things: dropping a signature image onto a contract, placing a logo or photo inside an existing page, or tacking a standalone image on as a new page. Each has a clean free path — and the fastest one depends on which you mean. Let's take the most common case first.

Adding a signature image — use Sign PDF

If the image you want to add is a picture of your signature — snapped with your phone or scanned from paper — this is exactly what pdfty Sign PDF is built for. It's our tool, it's free, and it's the least fiddly route.

For the full signing walkthrough, see how to add a signature to a PDF.

Adding a logo or photo inside a page (Preview & Acrobat Reader)

For any other image — a company logo on a letterhead, a photo in a report, a stamp — you want a tool that places arbitrary images. pdfty doesn't have a general image-placement editor, so the free built-in apps are the right call here.

macOS Preview

1. Open your image in Preview and Edit → Copy it (⌘C).
2. Open the target PDF in Preview.
3. Go to the page you want, then Edit → Paste (⌘V). The image lands as a movable object.
4. Drag it into position and resize with the corner handles.
5. File → Export as PDF to save a fresh copy.

Preview is fully offline — good for anything confidential.

Free Adobe Acrobat Reader

The free Reader's Fill & Sign and Comment tools can stamp an image onto a page:

1. Open the PDF in Acrobat Reader.
2. Use Comment → Add Image (or Fill & Sign for a signature-style image), then pick your file.
3. Click to place it, drag to resize.
4. File → Save As.

Works on both Mac and Windows, no Pro subscription required.

Adding an image as its own new page (JPG to PDF + Merge)

Sometimes you don't want the image inside a page — you want it as a whole new page (a scanned receipt to append, a cover image, an appendix photo). Two pdfty tools chain perfectly for this:

More on combining files in how to merge PDFs without Adobe and combining images into one PDF.

Which method fits your image?

Frequently asked questions

Can pdfty place any image anywhere on a PDF page?

Not any image, honestly. Our Sign PDF tool lets you upload and place a signature image, which covers the most common case. For arbitrary logos or photos inside a page, use macOS Preview or the free Acrobat Reader. To add an image as a new page, use JPG to PDF + Merge.

How do I put my handwritten signature image on a PDF?

Photograph your signature on white paper, then upload it in Sign PDF using the upload option, and drag it onto the signature line. It gets flattened into the page.

How do I add a logo to a PDF for free?

On a Mac, copy the logo image and paste it into the PDF in Preview, then export. On Windows, use the free Acrobat Reader's image/stamp tool. Both are free and offline.

Can I add a transparent PNG logo?

Yes — Preview and Acrobat Reader both preserve PNG transparency, so a logo with a transparent background sits cleanly over the page. For a signature image, a PNG with transparent background also looks best in Sign PDF.

How do I add a photo as a full page at the end of a PDF?

Convert the photo with JPG to PDF, then open Merge, add your PDF first and the photo-PDF second, and download.

Will adding an image blow up the file size?

A high-resolution photo can. If the result is large, run it through Compress — typically 30–60% smaller. See how to make a PDF smaller.

Does any of this add a watermark?

No — not Preview, not the free Acrobat Reader, not pdfty's tools. Watch out for random online "free" image-to-PDF sites that stamp their logo on the output.

The PDF is password-protected and won't let me add an image. What now?

Unlock it first with Unlock PDF (you'll need the password), then add your image to the unlocked copy.