Watermarking didn't apply to a delivered PDF
Six causes account for nearly every unstamped delivery. Match the symptom to the cause, then apply the fix. Most cases resolve once the per-product toggle or the plan tier is corrected.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Customer received an unstamped PDF | Your shop is on the Free plan | Upgrade to Basic, Pro or Enterprise in your Shopify billing. The PDF Watermarking settings page and the per-product toggle become available immediately. |
| Customer received an unstamped PDF | Per-product toggle is off on the product mapping | Open the product mapping in the Alva admin and switch on Enable PDF watermarking for this product. Subsequent orders are stamped. |
| Customer received an unstamped PDF | The file is not a PDF (audio, video, ZIP, image) | Only PDFs are stamped. Non-PDF files pass through unchanged. Sell the watermark-protected version as a PDF if leak traceability matters. |
| Customer received an unstamped PDF | The PDF has security restrictions (for example "prevent copying") | Nothing to fix for delivery: PDFs with security restrictions cannot be watermarked, so Alva Digital Downloads excludes them automatically and the customer receives the original unchanged. The file's Watermark checkbox shows as disabled on the product page. To watermark it, re-export the PDF without security restrictions and replace the file. |
| Customer's download is held and never arrives | The PDF is over 100 MB | PDFs over 100 MB cannot be watermarked, and Alva Digital Downloads holds the download rather than serving an unprotected copy. Split or compress the file and re-upload — or untick that file's Watermark checkbox on the product page to deliver it unchanged. |
| Customer received an unstamped PDF | The product is a personalised product | Personalised products always pass through unstamped — the per-customer file already acts as the watermark. |
| One file in the product shouldn't be watermarked | Its Watermark checkbox is still ticked | Untick the file's Watermark checkbox on the product page and save. That file is delivered unchanged from then on — to everyone, including past buyers — while the product's other PDFs stay watermarked. |
The PDF Watermarking toggle isn't showing on my product
If the per-product Enable PDF watermarking control is missing from the product mapping page, one of two conditions is blocking it. Check each in turn:
- The product mapping has no PDF attached. Add a PDF file or a pack containing a PDF.
- Your shop is on the Free plan. Upgrade your plan.
The download email is taking too long
When watermarking is enabled, Alva Digital Downloads holds the download email until every watermarked PDF in the order is stamped — usually 1–3 seconds, longer for large PDFs (a 30 MB PDF can take 30–60 seconds). PDFs you have unticked, and PDFs with security restrictions, never delay the email. For very long PDFs, set page selection to a smaller range such as the first page, the first few pages, or the cover pages that matter most — or untick the slow file's Watermark checkbox to deliver it unchanged. Alva automatically checks for delayed watermarking jobs every 10 minutes and releases any that are overdue, so the email eventually arrives without manual intervention. If an email is more than 10 minutes late, contact support with the order number.
The forensic marker doesn't appear in the PDF metadata
The forensic marker is embedded in the PDF document structure, not in the visible metadata you see in Reader's File → Properties. Open the PDF in a PDF inspection tool (e.g. pdftotext, qpdf --json, mutool show) to surface it. If asked to verify, email the leaked PDF to support and Alva can identify the original order.
A previously-downloaded order shows as unstamped on re-download
Alva Digital Downloads backfills older orders lazily. The first re-download after you opt the product in triggers a fresh stamp; subsequent re-downloads of the same file serve the stamped copy from cache. Changing the shop or product page selection affects newly stamped copies only; it does not rewrite PDFs that have already been delivered or cached. If the very first re-download is still unstamped, retry after 10 seconds — there's a brief processing window.
Frequently asked questions
PDF watermarking processes each delivered file individually per order, which adds infrastructure cost. Paid plans cover that cost. Free plan stores get the rest of Alva Digital Downloads — file delivery, fraud protection, custom emails — but not the stamping feature.
100 MB per PDF. Larger PDFs cannot be watermarked, and Alva Digital Downloads holds the download rather than serving an unprotected copy. Compress or split oversized files before uploading — or untick that file's Watermark checkbox on the product page to deliver it unchanged.
Wait 10 minutes first. Alva Digital Downloads holds the download email until stamps finish, and Alva automatically checks for delayed watermarking jobs every 10 minutes and releases any that are overdue. If the email is still missing after that window, resend it from the order page in the Alva admin — Alva won't double-stamp; the second attempt reuses the existing stamped output.
See also
Was this helpful?
Last updated 2026-07-27