Using watermarks you can put your logo on a document or mark it in other ways. In its origins, the watermarks were put when manufacturing the paper. The manufacturer reduced the thickness of the paper in certain positions while it was still wet. Thus, the paper became more transparent at these points and light passed through it more easily, so when the paper was brought closer to the light, a graphic or text could be seen..
This effect is used, for example, to guarantee the authenticity of the print (money banknotes) or to deny this authenticity, when the word? Model? background. Other people use the watermark to place their company logo elegantly and subtly.
Word allows you to have a similar effect: you cannot manipulate the printing paper, but you can place almost transparent text or images in the background of the document. In this article we will explain how to mark letters and other texts with your own watermark..
Using a watermark you can add a graphic element to the pages of your document in Word. To do this, select the tab? Design? on the top toolbar. There you will find the function? Watermark ?. If you click the button, Word already makes several suggestions for words that you can use. You can embed different words (for example? Draft? Or? Confidential?) In different orientations and light gray font on the paper. The words appear in the center of the page (or all the pages of the document if it consists of several) but their color tone is so light that it shows the main text above it.
In Word 2007 or 2010 this option is found in the "Page Layout" tab..
Apart from the suggested watermarks, you can also use elements of your own creation in Word. You can access the corresponding option (also via the? Watermark? Button) by clicking on? Custom Watermarks? and insert either an image or a text.
If you want to insert an image , you can select it on your hard drive without previously adapting it to the characteristics of the watermark. With the "Bleach" option, Word inserts the graphic in the same light gray shade as the suggested templates, although this option is not suitable for all image files. It is also possible to deselect the option, in which case Word simply lightens the image slightly. In addition, you can resize the image so that the graphic fits the page perfectly.
In theory you can also add an image to the background of your document without using the watermark function, in which case you also have to take care of adapting the color. Also, while Word inserts the watermarks throughout the document automatically, if you use a normal image, you have to do it manually on all pages.
Besides the images you can also insert your own labels as a watermark in the document. In this context, Word again offers you different suggestions, but you can also enter your own text and adapt its representation later: adjust the font type, size and color . As a color, Word suggests the classic gray, but you can go for any other. Also, there is the option? Semitransparent ?. If you activate it, the text appears very lightly marked on the pages of the document. Finally, you must decide if the text should appear diagonally or horizontally.
If you click on? Apply ?, you will insert your creation into the document. Thanks to the preview you can decide if you want to make more changes or if the result convinces you. Even if you have already closed the menu window for custom watermarks, you can reopen it (as described above) and adapt the text or image again.
Not satisfied with your watermark in Word? We also explain how to remove watermarks in Word.
In addition to the adjustment options that Word offers you when creating the watermark, there are more functions in the program, but they are a little more hidden. If you open the header of a page (by double-clicking the top margin of the page), you can select and adapt the background objects. Apart from the header and footer, the watermark is also included. If you click on the graphic or the text, you will select it and you can rotate it, move it or modify its size.
If you work with text watermarks, you can also access (via the menu bar) the WordArt tools . These tools allow you to continue adapting the design of the letters, for example, modifying the extension or adding 3D effects. On the other hand, if you have opted for a watermark of a graphic, now you can access the image tools . Here you will also find several more options to adapt your watermark.
