There are many really useful resources to give a touch of quality and professionalism to our documents. Microsoft Word. One of them is the insertion of a watermark. A simple touch to customize the background of the document, which can be a company logo or any other motif. Add a watermark to your Word documents and achieves that extra distinction.
It is not too complicated to provide our documents with this element, but it is necessary to learn how to do it correctly and, above all, know how to choose the characteristics of this element well. watermark so that it is not visually uncomfortable or difficult to read.
What is a watermark?
The watermark is a image, logo, phrase or any other semi-transparent element that appears over text or an image. Its use is very common in the most diverse areas, being a kind of message for the people who receive the document in question. For example, they contain information about the nature or purpose of the text (copy, draft, sample, etc.) or about its purpose (confidential, private, urgent, etc.).
On other occasions, the watermark fulfills an almost ornamental function, with the drawing or logo of a company or organization. Or it is simply inserted to avoid the reproduction of content without permission, as happens for example in royalty-free photos from image banks.
Why put a watermark?
Insert a watermark to a Word document serves to add context, as well as determine its status or degree of importance. Furthermore, it also has the advantage that we Provides an additional layer of protection. For example, the watermark with the text “draft” does not lead to misunderstandings, everyone understands that this is not a final version. The same happens with the "confidential" text, the meaning of which leaves no room for ambiguity.
Another use of putting a watermark on a document is prevent copies from being made without permission. For these cases, an image is usually used that occupies the central part of the page (unlike the letterhead, which is located in the header). This semi-transparent element appears as a background image on which the text is written. This is perfectly readable, but cannot be dissociated from the watermark.
Furthermore, since it is on a different layer, it is not necessary to adapt the text to the shape of the mark, which is something that must be done when it is a normal image.
How to add a watermark step by step
Inserting a watermark into a Word document is very simple. Normally, the design or choice of type of watermark It is done independently and later added to the finished document. This is the most recommended to avoid distractions.
Below is a brief tutorial to carry out this process effectively and easily:
- First, We start Word and open the document in which we want to include the watermark.
- In the main menu, click on "Watch".
- There we select the option "Print layout".
- Then we go to the tab "Design".
- On the far right is the group «Page background».
- Then we click "Watermark".
- Default examples are shown in the drop-down panel. Each of them includes a tilted page layout and a horizontal page layout. You just have to click on the design you want.
Add a custom watermark
The steps explained here are used to choose a watermark from the templates designed by the program itself. But, What if we want to add a custom watermark?
In that case, when we get to step 6 we have to choose the option «Custom watermark». This opens a new dialog box called «Printed watermark». This is the box displayed on the screen:
Here what we have to do is the following:
- First we delete the value of the text box and We enter the text we want.
- After We adjust the Font, Size, Color and Design options, to adapt them to the style we want.
- Finally, we click on "Apply" and then in "To close".
Add an image as a watermark
When what we want is for our watermark to be a symbol, an image or even a logo, we have to resort to another option. Following the previous instructions, we stop at step 6. There, in the dialog box Printed watermark, click on the image button and follow these steps:
- We click on the button Select image.
- On the panel «Insert image" that opens, we select an option and go to the location of the image we want to upload.
- Finally, click on the button «Apply" and then in that of "To close".
Move watermark
Although the ideal is for the watermark to be displayed in the center, it is also possible to place it anywhere in the document, according to our own preferences. The way to do it is the following:
- In the document where the watermark is located, we click on the top part, so that the area of Header.
- Then we move down, to the water mark.
- When you place the cursor over it, it will change its appearance to an icon with four arrows. This means that we are in Move mode.
- We click and We drag the element to the new location.
- To finish, we click on «Close header and footer» in the top menu.
How to remove a watermark in Word
The process to follow to remove the watermark in a Word document is very simple, although it must be taken into account that it is not the same as in the case of deleting an image. In reality, it is executed by undoing the steps we followed to insert it:
- First we open the Word document and go directly to the tab "Design".
- Then in the group "page background", we double click on the button "Watermark".
- Finally, we click on the option «Remove watermark» which is at the end.