[How To] Create ‘Draft’ Watermarks in MS Word

Have you ever wanted the word “DRAFT” to appear as a light background on the pages of your printed documents?

Microsoft refers to this use of words and images as “watermarks”.A Watermark lets you place an image (or text) ‘behind’ the main text.

How to Create Watermarks in MS Word

To place a watermark is quite straightforward:    

1. Go to Insert | Picture and select the image from the options.
2. Insert the graphic in the page.
3. Right-click on the image and select Format Picture.
4. In the Picture tab, under Image control, select Watermark from the Color box’s drop down menu. Click OK.
5. Modify the watermark’s settings by adjusting the brightness and contrast slide bars.  By following the steps above, your watermark will ‘float’ behind the text. 

Placing the watermark on all pages 

If you wish it to appear on every page, insert it into a persistent element, such as a header or footer which appears on every page. 

To do this:

1. Go to View | Header and Footer.
2. Go to Insert | Picture and select the image from the options. This image serves as your watermark.   

The next step is to reduce the image’s color settings. 

1. Right-click on the image and select Format Picture.
2. In the Picture tab, under Image control, select Watermark from the Color box’s drop down menu. Click OK.
3. Modify the watermark’s settings by adjusting the brightness and contrast slide bars.   Your watermark image will now appear on all pages in the document.  

If you wish, you can then save the file as a template:

1. Go to File | Save As
2. Enter a file name
3. Select Document Template from the Save as type drop-down menu.  You now have a template file with your watermark in place.