Picture Watermarks in Word (Word 2003)

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I open a blank document in Word and immediately insert a Next Page section break and then go back to the first page. I insert a Watermark on the first page by using Format | Background | Printed Watermark. I expected it to stay only on Page 1 (with the existence of the Section Break) but the Watermark appears on page 2 and any subsequent pages. How can one keep the watermark on the first page only? Thanks in advance for any info
Bob W.

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Before inserting the watermark, View Header & Footer (on page 1). Using the Header & Footer toolbar, click on the Page Setup icon, then click the Layout tab and in the Headers & Footers section, select “different First Page”. When you exit out of this, then insert your watermark. It should now appear only on the first page.

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Before inserting the watermark, View Header & Footer (on page 1). Using the Header & Footer toolbar, click on the Page Setup icon, then click the Layout tab and in the Headers & Footers section, select “different First Page”. When you exit out of this, then insert your watermark. It should now appear only on the first page.

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Unfortunately I don’t believe what John is suggesting will solve the problem which is that the header gets repeated because it has the “same as previous” property (at least it doesn’t on my machine). What is required is to toggle the “same as previous” and then delete the header on the second page (in the headers and footers toolbar it is the fourth icon from the right)

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If you insert your picture using Rebels method, you will need to right click and choose format picture, select the picture tab and in the image control drop down, choose washout! This will convert your picture to a watermark!

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If you insert your picture using Rebels method, you will need to right click and choose format picture, select the picture tab and in the image control drop down, choose washout! This will convert your picture to a watermark!

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This method does work (at least for me).
Insert the watermark as you were doing (next page break, then Format>Background>Printed Watermark.
The watermark now appears on both pages.
Double click the header in section 2. The Header/Footer Toolbar will appear and “Link to previous” icon will be highlighted. Click once on it (to toggle it off). Then switch to the footer in section 2 and untoggle the “Link to Previous” icon. Then Close the toolbar.
The watermark still appears on both pages.
Double Click the header in Section 2. Type some text (any text will do – eg. “This is a test”). Close the Header/Footer toolbar.
Double Click (again) the header in Section 2. Highlight all of the text that you typed and press the Delete key.
The text is now gone and so is the watermark in Section 2. You are now left with the watermark only on Section 1, Page 1.
This is a rather cumbersome procedure but it does work.

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Actually, your method in post 415144 is easier & has always worked for me. What I normally do is create my 2nd page header, if any, first. Then I go to File/Page Setup…/Layout tab/Different first page header/OK. Then I can put in my first page header. If I’m creating a template, this creates two different headers without even adding (& then deleting) a second page to the template.

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I guess I must be missing a step or two Phil. I tried your method and it didn’t work either; the watermark still appears on page 2 after I inserted it on page 1. I still don’t understand how a watermark has anything to do with a header/footer. I even tried to make a one page document and then insert a saved blank document under it and the watermark appeared on all pages. Oh well, I guess some things will remain a mystery but thanks for trying. Regards.

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A watermark is a background graphic that in principle appears on all pages. I know that you want something different, but I’m talking about the general idea now. The way to make something appear on all pages is to place it in the header or footer of the document. So if you select Format | Background | Printed watermark…, Word creates a graphic that is linked (anchored) to a paragraph in the page header. Regardless of the way your document is set up, Word puts the graphic in each header of the document. You have to remove it manually from those headers where you don’t want it.

Two different recipes have been posted in this thread, both should work, but both require you to remove a copy of the watermark manually.

1. Using Page Setup.
– Tick “First Page Different” in the Layout tab of File | Page Setup.
– Use Format | Background | Printed watermark to create a watermark.
– Place the insertion point in the second page of the document.
– Select View | Header and Footer.
– Click on the watermark on this page, then press Delete.
– Close Header and Footer view.

2. Using a section break.
– Insert a Next Page section break at the end of page one.
– Use Format | Background | Printed watermark to create a watermark.
– Place the insertion point in the second page of the document.
– Select View | Header and Footer.
– Click the “Same as previous” button in the Header and Footer toolbar to unlink the second section footer from the first.
– Click on the watermark on this page, then press Delete.
– Close Header and Footer view.

In both cases, the watermark should have vanished from the second page, but remain on the first page.

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Hi Hans:
Maybe it works differently in Word 2000. With the steps outlined in your first method, plus bwallis immediate insertion of a next page section break, I get:

1. Using Page Setup.
– Insert a next page section break & go back to the beginning.
– Tick “First Page Different” in the Layout tab of File | Page Setup.
– Use Format | Background | Printed watermark to create a watermark.
– Place the insertion point in the second page of the document. – (not needed)
– Select View | Header and Footer. – (not needed)
– Click on the watermark on this page, then press Delete. – (not needed)
– Close Header and Footer view.

i.e. If I first insert a next page section break, as bwallis9 indicated, when I insert a watermark into the first page header, it does not appear on subsequent pages. It only appears on the first page header of the first section. If I do not insert a next page section break immediately, & I then create my first page header with a watermark, it will appear on the first page of each subsequent section break.

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I use Word 2002 (XP). The Format | Background | Printed Watermark option puts a watermark on ALL pages of ALL sections. If you do this in a large document, you can see the display flicker rapidly as the command loops through the sections to insert the watermark in each of them. It does not matter whether “Same as previous” is cleared or not. I don’t have Word 2003, but I would guess that it behaves more like Word 2002 than like Word 2000.

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Thanks, Hans. Another difference I’ll have to keep in mind.

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Thanks, Hans. Another difference I’ll have to keep in mind.

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I use Word 2002 (XP). The Format | Background | Printed Watermark option puts a watermark on ALL pages of ALL sections. If you do this in a large document, you can see the display flicker rapidly as the command loops through the sections to insert the watermark in each of them. It does not matter whether “Same as previous” is cleared or not. I don’t have Word 2003, but I would guess that it behaves more like Word 2002 than like Word 2000.

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Thanks to everyone who offered suggestions to clear up my problem with Picture Watermarks but a special thanks to HansV who suggested that, in the header/footer of page 2, turn off Link to Previous and, while the header/footer is active (most important), click on the watermark and delete it. Worked like a charm. Guess I missed the implication from the others that you have to click the 2nd page watermark and delete. No need to go into Page Setup at all. Thanks again everyone; mystery solved!!

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Thanks to everyone who offered suggestions to clear up my problem with Picture Watermarks but a special thanks to HansV who suggested that, in the header/footer of page 2, turn off Link to Previous and, while the header/footer is active (most important), click on the watermark and delete it. Worked like a charm. Guess I missed the implication from the others that you have to click the 2nd page watermark and delete. No need to go into Page Setup at all. Thanks again everyone; mystery solved!!

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Hi Hans:
Maybe it works differently in Word 2000. With the steps outlined in your first method, plus bwallis immediate insertion of a next page section break, I get:

1. Using Page Setup.
– Insert a next page section break & go back to the beginning.
– Tick “First Page Different” in the Layout tab of File | Page Setup.
– Use Format | Background | Printed watermark to create a watermark.
– Place the insertion point in the second page of the document. – (not needed)
– Select View | Header and Footer. – (not needed)
– Click on the watermark on this page, then press Delete. – (not needed)
– Close Header and Footer view.

i.e. If I first insert a next page section break, as bwallis9 indicated, when I insert a watermark into the first page header, it does not appear on subsequent pages. It only appears on the first page header of the first section. If I do not insert a next page section break immediately, & I then create my first page header with a watermark, it will appear on the first page of each subsequent section break.

Reply | Quote

A watermark is a background graphic that in principle appears on all pages. I know that you want something different, but I’m talking about the general idea now. The way to make something appear on all pages is to place it in the header or footer of the document. So if you select Format | Background | Printed watermark…, Word creates a graphic that is linked (anchored) to a paragraph in the page header. Regardless of the way your document is set up, Word puts the graphic in each header of the document. You have to remove it manually from those headers where you don’t want it.

Two different recipes have been posted in this thread, both should work, but both require you to remove a copy of the watermark manually.

1. Using Page Setup.
– Tick “First Page Different” in the Layout tab of File | Page Setup.
– Use Format | Background | Printed watermark to create a watermark.
– Place the insertion point in the second page of the document.
– Select View | Header and Footer.
– Click on the watermark on this page, then press Delete.
– Close Header and Footer view.

2. Using a section break.
– Insert a Next Page section break at the end of page one.
– Use Format | Background | Printed watermark to create a watermark.
– Place the insertion point in the second page of the document.
– Select View | Header and Footer.
– Click the “Same as previous” button in the Header and Footer toolbar to unlink the second section footer from the first.
– Click on the watermark on this page, then press Delete.
– Close Header and Footer view.

In both cases, the watermark should have vanished from the second page, but remain on the first page.

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I guess I must be missing a step or two Phil. I tried your method and it didn’t work either; the watermark still appears on page 2 after I inserted it on page 1. I still don’t understand how a watermark has anything to do with a header/footer. I even tried to make a one page document and then insert a saved blank document under it and the watermark appeared on all pages. Oh well, I guess some things will remain a mystery but thanks for trying. Regards.

Reply | Quote

Actually, your method in post 415144 is easier & has always worked for me. What I normally do is create my 2nd page header, if any, first. Then I go to File/Page Setup…/Layout tab/Different first page header/OK. Then I can put in my first page header. If I’m creating a template, this creates two different headers without even adding (& then deleting) a second page to the template.

Reply | Quote

This method does work (at least for me).
Insert the watermark as you were doing (next page break, then Format>Background>Printed Watermark.
The watermark now appears on both pages.
Double click the header in section 2. The Header/Footer Toolbar will appear and “Link to previous” icon will be highlighted. Click once on it (to toggle it off). Then switch to the footer in section 2 and untoggle the “Link to Previous” icon. Then Close the toolbar.
The watermark still appears on both pages.
Double Click the header in Section 2. Type some text (any text will do – eg. “This is a test”). Close the Header/Footer toolbar.
Double Click (again) the header in Section 2. Highlight all of the text that you typed and press the Delete key.
The text is now gone and so is the watermark in Section 2. You are now left with the watermark only on Section 1, Page 1.
This is a rather cumbersome procedure but it does work.

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