How to add a watermark in Excel?
Table of Contents
(0:00) Start with a watermark image with white space above.
(0:39) Adding image to Excel header.
(1:25) Adjust Transparency.
(2:10) Using a picture as a Watermark.
(2:40) Creating a Confidential Stamp to Use in Watermark.
(4:29) Bending text in WordArt.
Table of Contents
(0:00) Start with a watermark image with white space above.
(0:39) Adding image to Excel header.
(1:25) Adjust Transparency.
(2:10) Using a picture as a Watermark.
(2:40) Creating a Confidential Stamp to Use in Watermark.
(4:29) Bending text in WordArt.
Transcript of the video:
Add a watermark to Excel.
Boy, there are a lot of search terms of people trying to add a watermark.
Either the word “Confidential” or “Draft” or “Example” or an image.
I'll show you all those in this video.
First thing you want to do is get some watermark images.
And the really important part is the word confidential needs to have some white space above it.
It's like here, even this image has a DRAFT stamp, but there's a lot of white space above it.
Here the picture of our dog Bella has some white space above that.
Put these in your Pictures folder to make it easier.
Here's a report.
When we go to print preview, I want to have a watermark that prints behind this.
On the Page Layout tab, we want to go into Page Setup.
That's this dialog launcher here.
Go to Header, Footer and create a Custom Header.
You're going to put the watermark in the center header.
Choose the picture icon.
And then from a file.
And I'll choose the confidential.
Click Insert.
OK.
OK.
Now you won't see it until you go to Print Preview.
So Control P and it appears well.
I feel like I should have added even more white space to the top.
Here's an example of a draft stamp.
I'm starting to think that maybe it's just a little bit too dark.
Because I can't actually see the words behind it.
If we go into Page Setup.
Header/Footer.
The custom header.
Click inside the word Picture.
This icon becomes available, but it doesn't have all the options that the picture tools normally has.
You could come to the Picture tab and change the color to washout.
Maybe adjust these sliders a little bit.
Click OK, click OK, Print Preview.
Alright, now the word draft appears.
I don't know, maybe that's too washed out.
A lot of people asked about adding an actual image as the watermark.
If I do Control P for Print Preview.
So here's a picture of our dog, Bella.
And again, black lab.
it's really kind of making some of those words not appear.
I tried the same washout technique here.
And I guess that's a little better.
Now, what if you don’t already have and image that you can use as a watermark?
Boy, it's really easy to create.
So just come to a blank Excel spreadsheet.
Make sure to turn off the grid lines first.
So View, Gridlines.
So the grid lines don't appear in your watermark.
And on the insert tab choose Shapes.
I like to use this rounded rectangle.
Someone wanted a watermark that said Example.
All right, so we start out with this.
Type a word, like “EXAMPLE”.
On the Home tab you want to Center.
Both of these.
So this one is called Middle Align and then Center.
Choose a nice thick font.
And then hit the increase, increase, increase font until it gets large enough.
Now I'm going to get rid of the blue background.
And right now the font is in white, so I want to change that to a blue font.
I'm going to choose the Shape.
Under Shape Format, go to Shape Fill and choose No Fill.
And then Shape Outline.
Let's create a nice thick border around that.
You can even change the color of that to be something a little bit different.
All right.
And then to actually create the watermark with some white space above.
My goal is going to be to have everything from here to there.
I use WinSnap.
But you can use the Windows snipping tool with Windows+Shift+S.
The little wave there.
That was created using WordArt.
So Insert, Word art.
Choose one of these.
Just type something.
And then under Text Effects the various transforms will get that ittle bit of curve in there.
You get the idea.
I want to thank you for stopping by.
We'll see you next time for another netcast from MrExcel.
Boy, there are a lot of search terms of people trying to add a watermark.
Either the word “Confidential” or “Draft” or “Example” or an image.
I'll show you all those in this video.
First thing you want to do is get some watermark images.
And the really important part is the word confidential needs to have some white space above it.
It's like here, even this image has a DRAFT stamp, but there's a lot of white space above it.
Here the picture of our dog Bella has some white space above that.
Put these in your Pictures folder to make it easier.
Here's a report.
When we go to print preview, I want to have a watermark that prints behind this.
On the Page Layout tab, we want to go into Page Setup.
That's this dialog launcher here.
Go to Header, Footer and create a Custom Header.
You're going to put the watermark in the center header.
Choose the picture icon.
And then from a file.
And I'll choose the confidential.
Click Insert.
OK.
OK.
Now you won't see it until you go to Print Preview.
So Control P and it appears well.
I feel like I should have added even more white space to the top.
Here's an example of a draft stamp.
I'm starting to think that maybe it's just a little bit too dark.
Because I can't actually see the words behind it.
If we go into Page Setup.
Header/Footer.
The custom header.
Click inside the word Picture.
This icon becomes available, but it doesn't have all the options that the picture tools normally has.
You could come to the Picture tab and change the color to washout.
Maybe adjust these sliders a little bit.
Click OK, click OK, Print Preview.
Alright, now the word draft appears.
I don't know, maybe that's too washed out.
A lot of people asked about adding an actual image as the watermark.
If I do Control P for Print Preview.
So here's a picture of our dog, Bella.
And again, black lab.
it's really kind of making some of those words not appear.
I tried the same washout technique here.
And I guess that's a little better.
Now, what if you don’t already have and image that you can use as a watermark?
Boy, it's really easy to create.
So just come to a blank Excel spreadsheet.
Make sure to turn off the grid lines first.
So View, Gridlines.
So the grid lines don't appear in your watermark.
And on the insert tab choose Shapes.
I like to use this rounded rectangle.
Someone wanted a watermark that said Example.
All right, so we start out with this.
Type a word, like “EXAMPLE”.
On the Home tab you want to Center.
Both of these.
So this one is called Middle Align and then Center.
Choose a nice thick font.
And then hit the increase, increase, increase font until it gets large enough.
Now I'm going to get rid of the blue background.
And right now the font is in white, so I want to change that to a blue font.
I'm going to choose the Shape.
Under Shape Format, go to Shape Fill and choose No Fill.
And then Shape Outline.
Let's create a nice thick border around that.
You can even change the color of that to be something a little bit different.
All right.
And then to actually create the watermark with some white space above.
My goal is going to be to have everything from here to there.
I use WinSnap.
But you can use the Windows snipping tool with Windows+Shift+S.
The little wave there.
That was created using WordArt.
So Insert, Word art.
Choose one of these.
Just type something.
And then under Text Effects the various transforms will get that ittle bit of curve in there.
You get the idea.
I want to thank you for stopping by.
We'll see you next time for another netcast from MrExcel.
Last edited by a moderator:
