How to Add a Watermark to a Photo or Image for Etsy Listing

In the past two or three days, I've mentioned that I finally managed to add a watermark to my images for my Etsy listing of digital items. The watermark in the accompanying photo says Do Not Copy. One of my cyber friends asked me how I did it. I thought a post about those helpful critters, watermarks, was in order.

First off, I used Word 2003. I had my image opened in a Word document, and simply went to Format, Background, Watermark. There are several pre-set choices plus the option to type your own text. I then saved the document, printed it, scanned it, and was able to get both a .jpg and a .pdf version. For me, it is easy to .pdf the file from Word. I have downloaded the free version of Nitro and I simply go to Print, choose the Nitro printer, follow the prompts, and it converts the Word document to .pdf for me.

For other Word users, simply go to your web search field and look for Watermark in Word xxxx. You'll see explanations for Word 2000, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2010 and 2011. You can also ask for Watermark in Excel, PowerPoint, Mac, and Photoshop. All you need is to know where to find it on your Menu.

If those programs are not available to you, just type in How to Add Watermark..., and you should see how to add it in pdf or Picasa.

The watermark ensures that someone cannot simply click on your image and print it for their use. The printout will show your watermark which will spoil their efforts to bypass paying for the item.

Watermark text it up to you. Some folks put something like: Jane Jones copyright 2011, or This is a Copy or simply (c) or "copyright". The choice is up to you.

Be sure to position your watermark over the center of the photo or diagonally so that it crosses the center of the photo. This helps eliminate the possibility of someone editing it out.

I hope this helps some of you. If not, feel free to ask and I'll try to find an answer for you. Just let me know what programs you use, what format your photo/image is in (pdf, jpg, etc.), and whether you are computer-savvy or not.