How to Copy Protect a Paper Document

Currency includes watermarks to prevent counterfiting.

There are many security measures that software and media companies use to prevent people from copying their products. Unfortunately, there aren't many options for protecting paper documents. The easiest way to prevent someone from making accurate copies of your materials is by watermarking them. A watermark can be images or words, applied lightly on the background. Any copies of the document will include the watermark as identification.

Things You'll Need

• Word 2003, 2007 or 2010

Instructions

1. Open Word from the Programs menu.

2. Open your document by clicking the File menu and then "Open." Choose your file, and it will appear in the main window.

3. Click the Format menu and then select "Background" and "Watermark."

4. Choose to add an image or words. Select your image to apply it or, if you chose words, type the word or phrase you want to appear. Click OK to apply it.

5. View your watermark by choosing "Print Layout" from the View menu.

References

• Office Support: Add a Background or Watermark to a Word Document

Resources

• Microsoft Office