lock a watermark

[wordsearcher]

I'm placing a "DRAFT" watermark in a document but I want to make sure that
the reader doesn't remove the watermark and use the document as a final
draft. Is there a way to lock a watermark so that it can't be removed or is
password protected?

 

[Jay Freedman]

There is no way to lock just a watermark.

Since a watermark is nothing more than a graphic or WordArt anchored in a
header, you could prevent access to the watermark by locking the header. You
can do that -- to some extent -- by adding macros as in
http://www.word.mvps.org/FAQs/Customization/ProtectWord2000PlusHeader.htm.
However, it's ridiculously easy to defeat any macro-based solution simply by
setting the security level high enough to disable macros, or by holding down
the Shift key while opening the document.

Fundamentally, this is a situation where human interaction is required. Tell
people that if they publish unauthorized drafts, they'll be terminated (one
way or another).

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.