Two page Word Template with different watermarks on each page.

Question

Trying to create a template where the first page has one design background (using watermark function) and all subsequent pages have a second design background (using watermark function). Can anyone help me out here, or direct me to a tutorial for this? Is this even possible? If not using watermark function, then how?

Answer 1

The articles that Charles linked are good references, but they don't mention the problem you'll have if you try to insert two different watermarks in the same document. Word's internal programming allows only one watermark for the entire document. When you insert a second watermark, whether in a first page/other pages pair of headers in one section or in different sections, Word will delete or replace the previous watermark.

There are at least two ways to work around this limitation:

1. Don't use the Watermark button. Instead, just open the section's First Page Header pane and use the Insert > Picture function to add the first background object. Set it to a wrapping style of Behind Text, position it where you want it, and use the color controls (whether on the WordArt tab or the Picture Format tab) to set a fill or transparency of about 50%.
2. Insert the first watermark. On the Home tab, click Select > Selection Pane. The watermark will be listed in the pane as "PowerPlusWaterMarkObject" (for a text object) or "WordPictureWaterMark" (for a picture object) followed by a large random number. Click that name twice to make it editable, and change it to anything else -- then Word won't recognize it as a watermark. Now you can add a different watermark in another header or section (it's optional to change its name in a similar way).

Answer 2

Watermarks / backgrounds are in headers, usually. This is true even though they are displaying in the body of the document rather than in the header area.

• How can I get a different header/footer on the second page?
• Setting Up Letter Templates - Ribbon by Suzanne Barnhill, MVP
• Watermarks in Ribbon Versions of Word