Watermarks are an easy and clear way to mark the state of a drawing. Commonly used states are Preliminary, Work in Process, Pending Approval and Released. We’ll first look at creating a watermark using text and then do an example with an image file.

Watermark as an Annotation

A watermark can be created by adding text to the sheet format. Think of the “sheet” as the piece of paper where drawing views and dimensions are placed and the “sheet format” as the drawing border and title block overlaid on the sheet. The sheet format can be edited by right clicking on a blank area of the sheet and selecting “Edit Sheet Format.” To return to the sheet, right click a blank area again and select “Edit Sheet.” 

We’ll start by editing the sheet format and placing a note for the watermark. Below, I’ve rotated the text and changed the color to a light gray. Something you’ll notice in the Note Property Manager is a special option called “Behind sheet.” This option is only available if the note was inserted in the sheet format. Enabling this option allows the text to appear behind your drawing views so that it does not cover them up. Exit out of the sheet format and voila, your watermark displays without interfering with any of the drawing views.

Watermark as an Image

Perhaps you want to use a graphical design for a watermark. To do this, try inserting a Sketch Picture in the drawing. Simply go to the Insert menu and choose “Picture.” Pictures on drawings are always behind the sheet, whether they are inserted on the sheet or the sheet format. The choice is yours and it will appear the same way. Here, I’ve set a rotation angle and transparency for the sketch picture. 

Watermarks are simple and easy to create in SOLIDWORKS.  Using either text or an image, the user has full control over the design.   

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