Draft watermark stamp generator
A draft watermark stamp generator for marks that sit across a whole page rather than in a corner: DRAFT, PRELIMINARY, NOT FOR CIRCULATION, at an angle and a low opacity.
A watermarked draft is doing something none of the other stamps do. It is not identifying an issuer or recording an event, it is stopping a document being mistaken for the final version, which means it has to be impossible to miss and impossible to crop off. That is why it sits diagonally across the middle of the page at low opacity rather than in a corner.
What you get
- Large diagonal wording, at the angle a watermark is normally set.
- Opacity control, so the mark reads clearly without making the text under it unreadable.
- DRAFT, PRELIMINARY, NOT FOR CIRCULATION, FOR REVIEW ONLY and SUPERSEDED are wording changes on one layout.
- A transparent PNG that layers over a page, which is what makes this work at all.
- A version or date line, for drafts that go through several rounds and need telling apart.
How to make it
- Open the stamp maker and pick a shape, or start from a template.
- Type your wording, then set the colour, border and size.
- Add the date, time, serial number or logo, and position each one.
- Preview it live, then download. Designing and previewing are free.
Questions
Watermark or stamp?
A watermark covers the page and is meant to be seen through; a stamp sits in one place and is meant to be read. A draft mark is the first of those, which is why it is set diagonally and at reduced opacity rather than dropped in a corner.
Will it stop the document being used?
No. It makes the status obvious to a reader, which prevents the common accident of the wrong version being circulated. It is not a technical control, and anyone determined can remove it from an editable file.
Can it carry a version number?
Yes, and on anything that goes through more than two rounds it should. A page marked DRAFT with no version is only slightly more useful than one with nothing on it.
Estamplab is a design tool. This page describes common commercial practice rather than giving legal, tax or financial advice, and practice changes. Where a specific document matters, check the requirement with the body receiving it.