How Do I Add a Background Watermark to an Outlook Email?

Searching for watermark images on Google or Bing can help you find ready-to-use watermarks.

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In Outlook 2013, you can add a watermark to a new email's background by opening the Fill Effects window and selecting a suitable watermark saved as an image file. If you do not yet have a watermark image, you can create one by using Word's Watermark feature along with the Windows Snipping Tool.

Creating a Watermark Picture

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Step 1

Word lets you create a custom watermark by either typing in text or by selecting a picture on your hard drive.

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Select Design from the Ribbon in Word 2013 and click on the Watermark icon to open a list of built-in watermark templates. Click on the template you wish to use. Alternatively, select Custom Watermark to create your own.

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Step 2

The Basic and Starter editions of Windows 7 do not include the Snipping Tool.

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Launch the Snipping Tool 6.3 by opening the Start Screen under Windows 8.1 or the Start Menu under Windows 7, typing snipping in the search bar and selecting Snipping Tool from the list of results. Click on New and drag your mouse cursor on the Word page to select the area that contains the watermark.

Step 3

The tool's window provides various options to edit your snip, as well as to email it.

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Save your cropped watermark as an image file by clicking on Save Snip in the Snipping Tool toolbar and selecting JPG or PNG from the Save as Type drop-down menu.

Adding the Watermark to an Email

Step 1

The Fill Effects window lets you customize your new message's background.

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Create a new message in Outlook 2013 and select Options from the Ribbon. Click on Page Color and select Fill Effects to open the Fill Effects window.

Step 2

Outlook lets you import pictures saved in most common formats, such as JPG and PNG.

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Open the Picture tab and select Choose Picture.

Step 3

Selecting either the Facebook or Flickr option requires you to log in to your social media account and authorize Office to access your pictures.

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Click on Browse next to From a File to open a File Explorer dialog box and select the image file from your hard drive. As an alternative to selecting a file from your hard drive, Outlook also lets you search for an image on Bing or select a picture from your OneDrive or from your Facebook or Flickr account.

Step 4

The default "All Pictures" file type will display any type of image, regardless of type.

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Select the file that contains your watermark and click on Insert.

Step 5

A preview of your watermark appears in the box under Picture.

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Click on OK to finish adding the watermark to your email.