Adding a Horizontal Watermark with a PostScript Printer

In a previous edition of WordTips you learned how to print a diagonal watermark across a page if you are using a PostScript printer. There may be times, however, when you do not want the watermark to be diagonal. The following command, when placed in a field inserted in a header or footer, will print the word DRAFT in a 100-point font across the center of your page.

Print \p page " /Wmark (DRAFT) def /WSize 100 def wp$x wp$right sub
wp$left add 2 div wp$y wp$top sub wp$bottom add 2 div translate
/Helvetica-BoldOblique findfont WSize scalefont setfont .7 setgray
3 setlinewidth Wmark stringwidth pop 2 div neg WSize .4 mul neg
moveto Wmark true charpath stroke "

Remember that all the text shown here must be placed within a field. You can insert the field braces by pressing Ctrl+F9. The font used is bold italics Helvetica; if you do not have that font in your printer, you can change the font name in the code to a font you do have. You can also change the word that is printed by changing the word DRAFT on the first line.