Whether you are posting products on Etsy, Instagram, or your own website, it’s essential to have clear, eye-catching photos of your products. You may have concerns about protecting your images from being stolen, or maybe you want to ensure that customers will be able to trace them back to you when shared on social media. So, should your photos be watermarked, or is there another way?

As a general rule, watermarks help to protect photos from plagiarism and are a quick way to establish branding. However, product photos usually aren’t watermarked because this can distract from the item being featured.

It makes sense to take as many steps as possible to protect the hard work you’ve put into creating product photos. However, watermarking may not always be the best solution. Keep reading to learn more about watermarks on product images, and what you can do instead.

Should You Watermark Your Product Photos?

Whether or not photos should be watermarked has become a controversial topic in the world of photography. While some see this as an essential way to protect images from being stolen, others see it as an unnecessary distraction.

In terms of product photography, you generally don’t need to add a watermark. While you make feel like your images are protected in that way, this can ultimately distract from the product being sold.

Ideally, your brand logo or business name should appear somewhere on your packaging. If you are photographing products in action or those that don’t feature labels, it’s a good idea to try incorporating your branding into the photo in some way.

On top of being a distraction, watermarks can hinder your marketing effort. If you sell on Etsy, this will make your products ineligible for onsite features and Etsy Find emails. Other advertising programs like Google Shopping also have restrictions on using watermarks.

When Should You Use A Watermark?

If you are concerned about your images being stolen or reused without your permission, then, by all means, add a watermark. These days, it is so easy to find photos online and save them as your own. Watermarking your photos can help deter thieves to a degree.

A watermark can also act as a sort of free marketing. Aesthetic photos that don’t include branding elements like packaging and logos are more often shared. If your images are shared on sites like Pinterest or Instagram, it can make it easier for customers to trace the photos back to your shop if the photo has a watermark.

Just make sure to make the watermark small enough that it doesn’t overwhelm the photo, but big enough to be seen.

Do Watermarks Really Protect Your Work?

One of the biggest reasons to use a watermark is to protect your photos from being stolen. While this does help to some extent, advances in technology have made it easier to work around watermarks.

For example, editing programs like Photoshop can easily remove a watermark from a photo. There are tons of free apps available as well, that can get rid of a watermark with a simple tap.

A watermark acts as a reminder that the image is copyrighted and not to be used without permission. However, an image without a watermark is just as protected by copyright as one with a watermark.

Really, the only way to guarantee that your photos won’t be copied or stolen is to not upload them online in the first place.

What Are The Some Alternatives to Using A Watermark?

Watermarks aren’t the only way to protect your photos. One of the most common solutions is using a copyright notice. This simply states that your photos can’t be used without your consent. You can add this notice above the photo, or even add it to the Metadata in Lightroom. This might make thieves think twice before taking your photos.

Some other options include:

• Disabling the right-click feature on your website
• Upload low-resolution photos
• Use services to search for unauthorized use of your photos

While none of these are foolproof, they add different layers of protection to your product images without the added distraction of a watermark.

Final Thoughts

You should now have a better understanding of using watermarks on product photos.

Product photos are an essential component in selling items online. After spending so much time and effort perfecting the branding and aesthetic for your images, you don’t necessarily want to distract from that with the use of a watermark. Luckily, there are alternative steps you can take without sacrificing the integrity of your images.

Adding watermarks to your documents is a great way to show their importance while ensuring some document security. However, watermarks only work if they are on every page of the document. While this should be easy to do, trying to figure out how to use watermarks in some word processors can still pose a challenge.

Microsoft Word applies the same watermark to every page in a document unless you specified something different. As such, you can add your watermark to all pages by selecting the Watermark menu item and then selecting your watermark. If this does not work, it is likely your page header settings are hiding it. A slight modification to those settings will fix the problem.

However, if you want a different watermark o each page, Word will let you do that too. The process is just as simple as well. Therefore, by reading further, you will learn the many ways you can add watermarks to your Word documents as well as how to remove them.

How to Ensure Word Applies Your Watermark to All Pages

When you have important information to document, you want to ensure that those documents are appropriately flagged. This could be because the documents contain sensitive customer information, company secrets, or any other information that requires copy protection. Luckily, you can use watermarks to achieve those goals.

Watermarks are logos, text, or graphics intentionally superimposed onto some other image or text. Their presence makes copying difficult since they tend to leave noticeable artifacts. They also allow you to broadcast the significance or importance of the document’s information without taking up any additional space.

These marks are so important that most full-featured word processors come with watermarking tools built into them. For example, Microsoft Word comes with presets for draft, confidential, sample, and other common document watermarks. It also lets you create custom watermarks either as text or imported images.

Adding a Watermark to Your Document

Microsoft even made the process as simple as possible. As a result, you can apply a watermark to your document just by:

1. Select the “Design” menu
2. Click “Watermark” in the “Page Background” section
3. Select a preset watermark from the drop-down list or the “Custom Watermark” option
4. For custom watermarks, select either image or text watermark in the popup window
5. Specify the image or text you want to display along with your desired formatting options
6. Select “Ok” to confirm your selection

If you are using an older version of Word, you will find the “Watermark” option under “Page Layout” instead. Either way, Word will apply your chosen watermark to every page in your document automatically.

Troubleshooting Watermarks in Word

If your watermark only shows up on some of the pages or none of them, you either had a previous watermark and there is a conflict, or you ran into a bug. Both situations are easy to fix.

Conflicts with Other Watermarks

You should only have one watermark per page. If you have multiple, they could conflict with each other, resulting in one or all of them becoming hidden. Therefore, you should ensure that there are no other watermarks in your document by selecting “Remove Watermark” from the menu before you add your new one.

 If you need additional marks, you should follow the instruction in the next section on adding separate watermarks for each page.

Resetting a Broken Watermark

Word inserts watermarks by attaching them as image objects to an empty paragraph in your document’s header. Therefore, if the problem persists and you know there are no conflicts, you can try resetting this paragraph.

1. On a page that shows your watermark, double-click the header, or select “Insert>Header & Footer>Header>Edit Header” from the menu.
2. With the “Header/Footer” view active, select everything by pressing Ctrl-A.

Selecting the paragraph should reset it and the attached watermark. After which, your watermark should show up on every page.

How to Add Watermarks to One but Not All Pages in Word

Most of the time, you want the same watermark on every page of a document. However, there will be times when you need to emphasize some pages over others for various reasons. Fortunately, Word provides an easy solution.

To add a specific watermark to a page, you can take the following steps.

Custom Watermark

For a custom watermark, add it to the Watermark Gallery:

1. Insert your watermark as the default watermark for the document as above
2. Open the Header view by double-clicking the document header and then select the watermark
3. Select the “Design>Watermark>Save Selection to Watermark Gallery” menu option and follow the prompts
4. Close the Header view
5. Select “Remove Watermark” from the menu and move on to the Preset Watermark section below

Preset Watermark

To use a preset watermark:

1. Go to the target page and select the “Design>Watermark” menu option
2. Right-click on your desired watermark and choose “Insert at Current Document Position”

You can use these steps to apply different watermarks to your even and odd pages or just your first page just by selecting the appropriate options under the “Header & Footer” view.

How to Remove Watermarks from Pages in Word

Removing watermarks from your Word documents is just as easy. Although, you will get the best results if your watermark is in the Watermark Gallery. The steps should work regardless, but they can leave ghost images without the precaution.

• Removing All Watermarks – To remove all watermarks from your document, you just select “Remove Watermark” from the “Design>Watermark” menu option.
• Removing from a Single Page or Section – Navigate to and open the page or section header with the watermark then select and delete the text or picture watermark icon. You must do this for each watermark you want to remove

If neither of these options works, you can remove the watermark by selecting “No Watermark” from the “Custom Watermark” menu option. If that does not work, you can go to each page header and delete the watermark objects manually.

Conclusion

Word offers several simple ways to add watermarks to your documents. There are simple ways to fix them if they go awry as well. However, it only offers a means to create text-based watermarks. If you want to use an image, you can use a third-party solution such as PlaceIt to create the watermark and then insert the image into Word.

Watermarks can be a great addition to your Word documents, especially if you need to label the status or purpose of your file. While a watermark in Word is useful, there may be times when it doesn’t show up.

Word enthusiasts can customize their documents by using watermarks. If you are experiencing issues with having watermarks show up in Word, read on below to see the fixes you can try.

How to Fix Watermark Not Showing Up in Word

Uncheck Show Picture Placeholders

When you’re using watermarks in Word, you may notice that they suddenly disappear. Usually, restarting the software should help restore the watermarks, but if the problem persists there is something else you can check.

Access the full range of Word settings by clicking on File, followed by Options then Advanced. Scroll to the ‘show document content’. When you’re there, you’ll see a ‘show picture placeholders’ option. Make sure that this setting is unchecked.

This should immediately allow you to see your watermarks again. If it doesn’t, restart the software and check on the state of your watermarks. This should be one of the first checks you do when your watermark isn’t showing up in Word.

The ‘show picture placeholders’ option can interfere with all types of pictures and objects used in the document. It can sometimes automatically revert to being enabled, especially after a software update.

Adjust the Washout

The washout effect may cause a watermark to not show up when used in Word. This effect is a useful way of adjusting the desired transparency of a watermark to make it less distracting without taking away from its importance.

You may experience a problem with washout causing a watermark to not show up. If you notice that your watermark is no longer visible in Word, check your washout. To do so, there are several options depending on the type of watermark used.

For a Picture Watermark

When you’re using a picture watermark, these are the steps to follow when adjusting washout:

1. Double click at the top of the page. This will open the header options.
2. Place your cursor over the watermark. Hover until a four-headed arrow appears.
3. Select your watermark by clicking on it.
4. Click on Picture Tools, then on Format.
5. Adjust the levels on Contrast, Brightness, and Recolor until your watermark shows up as intended.

For a Text Watermark

If you are using a text watermark instead, the process will vary slightly. Open the header and hover over the watermark as before, but select WordArt Tools, followed by Format. Then click on Shape Fill and experiment with lighter or darker washout shades.

You can also opt for tinkering with the transparency levels under More Fill Colors. Do this until your watermark shows up exactly as you want it.

Check Text Boxes

In a Word document, you may sometimes use text boxes to insert content. These may cause your watermark to be hidden behind the text. To avoid this problem, you should do various checks when using a text box.

Make sure to set the text box to ‘no fill’ whenever you want to use it and a watermark in the same document. If the text box is set to fill, it can easily cover the watermark and make it suddenly not show up in Word.

A text box can easily make your watermark not show up, but you don’t have to give up this handy tool. Ensuring that the text box doesn’t get in the way of your watermark will allow you to have access to both features.

Check Text Shading

You may not use a text box but still notice that the watermark is not showing up in Word. If that happens to you, make sure to also check the shading options of the main text in your document.

Using text shading in your formatting can get in the way of your watermark. This can become apparent if the watermark suddenly stops showing up after adding text to your document.

To avoid this problem, check both the character and paragraph shading options. You will find these by selecting the text in your document, then going to the home tab at the top of the document.

Select either the character or the paragraph icons, then select the arrow next to shading. You should either change the color of the shading or completely eliminate it to avoid interference with the watermark.

White shading in particular may appear invisible in the document but will cover a watermark either fully or in part. Checking the shading can solve many problems with your watermark not showing up in Word.

Check Tables

Adding tables to your Word documents can be a great way to convey information while keeping it well organized and visually attractive. While you can use tables even on watermarked documents, it may cause partial or full obstruction of the design.

If your watermark is not showing up in Word, make sure to check the tables in your document. Try removing some cells or rows in the table to see if the watermark becomes more or less visible.

To do this, you should select a specific row, cell, or entire table. Go to the Layout tab in the top ribbon and select the Delete option. You will then be able to delete one of those three options.

Your watermark should show up again, and you can tinker with the tablet and the watermark transparency until you are satisfied with the result.

Use the Insert a Watermark Option

In Word, watermarks function like headers. If you add a new watermark, it will automatically replace any previous ones, which may cause it to not show up. To get the best results, when you insert your watermark you should make sure all the headers are linked.

This will help with making your watermark show up on every page of the document. If it doesn’t, you can copy and paste it in every header. This is the more time consuming option, so it’s always a good idea to go to Design, then Watermark.

Conclusion

There are various reasons why a watermark may not show up in Word. If this occurs, you should check your watermark and document settings. From text boxes to washout, there are several things to try to get your watermark back.

Everyone knows you need to credit the source for information or quotes you use in your work.  What often falls into the category of “I didn’t even think about that” is citing the use of images that appear on the cover of a publication.  Now that you know you should, how do you cite a book cover image correctly?

If crediting an artist for a book cover image has you stumped, read on to find out how to cite its source and get that properly cited research paper finished.   

Citing a Book Cover Image Gives Credit to the Artist

Giving credit where credit’s due is the main reason that citations are included in academic and non-academic work.  Researchers, artists, musicians, and others who put their thoughts and work out there for the world to see deserve recognition for their efforts.

Citations also provide important information for readers who want to learn more about a particular image or connect with other scholars to talk about an image.  

The two most common citation styles are MLA and APA, which differ in format, but generally include the same information for a book cover image.  The idea behind any citation is to include as much about the source as possible.  For a book cover image, your citation should capture the following relevant information:

• Artist’s first and last name
• Title of the artwork
• Description of the book cover if title is unavailable
• Title of the book
• Author or editor’s name
• Edition (if applicable)
• Publisher
• Year of publication
• Location of the image on the book

If you don’t know all of these things about a book cover image, you should only include what you do know.  Never make up or guess at any information you might be missing.

How to Cite a Book Cover Image in MLA

When you cite a cover image for a book, keep in mind that you are also citing the book itself.  You should be able to find out details about the cover within the publication information on the back of the title page or on the book’s jacket or cover.

MLA provides a specific structure for a book art citation.  Fill in the information that you know and pay close attention to the placement of periods and commas separating different components of the citation.

Book Cover Image Citation with Artist

Artist’s Last Name, First Name. Title of the Artwork. (Description of cover if title is unavailable).  Designed by Designer First Name, Last Name (if applicable). Title of Book. Author or Editor’s Name, edition (if applicable), Publisher, publication year. Front cover.

If the artist is unknown, it is okay to use the Designer’s name in that spot.  Follow the name with a comma and a description of their role in the image’s creation.

Book Cover Image Citation without Artist

Designer’s Last Name, First Name, designer. Title of the Artwork. (Description of cover if title is unavailable). Title of Book. Author or Editor’s Name, edition (if applicable), Publisher, publication year. Front cover.

If neither the artist nor designer is known, begin the citation with the title of the artwork.

How to Cite a Book Cover Image in APA

APA Citation Style includes similar information about an image used as a book cover, although the citation structure varies a bit from the MLA format.

Book Cover Image Citation with Artist

Artist’s Last Name, First Initial.  (Year of book’s publication). Title of Artwork [Description of artwork]. Location of original artwork if applicable, City, State (abbreviated), Country.  In Book Author’s name, Book Title (location in book). Publisher. (the words Original Work followed by date art was created).

If the artist is not known, begin the citation with the title of the artwork.  If you don’t know the date the artwork was created, use [n.d] to indicate “no date.”

If the title is not known, simply include a detailed description of the artwork inside square brackets along with as much of the other information you can find about the art and the book.

Final Thoughts

Citations can be intimidating sometimes.  Book cover images are no exception. Trying to dot the i’s and cross the t’s or, in this case, include all the information about the artwork is important.  Though you might try, you may not always be able to find every piece of detail about a book cover.  That’s okay as long as you put down everything you do know in the right format. 

Watermarks are a way of protecting your intellectual property. By adding a watermark to your designs, you can prevent others from stealing them and using them without your permission. However, watermarks can also be a nuisance to viewers and can sometimes degrade the quality of your design. So, should you put a watermark on your designs?

In general, it is not recommended to watermark designs. A watermark can be put on any design to protect designers in a digital environment, however, a watermark can hinder the appearance of the work. And watermarks will not stop someone from stealing the design. So, it is typically best to avoid using watermarks altogether.

In this blog post, we will explore both the pros and cons of watermarking your work and help you decide whether or not it is right for you. Keep reading to learn about why you should not have a watermark on any of your artwork and designs.

Reasons You Should Not Watermark Your Designs

There are many reasons why watermarking your designs is not a good idea. The biggest reason is that watermarks can take away from the overall look of the design. If you are selling your designs or using them for promoting your business, you want people to focus on the design itself and not be distracted by a watermark. Here are some more of the most common reasons.

1. Watermarks Can Degrade the Quality Of Your Design

A watermark can take away from the overall quality of a design. It is often seen as a lower-quality option when compared to a design without a watermark.

This is because high-end work does not have watermarks. And high-end artists are not worried about their work being stolen.

A watermark can degrade the quality of a design, especially if it is placed directly in the center of the image. But even designs on the edges

2. Watermarks Can Be Easy to Remove

Often the reason for adding a watermark is that you do not want your design stolen. But if someone wants to steal your design, they will find a way to do it. Watermarks can be removed fairly easily with the right software. Or even sometimes cropped out.

But you should not worry about your work being stolen. If someone wants to steal it they will, and a watermark will not stop them.

3. Watermarks Can Hinder the Appearance of Your Work

A watermark can get in the way of the overall appearance of your work. A watermark can be distracting, making it harder for people to focus on the design itself.

It can also make your work look unprofessional. If you are trying to sell your designs, a watermark can make it less likely that someone will want to buy them.

Often it can be associated that cheap work has watermarks. You do not see high-end artists with watermarks. And there are tons of stock photos with watermarks that hinder the appearance of the image.

4. Watermarks Make It Difficult to Appreciate the Work

A watermark should not be on your designs because it makes it harder to appreciate the work as a whole. A watermark can be very distracting and take away from the overall look of a design.

If a watermark is not placed in an unobtrusive location, it can make a design look busy and cluttered. But place the design in an unobtrusive location and it becomes easy to remove. Your best bet is to not add a watermark, to begin with.

You want someone to be able to recognize your work without a watermark. Creating a professional, consistent style is more important than a watermark.

Reasons You Should Watermark Your Designs

There are also some reasons why watermarking your designs can be a good idea. The most common reason is to prevent theft. If someone does decide to steal your design, watermarking it will make it much harder for them to sell it or use it without crediting you. Here are some more of the most common reasons.

1. A Way to Brand Your Work

A watermark is a way to brand your work. By including your watermark on your design, you are making it more likely that people will remember who created the design.

The caveat here is that you want your work to be recognizable based on the work you are producing, not your watermark. So it is recommended to forgo the watermark and create a distinct style for your designs.

If you are trying to build a name for yourself as a designer, watermarking your work can be a good way to do it. One of the benefits of including a watermark is that you can include relevant information like where to find other works, via a website or social media handle.

2. Protect Your Work from Being Stolen

Another reason to watermark your designs is to protect your work from being stolen. If you share your work online, it is very easy for someone to take your design and use it without giving you credit.

A watermark can help to prevent this from happening by making it more difficult for someone to steal. However, keep in mind a watermark does not make stealing a design impossible.

With this you want to choose where your watermark goes strategically. If you place it at the edge or corner of the design it might be easily cropped out, but if you place it in the center of the design you detract from the design. Choosing where the watermark is placed is just as important as having a watermark if you decide that is what is best for your art.

The Clear Winner: Do Not Watermark Your Designs

When it comes to watermarking, there are more reasons to avoid doing it than there are to go forward with it. You should not watermark your designs. The watermark will damage the quality of your design, it is not an effective way to prevent theft, and it can make your design less appealing to potential clients.

As a graphic designer, your work is valuable, and nothing is more frustrating than it getting copied or stolen. For this, many people use watermarks on their photos. However, you may be wondering if watermarks are a good idea for visual content that is shared on Instagram.

In general, Instagram photos should not have watermarks. This is because the format of Instagram is not conducive to watermarks and they could ruin the authentic feel of the photo.

While using a watermark on Instagram is not the worst thing in the world, it is probably best to avoid it. Keep reading to learn more about the overall pros and cons of using a watermark on Instagram posts.

Putting Watermarks On Instagram Photos

Instagram is one of the most popular social media applications in the world, and it is highly useful to graphic designers. This visually-based photo and video sharing platform will allow companies to make the most of their design work and reach a wide audience.

With any sort of public sharing, there is always the risk of work being copied. Watermarks are one way in which designers attempt to avoid this. In the past, watermarks have most often been constrained to images shared on the internet but it is natural to wonder if they can be used on Instagram photos, too.

The Pros of Watermarks on Instagram

Graphic designers work hard to create visually striking and memorable content. Nothing is more frustrating than when someone else takes this work and claims it for their own.

Here are the pros:

• They prevent this blatant theft. People will be less likely to steal a design if they see that it is watermarked.
• They could increase brand recognition or your repute as a designer. If you put your name on your photos, people will better recognize your company, which can be a great marketing tool.

However, there are also several downsides to watermarks which should be taken into consideration.

The Cons of Watermarks on Instagram

Putting a watermark on your Instagram photo may result in the following drawbacks:

• Less appealing to viewers: users scrolling through the platform might find a photo with a watermark less visually appealing. It distracts from the overall flow of the photo and might leave people unimpressed.
• They ruin the authenticity: Instagram prides itself on being a window into people’s authentic photos. When you put a watermark on your designs or photos, followers might see this as a lack of authenticity and view your page as a corporate entity rather than something personalized.
• They could lose followers: If a watermark strikes someone as distracting or ugly, they will probably not continue to follow your page. As a business owner and/or designer, this can be very damaging to your overall reputation.

Adding a watermark to photos and designs certainly has its drawbacks, especially on a social media platform such as Instagram.

Tips for Deciding If You Should Watermark Your Posts

You may be wondering now if it is really worth it to use a watermark on your Instagram photos. The bottom line is that it usually is not. Keeping your design safe from copying is not worth losing your followers or coming across the wrong way on a social media platform.

Here are some tips:

• Instead of using a watermark, you might instead choose to incorporate your company name into the design itself or place a small logo somewhere in the photo. This can discourage copying.
• If you do see that one of your designs has been stolen, you should immediately report the account to Instagram or any other social media platform. They may be able to help you, depending on the situation.
• Should you think it is essential to have a watermark, try using one on your photos for a little while and see if your number of followers is affected. If your following stays consistent, you are probably safe to continue using watermarks on your designs.

Additionally, using online resources like Placeit.net can make it that much easier to create impactful designs easily whether or not you have a watermark.

Conclusion

Life as a designer or business owner is filled with challenges, and one of them is seeing your carefully crafted designs get stolen. However, using a watermark on platforms such as Instagram is not always the way to avoid this phenomenon.

Watermarks can ruin your image as a business or impact your followers negatively. There are other strategies you can use to reduce plagiarism while still maintaining a strong base of followers.

As the internet grows, it becomes a more dangerous place to post art. There are art thieves all over the web, ready and waiting to steal work and claim it for their own. It makes sense to watermark the pieces you post on social media. What about art commissions? Should you watermark art commissions?

Although you should lay claim to your art commissions, you shouldn’t watermark them. Ensure you leave a signature and set clear boundaries and standards with the person who purchases the piece from you.

If you’re interested in learning more about watermarking art commissions, you’ve come to the right place. Read on to learn more about why you should use large watermarks on commissioned pieces, if a signature is a right choice, and if you should watermark your art on Twitter. The more you know, the better your commissions can be.

Why Shouldn’t You Use Large Watermarks?

If you have an individual order a commission from you, it doesn’t make sense to place a large watermark over the piece. They are paying for your art because they love it – they don’t love the watermark. If you put that item over the work, you are ruining what they paid for out of fear.

The addition of a large watermark on a commissioned piece may:

• Ruin the art for the investor and prevent them from admiring it
• Prevent future business from that client
• Appear paranoid to the client who paid you

It’s not a great idea to set a large watermark over a commissioned piece.

Of course, that statement differs if your piece goes on a popular website. If more people are going to see it beside one person, you need to ensure they know it was created by you. 

There are additional ways to claim your artwork without placing a large watermark over your piece. Let’s talk about one of the best ways to prove that your work is yours without ruining the entire image for the person paying you.

Should You Put a Signature On a Commission?

A signature is an excellent way to lay claim to a piece without placing a massive watermark over the top. You can also form creative and distinctive signature methods, making it obvious to you but not as clear to those who attempt to steal your art. A signature is a part of who you are as an artist and will develop over time as you grow as an artist.

Here are a few examples of signatures you could explore as an artist:

• Place it on a leaf or another prominent part of the work
• Add it on a color in a slightly darker hue

These will prove you created the piece.

If you’re a little unsure about removing a watermark from a piece, you can always place a standard signature in the corner to make it clear you were the one who created it. The signature lays claim, but it also allows the new owner to show others who created the work. It’s a tiny form of an advertisement on a commission.

Should I Watermark My Art on Twitter?

Social media is a different story than commissions. If you put your art on social media, anyone can see it. There is the potential for many people to take images of the art and post them as their own. Should you watermark your picture on social media, or should you leave it with a signature like with commissions? It’s a tricky decision.

A watermark can distract the viewer from the art beneath. On the other hand, a lack of a watermark is an open invitation to steal the work and use it without permission.

It’s better to be safe than sorry if you place your information out there. Put a watermark over the top to ensure nobody can claim your art for their own. Define the work as your own.

Final Thoughts

When you make art commissions, it can be tricky to learn how to protect them. Watermarks might seem like a good idea, but used incorrectly, they can send the wrong message to the individual purchasing your art. Add a signature, but save the large watermark over the art for items you post on Instagram and other social media platforms.

We hope this information was helpful! The more you know about watermarking, the more professional your work will be when presenting your pieces as commissioned works. Watermarks are excellent ways to defend your pieces from art thieves, but you shouldn’t use them too much in the professional environment.

Copyrighting your artistic work is often a great way to protect yourself so that no one can use it or claim it as theirs. But should you do this as a book cover artist? Is it necessary?

No, you don’t have to copyright your book cover, but copyrighting may be beneficial depending on how you want your work used. You don’t have to copyright if you just want to sell it to an author or publisher and then move on to your next project.

There are many instances when you should copyright a book cover while simultaneously having reasons not to copyright it. Continue reading to figure out the best option for you as an illustrator.

Should You Copyright Your Book Cover? How to Decide

Copyrighting your book cover is not always a necessary process to partake in. There are many situations when it wouldn’t be the best fit for you, but then again, there are some situations where it would be better for you.

Most of the time, the publisher or author (if it is an Indie or Self-Published author) will own the copyrights to your book cover after you have sold it to them. But it doesn’t always have to be this way. 

The Benefits Of Copyrighting Your Book Cover

When you copyright your book cover, you own the rights to that image, which cannot be used without your permission. This can be useful if you think your cover or any of its characters will become the face of a brand.

Here are some of the potential benefits of copyrighting your book cover:

• More income
• People cannot use it without your permission
• More control over your work
• Easier to sue for plagiarism and other reasons
• More recognition

Copyrighting your book cover can open doors that you have been reaching for, especially as a new illustrator, but there are some risks to it as well.

The Risks Of Not Copyrighting Your Book Cover

The publisher often copyrights book covers, but there are characters out there that have become popular and are now being used because the artist didn’t copyright their work or signed their work over to a company without a second thought.

Let’s take the character Harry Potter for example. The illustrator did not copyright that character and didn’t get any royalties or income, not even recognition for the character created. Now the publishers and author can get the income from how that character is used for the brand.

Reasons You Shouldn’t Copyright Your Work

Even though copyrighting can benefit you and give you more control over your work, it can be frustrating to do so. There are many upfront costs that you will have to consider and many other reasons as follows:

• The cost of copyrighting your book
• Clients may be less inclined to buy your work upfront
• It may not bring your more income
• Fair use law still allows people to use your work under certain circumstances

Just because you copyright your work doesn’t always mean you will make more money. Many clients may decide to go elsewhere if you retain the copyrights for the book. They may want just to purchase the copyrights.

There are other options to only provide temporary copyright of your work to a company or client. You can discuss this with them so that after a few years, you can get the copyright book and pull in that income if your cover and characters become popular.

How To Copyright Your Book Cover

Books are automatically considered copyrighted, and although there is a legal process to secure that copyright, book covers are a separate issue. When you create a book cover, you do own some basic copyrights, but there is a way you can ensure it is such:

1. Go to https://www.copyright.gov/registration/ 
2. Scroll down and either choose “digital content,” “photo content,” or “visual arts,” depending on your book cover medium.
3. Create an account.
4. Fill out the application for your single work.
5. Complete the steps required, whether it is to submit the work electronically or provide it to the office.
6. Pay the fee to complete your submission ($40 or more, depending).

You can pay via direct deposit or credit card. Ensure you keep all receipts and emails, just in case.

Outro

Your book cover already has some copyright protection as the illustrator, but you can add extra protection by copyrighting it. Ultimately, it is up to you what you can afford and what is best for you when copyrighting your work.

Canva is a popular design website, whether you’re making something for fun or for a paying client. Whether you’re a professional or a beginner, you can take advantage of what Canva offers. However, if you’re a professional, you might wonder – is it an unprofessional choice to use Canva?

In most cases, it may be considered unprofessional to use Canva. However, there is a time and a place for the service. As a professional, you shouldn’t use Canva for all your work – but it can certainly be used on some projects.

If you’re interested in learning more about Canva, you’ve come to the right place. Read on to learn about five items we think are critical to consider if you want to use Canva as a professional. The more you know, the better prepared you can be to take advantage of the offerings on the platform.

Canva Is Simple

Canva offers gorgeous designs, but they aren’t as complex or detailed as ones formed by professional graphic designers. If you use Canva for a professional project, you may be missing out on significant detail options for your project.

The simplicity of Canva works for items like:

• Basic flyers
• Social media designs
• Postcards and mailers

These work well for Canva.

Simplicity is not a bad thing. However, it can be less than ideal if you want to look professional. If you want to accomplish a simple task, use Canva. If you need to do something more complex, consider other options to make your design.

Canva Designs Are Recognizable

Canva has been around for a while, so the designs are more recognizable than they once were. Patterns that were unique in previous years have now been used over and over by many different graphic designers.

A recognizable design may cause a reader to:

• Question your level of professionalism
• Dismiss your design
• Turn to a different person for their needs

Stay away from designs that often appear on the internet.

Canva is a quality site, but there are only so many options. With millions of people in the world, it becomes common for these styles to overlap with each other. Take care to pick a professional, less popular style for your needs.

Canva Works for Basic Needs

Canva works well for basic needs.

If you have a message you need to get out there right away, Canva comes in handy. If you have a vision and want to use Canva to test the waters with the design, it’s an excellent program. However, this factor changes when you get into more complicated designs and needs.

Canva isn’t the solution for everything. If your job involves design, it is critical to show you know what you’re doing when projects become more personal with clients. Be strategic with your use of Canva. A wrong move will come off as unprofessional to a potential client.

Canva Provides an Outline

Canva is an excellent jumping-off point if you feel stuck and aren’t sure where to head with your design. Rather than using it as the entire design, it can work as a basic layout that you can add to and change for a more professional image.

You may take a Canva outline and accentuate it with items like:

• Additional fonts
• Photoshopped images
• Personalized company touches

There are many ways to personalize designs in your free time.

Canva might not be professional enough to use by itself all the time, but you can spruce it up. All it takes is a little computer magic.

Canva Can Be Too Much

It’s okay to use a small amount of Canva designs in your work. However, using Canva in every aspect of your project or website can quickly become too much. It’s vital to limit your use of Canva to maintain a professional image in the professional world.

If you use Canva for everything, people will notice. Ensure you avoid excess as much as possible to appear professional in the workplace.

Final Thoughts

Canva is a useful tool, but it’s critical to be careful as a professional. If you use it too much, it can appear as if you don’t know what you’re doing. Canva can provide an excellent outline for bigger projects and works to accomplish simple needs. It’s critical to remember that Canva designs are recognizable, so you should be careful putting them to work.

We hope this information was helpful! When using Canva as a professional, it comes in handy to know your limits. Use it just enough to make your designs better, but not so much that it’s clear your designs came from the internet. It’s all a balancing act.

Running an online store is more common as more people turn their passions into profits. With many options available and costs being a concern, most entrepreneurs turn their attention to online tools such as printful’s mockup generator. However, what to do when the mockup generator is not working is no mystery.

Printful has two basic requirements for the mockup generator to work, a connected store and at least one sales transaction every sixty days. Otherwise, printful will not allow the mockup files to be downloaded.

Several options exist when it comes to using a mockup file generator, some are ranked above the rest in terms of quality and options. Placeit.net is the number one contender for using an online mockup generator. Printful even seems to recommend using a separate online mockup generator to provide their users the best possible experience.

Printful Requires a Minimum of One Sale Within Sixty Days

Even if a person satisfies the store connection conditions, a person must make a minimum of one sale every sixty days to download mockup files from Printful. Printful ‘s policy is designed to prevent a whole bunch of unnecessary web traffic by providing an otherwise essentially free mockup generator.

 Since they allow for downloading their files, it only makes sense that printful wants them to be used on their platform. In addition, this policy ensures that Printful does not give away mockup files to be used by competitors to print their products.

Alternative Mock-up Generator Programs to Consider:

• Placeit.net (editors choice)
• Creative Fabrica
• Figma
• Smart mock-ups
• Vexels
• Media Modifier
• Artboard Studio

An alternative to Printful’s mockup generator is to use a program designed specifically to generate mockups for individual creators. Such a program, either paid or free, would not have a contingency of making a sale on any print-on-demand platform to use the mockup generator and download the needed files.

These alternative programs allow access to the mockup generator and have many more templates to help pick the perfect mockup to showcase the design. Every company has different methods and even access to unique mockup templates that complement any fashion brand or company. These alternative mockup generators even allow for the design of a company logo, such as on placeit.net.

How Can I Add my Own Mockups to Printful?

The fastest way to create mockups from printful is to use printful’s program mockup generator. To use this generator, one must upload the design (with or without a transparent background). The preloaded mockup files that printful provides will work seamlessly on printful’s product catalog. The mockup generator works for each product and is easy to use.

Printful has a neat tool that informs a user if the file size looks too small for printing and may cause errors in printing the file to a product. Printful’s in-house mockup generator also assists with different lifestyle mockups; however, it is limited in options compared to platforms designed to create mockup files for sellers.

Use Placeit.net: Even Printful Agrees that It Helps Out

Printful is aware of its mockup generator’s limitations; however, those limitations are only in comparison to companies focusing solely on creating mockups for products. In addition, Printful is an in-house production warehouse, whereas other sites may outsource their printing to smaller print shops to fulfill the printful direct prints orders placed through them.

Placeit.net provides a full-scale catalog of templates for almost any occasion, from holidays to financial industries. Therefore, printful even recommends using placeit.net as an alternative to their own design and mockup generator. The main difference is that Placeit.net provides many more options and focuses on software design, while printful focuses on delivering the best product.

Use an Alternative Service and Printful’s Mockup Generator in Combination

An alternative design service such as Canva.com can help create individual mockup templates unique to that specific business. Placing the designs on a transparent background or even finding matching color coordination using a color wheel makes the design process much smoother.

When alternative sourcing products, the color schemes and codes would remain the same, and therefore the mockups would be easier to use on multiple platforms.

An Alternative Mockup Generation Software is the Only Way

Using placeit.net or another alternative mockup generator would be the most recommended step to avoid the shortcomings of using printful’s mockup generators. It becomes more about the number of options one has access to than the actual use of the mockup generator. If a store is connected and there has been a sale in the last sixty days, the printful mockup generator works.