How to delete a watermark from Pages '09 Doc imported from Word::Mac 2008

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How to delete a watermark from Pages '09 Doc imported from Word::Mac 2008

How do I remove a watermark from a Pages '09 document that I originally imported from Word::Mac 2008? I inserted the watermark ("draft") in the Word version of the document.

Here's what I have tried that hasn't worked:

(1) Going to FORMAT ==> ADVANCED ==> MAKE MASTER OBJECTS SELECTABLE.

(2) Exporting the Pages document to Word::Mac.

(3) Cutting and pasting the text from Pages to a blank Pages document (still kept the watermark).

(4) Exporting to Word::Mac, cutting and pasting the text into a blank Word document (still kept the watermark).

(5) Cutting and pasting the text from Pages to Word (crashed Word::Mac) - didn't keep the watermark. Updated lost formatting, and Word::Mac crashed and I and lost my updates.

I'm sure there has to be a way to remove what appears to be a background image of some kind after it was imported to Pages from Word::Mac 2008.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance.

MacBook, Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on Aug 11, 2009 4:50 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

PeterBreis0807

Level 8

41,196 points

Aug 11, 2009 7:14 PM in response to Silverfern

Silverfern

You will lose all formatting but copy all text and paste into TextEdit or any text editor set to +text only+.

Otherwise click on my name and send me either the document or a sample of it with the watermark and I will see if I can see where it is embedded.

Peter

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Answer 2

Silverfern Author

Level 1

9 points

Aug 11, 2009 7:17 PM in response to PeterBreis0807

Peter, thank you, I was afraid you'd say that (put it into a text editor).

If this wasn't an internal document, I would happily send it to you. I can't, though. Thank you for the offer.

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Answer 3

Aug 11, 2009 7:23 PM in response to Silverfern

S,

How large is this document? If larger than one page, is the watermark on more than one page?
When you added the watermark to the Word document, how did you do it?

Jerry

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Answer 4

Silverfern Author

Level 1

9 points

Aug 11, 2009 7:26 PM in response to Jerrold Green1

It is 25 pages. The image is on every page, including the first page. I added it in Word via: INSERT ==>WATERMARK.

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Answer 5

Silverfern Author

Level 1

9 points

Aug 11, 2009 7:31 PM in response to Silverfern

I think, though, given the length of the text, that it would be faster at this point for me to just cut and paste it into a text editor, and then cut and past that into a word-processing document. I'm about to call it a night, and I'll see what I can figure out tomorrow.

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Answer 6

Aug 11, 2009 7:35 PM in response to Silverfern

Display the Page Thumbnails, if you're not doing so already, by View > Page Thumbnails.

When you click on the first Thumbnail, you will see a yellow border. How many pages does the border enclose? If you have more than one yellow Section box, how many are there? This will tell us how many Sections you have in your document. If you're dealing with Master Objects, there will be one for each Section.

Jerry

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Answer 7

Silverfern Author

Level 1

9 points

Aug 11, 2009 7:38 PM in response to Jerrold Green1

The yellow line encloses all of the pages, so there is only one section/one object I think.

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Answer 8

Aug 11, 2009 7:53 PM in response to Silverfern

OK, that pretty much confirms that you have a Master Object. While you were away, I created a Word doc and inserted a Watermark. Saved the file and opened it with Pages. I selected Format > Advanced > Make Master Objects Selectable, clicked on the watermark, hit Delete, and away it went.

Now, it's possible that your watermark object somehow became Locked, in which case you will need to Select it, Unlock it, and then delete it. If there are x's in the corners when you select the object, it's locked. Arrange > Unlock. Then delete. If the eight sizing boxes on the border of your watermark object are all solid blue squares, it's a Master Object, and it's unlocked.

Jerry

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Answer 9

Silverfern Author

Level 1

9 points

Aug 11, 2009 8:07 PM in response to Jerrold Green1

Well, that's the thing...I was trying not to write too long a message.

Prior to posting...I thought it must be a master object, so I tried what you wrote in your first para. I then clicked on the Watermark, but I then I can't select the object (the text, "draft") at all. I don't get a box, thus no way to select Arrange > Unlock. There are no sizing boxes, nada. It is like it is some kind of deeply embedded image.

I even looked at Template to see if I had inadvertently created some kind of a template, and I should remove it there, but, no.

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Answer 10

Silverfern Author

Level 1

9 points

Aug 11, 2009 8:08 PM in response to Jerrold Green1

Btw, prior to that last post, I walked through your steps again, just in case I had missed something prior to creating this post. Nope. Same thing -- there is no object box.

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Answer 11

Aug 11, 2009 8:25 PM in response to Silverfern

Siverfern

Try turning on Show Invisibles under the View Menu.

Are you clicking with the command key held down to get the object selection tool? Pages can be very picky and require you to hit exactly on the object edge sometimes, which is not easy if it has no visible edge.

It may also be that the object is exactly the size of the page and therefore the edge is hidden on the page boundaries. Try clicking there and see if you get anything.

I dread to think what happens if the object actually bleeds off all 4 edges of the page, something Apple's engineers can't conceive of.

Peter

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Answer 12

Silverfern Author

Level 1

9 points

Aug 11, 2009 8:49 PM in response to PeterBreis0807

I had tried "Show Invisibles" but it also didn't work. I also tried it again per your comment. No change.

I did just try clicking around the edges. Nothing.

I'm going to take the liberty of emailing you the front page and TOC w/identifying items removed, so you can see what I mean.

I'm not under a deadline in terms of turning this in, but I wouldn't mind finding a solution and posting it. I'm sure somewhere someone will have a 300 page document and will need to undo this. I'll poke around w/it too.

I appreciate your help with this.

I have to log off for now.

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Answer 13

Aug 11, 2009 9:16 PM in response to Silverfern

Thanks got your document.

It is so much easier when you can actually see it.

The Draft is a text box and it is under the main text body of the document. You can't get at it because it is buried under the unselectable WP text area.

Tsk, tsk Apple, you stubbornly won't provide a selection tool that can select down through a document!

Uncover it by temporarily increasing the left or right margins of the text:

+Inspector > Document > Document Margins+

I can't tell from your document snippet whether it is a master object or on each page as a separate object. Whatever it takes, go through and kill the beast in its lair!

Then give Apple feedback on how to design a better Pages.

Peter

P.S. I may be guessing wrong from your moniker, but are you by any chance a Kiwi a long way from home?

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Answer 14

Peggy

Level 8

41,655 points

Aug 11, 2009 9:38 PM in response to Silverfern

Did you try ⌘-clicking outside the layout area & then dragging the cursor toward the object? The object should become selected as soon as the cursor touches it. Much easier than trying to click non-existent or buried edges.

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Answer 15

Aug 11, 2009 9:46 PM in response to Peggy

Good technique Peggy.

You need to start dragging off the page's edge, or hold down the command key while you are doing it.

Unfortunately I think Silverfern will have to pick off each one of these individually, I can see no sign that they are master objects.

Peter

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