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Visual Basic 6.0 Requires Chilkat v11.7.0+

A PDF Watermark That Only Appears When Printed

See more PDF Watermark Examples

Demonstrates a watermark that is invisible on screen and appears on paper, which is what a "printed copies are uncontrolled" marking needs. Two approaches can do it: an optional-content layer with layer.view off and layer.print on, which also gives the reader an entry in the layers panel of the viewer (layer.locked stops them switching it), and a Watermark annotation with annotation.view false and annotation.print true. annotation.fixedPrint keeps the printed size and position the same whatever paper it goes on.

Chilkat Visual Basic 6.0 Downloads

Visual Basic 6.0
Dim success As Long
success = 0

'  This example requires the Chilkat API to have been previously unlocked.
'  See Global Unlock Sample for sample code.

'  The PDF used in this example is available at two_page_memo.pdf

Dim pdf As New ChilkatPdf
success = pdf.LoadFile("qa_data/pdf/two_page_memo.pdf")
If (success = 0) Then
    Debug.Print pdf.LastErrorText
    Exit Sub
End If

Dim json As New ChilkatJsonObject
success = json.UpdateString("type","text")
success = json.UpdateString("text","UNCONTROLLED WHEN PRINTED")
success = json.UpdateString("id","printonly")

'  As a layer: off on screen, on when printing, and locked so the reader cannot switch it on.
success = json.UpdateString("approach","layer")
success = json.UpdateString("layer.name","Print marking")
success = json.UpdateString("layer.view","off")
success = json.UpdateString("layer.print","on")
success = json.UpdateBool("layer.locked",1)

success = json.UpdateString("rotation","diagonal")
success = json.UpdateString("scale.fit","page")
success = json.UpdateNumber("scale.fitPercent","70")
success = json.UpdateNumber("opacity","0.3")

Dim jsonOut As New ChilkatJsonObject
success = pdf.Watermark("add",json,jsonOut)
If (success = 0) Then
    Debug.Print pdf.LastErrorText
    Exit Sub
End If

Debug.Print "layer id: " & jsonOut.StringOf("id") & " pages: " & jsonOut.StringOf("pages")

success = pdf.WriteFile("qa_output/memo_print_only.pdf")
If (success = 0) Then
    Debug.Print pdf.LastErrorText
    Exit Sub
End If

'  The same thing as an annotation instead.
Dim pdf2 As New ChilkatPdf
success = pdf2.LoadFile("qa_data/pdf/two_page_memo.pdf")
If (success = 0) Then
    Debug.Print pdf2.LastErrorText
    Exit Sub
End If

Dim json2 As New ChilkatJsonObject
success = json2.UpdateString("type","text")
success = json2.UpdateString("text","UNCONTROLLED WHEN PRINTED")
success = json2.UpdateString("id","printonly2")
success = json2.UpdateString("approach","annotation")
success = json2.UpdateBool("annotation.view",0)
success = json2.UpdateBool("annotation.print",1)
success = json2.UpdateBool("annotation.fixedPrint",1)
success = json2.UpdateString("rotation","diagonal")
success = pdf2.Watermark("add",json2,jsonOut)
If (success = 0) Then
    Debug.Print pdf2.LastErrorText
    Exit Sub
End If

Debug.Print "annotation id: " & jsonOut.StringOf("id")

'  Sample output:

'  layer id: printonly pages: 1-2
'  annotation id: printonly2