Excel spreadsheets in the traditional XLS format remain common in many organizations for financial records, reports, and structured data. Adding a text watermark is an effective way to identify confidential content, mark drafts, or maintain consistent branding across worksheets. If you want to add text watermark to XLS using Python, this tutorial explains how to embed custom watermark text directly into an Excel workbook. It also demonstrates how to apply watermark to Excel in Python, giving you the ability to control watermark color, font style, alignment, and overall presentation across all sheets.

Steps to Add Text Watermark to XLS Using Python

1. Install GroupDocs.Watermark for Python via .NET using pip to enable text watermarking for Excel files.
2. Import the required modules: groupdocs.watermark, groupdocs.watermark.watermarks, and groupdocs.watermark.common.
3. Open the XLS workbook by creating a Watermarker instance within a with block for safe resource handling.
4. Set up a Font object by specifying the desired typeface and size for the watermark text.
5. Create a TextWatermark object that contains the watermark string and the configured font.
6. Define the visual style of the watermark by adjusting its color, alignment, and positioning options.
7. Apply the watermark to the workbook using the watermarker.add() method.
8. Save the modified XLS file to generate the final spreadsheet with the embedded watermark.

The watermarking library places the text watermark across every worksheet in the XLS file, ensuring that it remains consistently visible no matter how many sheets the workbook contains. You can customize properties such as font size, color, alignment, and orientation to match your document’s layout or branding needs. By following the steps provided, you can automate Python code to add text watermark to XLS and incorporate watermarking directly into your spreadsheet workflows. This helps streamline tasks where multiple Excel files must carry identical classification labels or branding elements.

Code to Add Text Watermark to XLS Using Python

After the watermark is applied, each sheet in the XLS workbook will display your chosen text, such as “Confidential,” “Internal Use,” or any custom identifier. You can refine visual styling to ensure that the watermark blends well with cell data while remaining noticeable on all worksheets. This guide shows how to insert text watermark in XLS using Python, providing a reliable way to enhance document control and presentation. Automated watermarking reduces manual work and ensures consistent output across all spreadsheets used for reporting, distribution, or internal documentation.

If you’re working with RTF documents and need to apply branded or descriptive text overlays, take a look at our tutorial on adding text watermarks to RTF using Python. It explains how to insert customized text-based watermarks into RTF files programmatically with full control over style and placement.