Watermarks on product image preview

[BeautBotanical]

Hello all, 

I've had a few enquires recently from customers wanting to purchase my invitation designs as a digital version for distribution. I'm aware that this is currently not available. 

One customer mentioned screen shotting the product, and this led me to realise that once a potential customer inputs their unique event details, our design previews are not protected by a watermark cover, and could easily be screen shotted and circulated without a purchase been made. 

I thought it might be worth mentioning.

Thanks,

[WHS_Designs]

https://www.zazzle.com/store/yourstore/settings/advanced

Under your store's Advanced Settings, scroll down to the last third of the page and click on the Learn more ... link that's in the box that discusses the Image watermark option. This box is found between the Transfer Design and Tracking Analytics sections.Click on the checkbox "Show patterned watermarks for large images on all of this store's products."

Click on the Submit button and save.

W.H.

[BeautBotanical]

Hey WHS_Designs, 

Thank you so much for that! I've managed to get it part working. For example the Zazzle text watermark is now visible on the 'back' and 'front back in situ' views but not the 'front' 'standing front' or 'front/back', any ideas?

Thank you,

[BeautBotanical]

Actually, never mind, I think it's just a bit slow updating as some invitations are now showing it on the front too. 

Thanks again!

[WHS_Designs]

@BeautBotanical you're welcome! 😊

[Angel]

WHS_Designs 

I finally found it when I followed your directions: "Under your store's Advanced Settings, scroll down to the last third of the page and click on the Learn more ... link that's in the box that discusses the Image watermark option. This box is found between the Transfer Design and Tracking Analytics sections." 😊😊😊

Thank you for those directions and screenshots. 😊

[pattycimzah]

I have had my designs set with watermarks (via the advanced settings) for the last 7-8 years. Currently (as of early August) Zazzle turned off all watermarks whether you want them turned off or not. My box is checked, but the watermarks aren't appearing. Several complaints have been made to Zazzle's Tehnical Support, but no one at Zazzle has responded to this problem. Obviously, they don't plan on changing this. 😖

[Arful_Dreamz]

Does it work for anyone? Not yet for me.

But I created my products just a few hours ago. Maybe more time is needed?

[Mark]

Hey @Arful_Dreamz,

I checked your products and the watermarks are showing up for me as expected. You may need to zoom in further within the design tool to see.

[Arful_Dreamz]

Hello Mark,

Thanks for your reply. This is great if you can see watermarks on my products. It will be even better if you show me too. Because I really do not see. For example https://www.zazzle.com/lady_in_the_mask_of_death_poster-256268261193081692

[Mark]

Hi @Arful_Dreamz,

I have included the screenshot below. 

[Arful_Dreamz]

Hello Mark,

Seriously? How can I benefit from having watermarks inside in design tool, if my work could be stolen right from the product page?

[Angel]

@Mark 

By looking at your screenshot it would seem you are actually in the design view of his image.

However, on the public view there isn't any watermark.

I'm including a screenshot.

But I'm wondering if that is because it's been made available as an instant digital download?

Angel

[CrazyMermaid]

I don't see it in the design tool or anywhere else. 

[glitter]

Does not work for me either. I turned it on after having a few designs recently snatched, I believe mine were taken via screen shot, cropped and background removed.  😕     Had a watermark been there this would not have happened. 

[Arful_Dreamz]

Actually, despite Mark's screenshot, there is no watermarks in design tool. Checked from Opera VPN.

[glitter]

I am so disturbed by this. Where we need the watermark the most it's simply not there! I have seen a sudden increase in stolen designs, two of mine (that I am aware of) included. There should be NO WAY that Zazzle allows this, a watermark on site should without question be automatic. I am not sure what changes have been made but they are failing big time in security and sadly we all pay the price. Then have to jump through hoops to defend our work. Anyhow, I think your artwork is spectacular and I hope Zazzle provides us all the protection we deserve sooner than later.

[Angel]

@glitter 

Having your designs stolen is intimidating, and makes one feel vulnerable and angry.

Not all of us want to watermark our designs. There are various reasons for this. However, if you go to your store's Settings tab, then click on the Advanced Settings.

Between the Design Transfer section and the Tracking and Analytics section is the section about Watermarks. You can set your store settings in here to automatically watermark all of your images in that store if you choose to.

You might find some of the threads on this url useful regarding your stolen designs.

https://community.zazzle.com/t5/forums/searchpage/tab/message?advanced=false&allow_punctuation=false...

[Arful_Dreamz]

@Angel 

Do you really think that no one in this thread has seen this option before you? You probably didn't even read the posts above.

The problem is that this option does not work, despite the repeated claims of support service.

[ColsCreations]

Watermarks (or more precisely, the disappearance of them) was a hot topic last summer and in August, Mod James issued an explanation here.
Watermarks are still being used (if you have the option turned on) but they changed the "threshold" for what triggers them to appear. Before, watermarks would appear on images displayed at 705px and up. Now, it's 1081px and up.

I don't have watermarks turned on in my account so I grabbed a behind-the-scenes URL for @Arful_Dreamz 's image and changed the size specification in it to make it display at 1081 and the watermarking popped right on. Also it adds the extra border with the attribution line on it. This is the way it used to work only now the trigger-size is 1081 instead of 705.

If I go to the product page, I do not see the watermarking, because even when I click for the large size preview view I am still only seeing it at approx 970px on my laptop (1920 x 1080 res setting). I have no idea how high your res needs to be to see the watermarks natively, but apparently Mod Mark's is high enough to see them.

[ColsCreations]

On the product page, the default preview size for me is 736 and the larger one is 1080 but that includes the gray border. If measuring just the artwork portion of the image, it's approx 660 and the 970 mentioned above.

The preview style varies with product type but the entire image is always 736 or 1080, just 1 pixel under where the watermarking ought to show on the larger preview.

My screen res setting is 1920 x 1080 @100%, but because of my Windows taskbar on the left and my browser toolbars on the top, my actual viewport is only 1856 x 939. I've only dabbled in responsive web design but know enough that most responsive pages use "breakpoints" which basically set rules for how something is displayed at different viewport sizes. I have no way of figuring out what Zazzle's "breakpoint" is for displaying the preview at 1081 or larger (which would trigger the watermarking), but I would think that with a res of 3860x2160 you would be well past it. Also, WOW, you must have a fantastic monitor, I'm jealous. I use a 40" flat-screen tv as a second monitor for my laptop but its resolution is actually lower than my laptop's 17" screen.

@Arful_Dreamz 

[Arful_Dreamz]

@ColsCreations 

Thanks for such an informative reply.

I have PC and my monitor resolution is 3860x2160.
There are no watermarks.

[AllinGray]

I too was initially shocked that I could not readily turn on watermarks but, thanks to the post by @Angel, I found it and turn the feature on. It is still available.

[ANASTASIJA]

HI! PLEASE show way  TO FIND "design Migration" I looked through all Angel posts, i didn't find answers there.- so complicated:( or I'm just blond

[Angel]

@ANASTASIJA 

• Go to Store Management
• Click on Settings tab
• In Left Menu click Advanced Settings
• Part way down the page is the section for Design Migration and you can choose it or not for that store. It looks like this.

Design Migration

This feature will copy your current designs from one product and place them onto newly released products. This will happen immediately following the release of a new product, and does not include designs created after the new product release.

Manage Participation:

• Do not migrate any of my content onto new products
• Always migrate my content onto new products

Note: Not all products will have the ability for design migration as it will depend on the availability of current products with the same design-able area(s). It may take up to 48 hours for your content to get migrated to new products.

[ANASTASIJA]

hi! If you will have time to see my screenshot-I don't see Design Migration:( I'm doing something wrong?

[Angel]

@Anastasija 

I don't see it there either, so I went back to my admin end and it also doesn't show up on my profile settings, since it is a Store Setting.

Once I select one of my stores the setting is there.

I notice you don't have any stores so the setting doesn't show up for you. Perhaps you want to make one store and put one product into it and then see if that works for you.

FYI I also tried getting to your products from a product page and though the banner is there with your links, there aren't any of your products or anything else from you when I click on your Profile Link (a tech issue).

[ANASTASIJA]

thank you! 

[Angel]

@Anastasija 

You're welcome! 😀

[ANASTASIJA]

I'm back:) watermarks doesn't show up - did I need to wait for some couple of days until I will see it on my products? May be I can use my on product preview images? if yes, can you teach me how? thank you for your time

[Angel]

@Anastasija 

I haven't used Watermarks, so only know the basics about them. A lot of things take a day or more to show up. Sometimes reloading the page using the F5 key (Windows) will remove the cache and reload the page and presto things will be as they should be-all fresh and new.

You could put watermarks on images you've uploaded using the media manager for the product. It depends on which graphic (art) program you use as to how you will do it.

You could make your preview image then add a watermark on the same layer (changing your image) or adding the watermark to the layer above.

Let me know which app you use and I'll try to send you YouTube or other video link on how to do it.

[ANASTASIJA]

Thank you for your answer.. What I mean is that I see other zazzle sellers use their own mockups to present their products. how do they include a picture of their own mockup ?

[Angel]

@ Anastasija 

You have to create your own image using a graphic program like Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Gimp, Affinity etc.

Once you have your image created open up the Product Page the Customers can see. At the top of the page you will see a tab called Media Manager. Use the Media Manager to upload your image.

Zazzle has given us instructions on how to use the Media Manager here https://community.zazzle.com/t5/creator-news/feature-evolution-cover-photo-becomes-media-manager/ba-...

[ANASTASIJA]

thank you-it's works:)

[LTS]

Just to throw my 2 cents in just in case someone stumbles onto this thread about the lack of Zazzle watermarks despite there being an option for it - According to Zazzles own policy on its watermarks, it tries to discourage sellers from using them. The company doesn't want you using them because they think it will hurt sales for the business. They also said image sites want large unmarked images or they may de-list sites like Zazzle (interesting if this is true because this increases risks of exploitation of sellers as people can just take these large size mages off these sites and make use of them). The bottom line seems to be that Zazzle has changed the behind the scenes technicals related to the watermarking feature to either make it very difficult or prevent the marks from actually showing up so that sales can stay up.

Here's specifically what the policy says:

However, our company policy is to strongly discourage store owners from enabling this feature. Why? We believe it is not in the interests of store owners, of our customers, or of Zazzle because it will harm legitimate sales more and more over time.

Why we urge store owners NOT to use watermarks:

1. Stores with watermarked products will generate fewer sales than stores that have opted not to apply the watermark, because:
   • Image search engines continue to require websites such as ours to provide larger and larger images without digital artifacts such as watermarks, or risk being de-listed from their search results.
   • Zazzle has to adopt a similar policy on our own site in order to present customers with the most relevant products in each search result. As watermarked products sell less in our marketplace, they will lose preferential placement in our results.
   • A portion of customers may mistake the watermark as an intentional part of a product's design, and thus be discouraged from purchasing it.
   • A portion of customers may believe there is a flaw in our website interface and be discouraged from purchasing products on Zazzle.
   • A portion of customers will assume the watermark will be printed on their finished product, and either be discouraged from purchasing it or confused when the product arrives without the pattern.