Myth: "Watermark your drafts so clients can't use them without paying."

Myth: "Watermark your drafts so clients can't use them without paying."

Watermarks protect nothing, they just make your draft look amateur on the approval call and invite a fight. Protection is a process, not a logo overlay.

The Delivery Gate SOP:

— Send a low-res, time-coded preview for approval, never the master file.
— Release the clean master only after final-balance payment clears.
— State usage scope on the delivery note so "I'll just run it as an ad" has an answer.
— Keep masters in a folder the client can't access until release.

Standardize the gate, not the watermark. Save this two-stage delivery flow and stop defacing your own work to feel safe.