Create and print labels for a single item or address

This information applies to creating an individual label or a sheet of identical labels. For example, you can print a single label for a mailing address, file folder, or CD case, or you can create a sheet of identical labels, such as return address labels. If you want to create and print labels that incorporate information from an address list or database, see Create and print labels for a mass mailing.What do you want to do?

bookmark link Print a single label

bookmark link Create and print a full page of the same label

bookmark link Create and print return address labels

Print a single label

Start Microsoft Office Word.
A blank document opens by default. Leave it open. If you close it, the commands in the next step are not available.
On the Mailings tab, in the Create group, click Labels.
In the Address box, type the text that you want.
If you want to create a label for an address that is stored in the electronic address book that is installed on your computer, click Insert Address .
To change the formatting, select the text, right-click the selected text, and then click Font or Paragraph on the shortcut menu.
To select the label type and other options, click Options.
In the Label Options dialog box, make your choices, and then click OK.

The type of printer that you are using to print labels
The supplier that produced your label sheets
The number that corresponds to the product number listed on your package of label sheets
The product number for my label sheets doesn't match any of the choices in the Label Options dialog box
You can still print your labels. You just have to do some customizing.
1. Measure the labels on the sheet that you have, and note the measurements and how many labels fit on a single sheet.
  Note Measure the labels carefully. The actual label size might be smaller than the size that is indicated by the label manufacturer. For example, a 1-by-2-inch label might actually be 15/16-inch high and 1 15/16-inches wide.
2. In the Product number list, click a label type that is similar in size to your labels.
  If you don't see the label type that you want in the Product number list, you may be able to use another of the listed labels, or you can create a new label size.
3. Click Details, and then compare the label dimensions and the number of labels per sheet (for labels printed on laser and ink-jet printers) or the number of columns on the label form (for labels printed on dot-matrix printers).
4. Do one of the following:
  - If the dimensions and label layout match those of your labels, use the selected label.
  - If the dimensions and layout do not match yours, click Cancel, and continue to step 5.
5. In the Label Options dialog box, click the printer type (either Continuous-feed printers or Page printers), and then click New Label.
6. Type a name in the Label name box, select the height, width, margins, and other options for your label, and then click OK.
  The new label appears in the Product number list as Label name - Custom. The label is also placed in the Other/Custom category. The next time you use your custom labels, be sure to select Other/Custom in the Label vendors list.
After you select the options that you want, click OK.
Under Print, click Single label. Then in the Row and Column boxes, enter the numbers that match the numbers of rows and columns on the label sheet for the label that you want to print.
Click Print.

Create and print a full page of the same label

Start Word.
A blank document opens by default. Leave it open. If you close it, the commands in the next step are not available.
On the Mailings tab, in the Create group, click Labels.
In the Address box, type the text that you want.
If you want to create a label for an address that is stored in the electronic address book that is installed on your computer, click Insert Address .
To change the formatting, select the text, right-click the selected text, and then click Font or Paragraph on the shortcut menu.
All of the labels on the sheet will use the formatting that you specify.
To select the label type and other options, click Options.
In the Label Options dialog box, make your choices, and then click OK.

The type of printer that you are using to print labels
The supplier that produced your label sheets
The number that corresponds to the product number listed on your package of label sheets
The product number for my label sheets doesn't match any of the choices in the Label Options dialog box
You can still print your labels. You just have to do some customizing.
1. Measure the labels on the sheet that you have, and note the measurements and how many labels fit on a single sheet.
  Note Measure the labels carefully. The actual label size might be smaller than the size that is indicated by the label manufacturer. For example, a 1-by-2-inch label might actually be 15/16-inch high and 1 15/16-inches wide.
2. In the Product number list, click a label type that is similar in size to your labels.
  If you don't see the label type that you want in the Product number list, you may be able to use another of the listed labels, or you can create your own custom-sized labels.
3. Click Details, and then compare the label dimensions and the number of labels per sheet (for labels printed on laser and ink-jet printers) or the number of columns on the label form (for labels printed on dot-matrix printers).
4. Do one of the following:
  - If the dimensions and label layout match those of your labels, use the selected label.
  - If the dimensions and layout do not match yours, click Cancel, and continue to step 5.
5. In the Label Options dialog box, click the printer type (either Continuous-feed printers or Page printers), and then click New Label.
6. Type a name in the Label name box, select the height, width, margins, and other options for your label, and then click OK.
  The new label appears in the Product number list as Label name - Custom. The label is also placed in the Other/Custom category. The next time you use your custom labels, be sure to select Other/Custom in the Label vendors list.
After you select the options that you want, click OK.
Under Print, click Full page of the same label.
Do one of the following:
- To send the labels directly to the printer without previewing them, click Print.
- To preview the labels so that you can edit them and save them in a reusable document, click New Document.
  Word creates a document that contains the sheet of labels. Word uses a table to lay out the labels. If you don't see lines separating the labels, click the Layout tab under Table Tools, and then in the Table group, click View Gridlines.
  You can make any changes that you want to each label, including changes to the text formatting and color scheme, just as you would with the content of any table in Word. When you finish, save or print the labels the same way that you save or print any document in Word.

Add a graphic to labels

If you want to add a graphic to labels that you are printing on a page printer (rather than a continuous-feed printer), you must add it to each label.

Position the cursor where you want to place the graphic.
On the Insert tab, in the Illustrations group, click Picture or Clip Art.
Locate the graphic, and then double-click it.
If you need to resize the graphic, select it and then drag a corner sizing handle to the size that you want. Dragging a corner handle maintains the height-to-width ratio.
If the graphic does not align with the label text, right-click the graphic and do the following:
1. Point to Text Wrapping, and then click More Layout Options.
2. Click the Text Wrapping tab, and under Wrapping style, click Square.
3. Click the Picture Position tab, and under Horizontal, click Alignment, and then click the alignment that you want: Left, Centered, or Right.
4. Click OK.
To add the graphic to each label, select the graphic and press CTRL+C.
In the next label on the sheet, place the cursor where you want the graphic and press CTRL+V.
Repeat the previous step for each label on the sheet.

Create and print return address labels

Start Word.
A blank document opens by default. Leave it open. If you close it, the commands later in this procedure are not available.
Click the Microsoft Office Button , and then click Word Options.
Click Advanced.
Scroll down, and under General, type your return address in the Mailing address box.
Word stores the address so that you can use it whenever you want to insert your return address in a document.
Click OK.
On the Mailings tab, in the Create group, click Labels.
Select the Use return address check box.
If you want to format the text in the Address box, select the text, right-click the selected text, and then click Font or Paragraph on the shortcut menu.
To select the label type and other options, click Options.
In the Label Options dialog box, make your choices, and then click OK.

The type of printer that you are using to print labels
The supplier that produced your label sheets
The number that corresponds to the product number listed on your package of label sheets
The product number for my label sheets doesn't match any of the choices in the Label Options dialog box
You can still print your labels. You just have to do some customizing.
1. Measure the labels on the sheet that you have, and note the measurements and how many labels fit on a single sheet.
  Note Measure the labels carefully. The actual label size might be smaller than the size that is indicated by the label manufacturer. For example, a 1-by-2-inch label might actually be 15/16-inch high and 1 15/16-inches wide.
2. In the Product number list, click a label type similar in size to your labels.
  If you don't see the label type that you want in the Product number list, you may be able to use another of the listed labels, or you can create your own custom-sized labels.
3. Click Details, and then compare the label dimensions and the number of labels per sheet (for labels printed on laser and ink-jet printers) or the number of columns on the label form (for labels printed on dot-matrix printers).
4. Do one of the following:
  - If the dimensions and label layout match those of your labels, use the selected label.
  - If the dimensions and layout do not match yours, click Cancel, and continue to step 5.
5. In the Label Options dialog box, click the printer type (either Continuous-feed printers or Page printers), and then click New Label.
6. Type a name in the Label name box, select the height, width, margins, and other options for your label, and then click OK.
  The new label appears in the Product number list as Label name - Custom. The label is also placed in the Other/Custom category. The next time you use your custom labels, be sure to select Other/Custom in the Label vendors list.
Under Print, do one of the following:
- To print just one label, click Single label. Then in the Row and Column boxes, enter the numbers that match the numbers of rows and columns on the label sheet for the label that you want to print. Click Print.
- To print a whole sheet of labels, under Print, click Full page of the same label, and then do one of the following:
  - To send the labels directly to the printer without previewing them, click Print.
  - To preview the labels so that you can edit them and save them in a reusable document, click New Document.
    Word creates a document that contains the sheet of labels. Word uses a table to lay out the labels. If you don't see lines separating the labels, click the Layout tab under Table Tools, and then in the Table group, click View Gridlines.
    You can make any changes that you want to each label, including changes to the text formatting and color scheme, just as you would with the content of any table in Word. When you finish, save or print the labels the same way that you save or print any document in Word.

Add a graphic to labels

If you want to add a graphic to labels that you are printing on a page printer (rather than a continuous-feed printer), you must add it to each label.

Position the cursor where you want to place the graphic.
On the Insert tab, in the Illustrations group, click Picture or Clip Art.
Locate the graphic, and then double-click it.
If you need to resize the graphic, select it and then drag a corner sizing handle to the size that you want. Dragging a corner handle maintains the height-to-width ratio.
If the graphic does not align with the label text, right-click the graphic and do the following:
1. Point to Text Wrapping, and then click More Layout Options.
2. Click the Text Wrapping tab, and under Wrapping style, click Square.
3. Click the Picture Position tab, and under Horizontal, click Alignment, and then click the alignment that you want: Left, Centered, or Right.
4. Click OK.
To add the graphic to each label, select the graphic and press CTRL+C.
In the next label on the sheet, place the cursor where you want the graphic and press CTRL+V.
Repeat the previous step for each label on the sheet.

Images in this article were excerpted from Training on Microsoft Office Online.