WD: Creating Custom Mailing Labels (MW0163)

Last reviewed: September 10, 1997
Article ID: Q48451
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Word for the Macintosh, versions 4.0, 5.0, 5.1

SUMMARY

This article contains the complete contents of the Application Note titled: "MW0163: Creating Custom Mailing Labels." You can download a Microsoft Word version of this Application Note from the Microsoft Software Library:

 ~ MW0163.hqx (size: 31699 bytes) 

For more information about downloading files from the Microsoft Software Library, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q119591
   TITLE     : How to Obtain Microsoft Support Files from Online Services

THE TEXT OF MW0163

    Microsoft(R) Product Support Services Application Note (Text File)
                  MW0163: CREATING CUSTOM MAILING LABELS
                                              Revision Date: 3/93
                                                 6 Pages, No Disk

The following information applies to Microsoft Word for the Macintosh, version 4.0, 5.0, 5.1.

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INTRODUCTION

This Application Note contains instructions for creating custom mailing label templates using the Table feature in Word for the Macintosh. You can use these templates to generate mailing labels that print on an Apple(R) LaserWriter(R) or Apple ImageWriter(R) printer. Using these templates, you can enter the mailing label information directly, or you can create a print merge main document for merging to a data document.

Word versions 4.0, 5.0, and 5.1 supply several mailing label stationery documents you can use to print common mailing label sizes. If your labels match the dimensions of these common mailing label sizes, you do not need to use the instructions in this application note. You should use the instructions in this Application Note if your labels do not match the dimensions of the mailing label documents supplied with Word. For information on the mailing labels stationery, see the following resources:

WORD VERSIONS 5.0 AND 5.1

  • Mailing Labels ReadMe document, located in the Mailing Labels folder in the Sample Documents folder

WORD VERSION 4.0

  • Using Mailing Labels document, located in the Mailing Labels folder
  • Thirteen mailing label stationery documents, located in the Mailing Label Documents folder

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

WORD VERSIONS 5.0 AND 5.1

"Microsoft Word User's Guide", Chapter 34, "Mailing Labels."

For ImageWriter instructions, see "Setting Up Labels for ImageWriter Printers" on pages 636-639 of the "Microsoft Word User's Guide".

WORD VERSION 4.0

For more information on print merges and tables, see pages 293 and 362 of "Reference to Microsoft Word".

For ImageWriter instructions, see "Printing Mailing Labels on an ImageWriter" on pages 171-174 of "Reference to Microsoft Word".

MAILING LABEL TERMINOLOGY

 "Column Width":  The label width plus the horizontal gap, expressed in
                  inches

 "Horizontal Gap":  The distance in inches between two labels on the same
                    row.

 "Label Height":  The distance in inches between the top and bottom edges
                  of a label.

 "Label Width":  The distance in inches between the left and right edges of
                 a label.

 "Left Indent":  The distance in inches between the left edge of the label
                 and the beginning of each printed line.

 "Right Indent":  The distance in inches between the right edge of the
                  label and the point at which the printed line wraps.

 "Row Height":  The vertical distance in inches between the top edge of one
                label in a column and the label directly above it.

 "Side Margins":  The horizontal distance in inches between the edge of the
                  page and the edge of the label.

 "Top Margin":  The vertical distance in inches between the top edge of the
                page and the top edge of a label in the top row.

TO CREATE THE MAILING LABEL STATIONERY

Look up your labels in the Avery(R) Label Specifications table below. If your labels do not appear in this table, use the Mailing Label Terminology section above to determine the dimensions of your labels.

  NOTE: In the steps below, the terms in parentheses correspond to the
  terms in the Avery Label Specifications table at the bottom of this
  document.

MAILING LABEL STATIONERY FOR THE

LASERWRITER, STYLEWRITER(R), AND DESKWRITER(R)

To create a full page of mailing labels:

  1. From the File menu, choose Page Setup.

        a. Select the US Letter option button, select the Portrait (Tall)
           Orientation icon, and type "100" (without the quotation marks) in
           the Reduce Or Enlarge box.
    

           NOTE: If you are using a StyleWriter, DeskWriter, LaserWriter LS,
           or other non-PostScript(R) printer, choose the OK button and skip to
           step 2 below.
    

        b. Choose the Options button.
    

        c. Select the Larger Print Area check box and choose the OK button
           twice.
    

           NOTE: When you select Larger Print Area, the smallest margin you
           can set is .25 inch. When you don't select the Larger Print Area
           check box, the smallest margin you can set is .5 inch.
    

  2. From the Format menu, choose Document.

        a. Type the indicated values for the following settings (see the Avery
           Label Specifications table at the bottom of this document):
    

            - Left and Right Margins (Side Margins)
    
            - Top Margin (Top Margin)
    
        b. In the Bottom Margin box, type "0" (zero) (without the quotation
           marks) and choose the OK button.
    
           NOTE: By setting the bottom margin to 0, you prevent a page break
           in the table.
    
    

  3. From the Insert menu, choose Table (in Word version 4.0, choose Insert Table from the Document menu). Type the indicated values for the following settings (see the Avery Label Specifications table at the bottom of this document) and then choose the Format button:

        - Number of Columns (# of Columns)
    

        - Number of Rows (# of Rows)
    

        - Column Width
    

  4. In the Table Cells dialog box, type the indicated value for the following settings and then choose the OK button:

        - In the Space Between Columns box, type "0" (zero) (without the
          quotation marks).
    

        - In the Row Height box, specify the height in points (to generate the
          row height, multiply the row height in inches by 72 to convert it to
          points). (In Word version 4.0, type a minus sign [-] before the Row
          Height value. For example, type "-144" (without the quotation
          marks).
    

        - From the Row Height list box, select Exactly (this step does not
          apply to Word version 4.0).
    

  5. Select the table. From the Format menu, choose Paragraph. Type the indicated values (see the Avery Label Specifications table at the bottom of this document) for the following settings and then choose the OK button:

        - Left Indentation (Paragraph Left Indent): This setting determines the
          distance between the left edge of the label and the beginning of each
          line. For example, if you want your mailing label text to appear .25
          inch from the left edge of the label, type ".25 in" (without the
          quotation marks) in the Left Indentation box.
    

        - Right Indentation (Paragraph Right Indent): Add the Horizontal Gap to
          the desired right indent on the label (see Horizontal Gap in the
          Mailing Label Terminology section above).
    

  6. From the File menu, choose Save As. In the Save Current Document As box, type a name for the file.

  7. In the Save File As Type box, select Stationery, and then choose the Save button.

IMAGEWRITER MAILING LABELS STATIONERY

NOTE: If your printer is an ImageWriter LQ, you can use the instructions for either the ImageWriter or the LaserWriter.

Use the following steps to create a mailing label stationery (template) in which a page is one row long. The first inch on the left and right sides of tractor feed labels is not part of the page size.

  1. From the Tools menu, choose Preferences (in Word version 4.0, choose Preferences from the Edit menu). Choose the General icon. Type the indicated values for the following settings and then close the Preferences window:

        - Custom Page Size Height (see Row Height in the Mailing Label
          Terminology section above)
    

        - In the Custom Page Width box, type "8.5 in" (without the quotation
          marks).
    

           NOTE: A setting other than 8.5 inches causes the ImageWriter to
           shift the text 0.125 inch to the right.
    

  2. From the File menu, choose Page Setup.

        a. Select the Custom Page Size option button.
    

        b. Select the Portrait (Tall) Orientation icon.
    

        c. In the Reduce Or Enlarge box, type "100" (without the quotation
           marks).
    

        d. Select the No Gaps Between Pages check box and choose the OK button.
    

  3. From the Format menu, choose Document. Type the indicated values for the following settings:

        - Left and Right Margins (Side Margins)
    

           NOTE: The minimum side margin setting is 0.25 inch on the
           ImageWriter II and ImageWriter LQ.
    

        - Top Margin (Top Margin)
    

           NOTE: You should usually set the top margin to 0 (zero) because you
           usually align the top of the label with the top of the paper bail,
           which leaves no top margin.
    

        - In the Bottom Margin box, type "0" (zero) (without the quotation
          marks) and choose the OK button.
    

           NOTE: By setting the bottom margin to 0, you prevent a page break
           in the table.
    

  4. From the Insert menu, choose Table (in Word version 4.0, choose Insert Table from the Document menu). Type the indicated values for the following settings and then choose the Format button:

        - Number of Columns (# of Columns).
    

        - In the Number of Rows box, type 1.
    

        - Column Width
    

  5. In the Table Cells dialog box, type the indicated value for the following settings, and then choose the OK button:

        - In the Space Between Columns box, type "0" (zero) (without the
          quotation marks).
    

        - Row Height in points (to generate the row height, multiply the
          vertical pitch in inches by 72 to convert it to points). (In Word
          version 4.0, type a minus sign [-] before the Row Height value. For
          example, type "-144" (without the quotation marks).)
    

        - From the Row Height list, select Exactly (this step does not apply
          to Word version 4.0).
    

  6. Select the table. From the Format menu, choose Paragraph. Type the indicated values for the following settings, and then choose the OK button:

        - Left Indentation (Paragraph Left Indent): This setting determines the
          distance between the left edge of the label and the beginning of each
          line. For example, if you want your mailing label text to appear .25
          inch from the left edge of the label, type ".25 in" (without the
          quotation marks) in the Left Indentation box.
    

        - Right Indentation (Paragraph Right Indent): Add the Horizontal Gap to
          the desired right indent on the label (see Horizontal Gap in the
          Mailing Label Terminology section above).
    

  7. From the File menu, choose Save As. In the Save Current Document As box, type a name for the file.

  8. In the Save File As Type box, select Stationery, and then choose the Save button.

TO USE THE MAILING LABEL STATIONERY

Your mailing label stationery is now ready to use. For instructions on using stationery to create a new document, see page 495 in the "Microsoft Word User's Guide" for Word versions 5.0 and 5.1 (for Word version 4.0, see the Using Mailing Labels document located in the Mailing Labels folder).

To use this stationery to create a print merge main document, see the "Print Merge Mailing Label Setup" section below.

Figure 1 is a sample mailing label document based on a mailing label stationery in which you type the addresses directly in the table cells.

                     Figure 1: Sample Mailing Label
              Document with Addresses Typed Directly in Cells
              -----------------------------------------------

 Jane Dow                   John Smith                 Ron Jones
 123 Pine St.               Microsoft Corporation      555 Alder Ave.
 Seattle, WA 98107          One Microsoft Way          Suite 25
                            Redmond, WA 98052-6399     Seattle, WA 98125


 Allen Johnson              Mr. and Mrs. Bob Richards  Donna Smith
 Gadget Inc.                789 Longfellow Rd.         63 Main St.
 456 Oak Court              Longview, WA 98632         Apt. 12-B
 Suite 3-A                                             Kelso, WA 98626
 Redmond, WA 98052


PRINT MERGE MAILING LABEL SETUP

You can create a print merge main document using your mailing label stationery. In your mailing label document, insert merge codes in place of the addressee information. Figure 2 is a sample print merge main document for mailing labels. For more information on using print merges to create mailing labels with Word versions 5.0 and 5.1, see "Creating the Main Document for Mailing Labels," which begins on page 628 of the "Microsoft Word User's Guide." If you are using Word version 4.0, see "Creating a Main Document," which begins on page 175 of "Reference to Microsoft Word".

To insert the merge codes, press OPTION+BACKSLASH (\) for «, and OPTION+SHIFT+BACKSLASH (\) for », or use the "print merge" Standard Glossary entry. Insert the DATA statement in the first cell. Replace the DATA statement with a NEXT statement in the remaining cells. For more information on the DATA and NEXT statements, see pages 598-615 of the "Microsoft Word User’s Guide" for Word versions 5.0 and 5.1. For Word version 4.0, see pages 294-297 of "Reference to Microsoft Word".

                 Figure 2: Sample Mailing Label
          Document for Use as Print Merge Main Document
          =============================================

 «DATA filename»              «NEXT»                {same as previous
 column}
 «name»                       «name»                         ...
 «address1»                   «address1»                     ...
 «IF address2»«address2»      «IF address2»«address2»        ...
 «ENDIF»«city», «state» «zip» «ENDIF»«city», «state» «zip»   ...

 «NEXT»                       «NEXT»                         ...
 «name»                       «name»                         ...
 «address1»                   «address1»                     ...
 «IF address2»«address2»      «IF address2»«address2»        ...
 «ENDIF»«city», «state» «zip» «ENDIF»«city», «state» «zip»   ...

TROUBLESHOOTING

THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES DO NOT PRINT WITHIN THE MAILING LABEL WIDTH:

Increase or decrease the left and right indents.

THE LABELS START TOO HIGH OR TOO LOW ON THE PAGE:

Some sheets of labels have different top and bottom margins. Be sure you feed the correct end of the label sheet into the printer. In addition, check the Top Margin setting to be sure the setting is correct.

On an ImageWriter, make sure the top of the labels is aligned with the top of the paper bail. You may need to adjust the label up or down in the printer.

THE LABEL TEXT CONTINUES TO PRINT ON NEXT LABEL:

Make sure the Row Height setting is the same as the vertical pitch measurement. In the Table Cells dialog box, make sure the Exactly setting is selected in the Row Height list. (In Word version 4.0, make sure a minus sign [-] precedes the Row Height setting.)

SOME CELLS CONTAIN MERGE CODES

INSTEAD OF NAMES AND ADDRESSES WHEN THEY ARE MERGED OR PRINTED:

Word print merges one row at a time, beginning from the top of the document. If there are not enough entries to fill an entire row, Word fills the remaining cells in the row with the merge codes. You can discard these labels.

PRINT MERGE ERROR MESSAGES ARE GENERATED:

For more information on print merge error messages, see "Troubleshooting" on page 622 of the "Microsoft Word User's Guide" for Word versions 5.0 and 5.1. For Word version 4.0, refer to the "Merging Documents" Help topic. (From the Window menu, choose Help.)

              AVERY LABEL SPECIFICATIONS
 (see further below for columns 6 through 13 of this table)
 ==========================================================
    Avery        Label     Label     # of      # of
    Label       Height     Width    Columns    Rows
    Number        (in       (in
                inches)   inches)
 ----------------------------------------------------------
 5095/5395/5895   2 1/3     3 3/8       2         4
 5096/5196/5896   2 3/4     2 3/4       3         3
 5097/5197/5897   1 1/2       4         2         6
      5160/5260     1       2 5/8       3        10
      5161/5261     1         4         2        10
      5162/6262   1 1/3       4         2         7
           5163     2         4         2         5
           5164   3 1/3       4         2         3
           5198   1 2/3     3 1/2       2         6
           5199   1 5/6    3 1/16       2         5
           5266    2/3     3 7/16       2        15
           5267    1/2      1 3/4       4        20
           5660     1       2 5/6       3        10
           5662   1 1/3     4 1/4       2         7
           5663     2       4 1/4       2         5
      4143/4611   15/16       4         2         1
      4144/4610   15/16     2 1/2       3         1
    4145/4600/
      4249-4254   15/16     3 1/2       1         1
 4146/4011/4604  1 7/16       4         1         1
           4160  2 7/16     3 1/2       1         1
      4161/4612  2 15/16      4         1         1
      4162/4601   15/16     3 1/2       1         1
           4166     3         5         1         1
           4167   3 1/2       6         1         1
           4168   2 1/6       4         1         1
           4169     3         5         1         1
      4240/4606   1 1/4     4 3/4       1         1
      4241/4607   2 3/4     2 3/4       1         1
 4255-4259/4266   7/16      3 1/2       1         1
          LSK-5    1/2      1 3/4       4        20
          LSK-8    1/2        1         7        20
           5293     1 2/3 round        24 per sheet
           5294     2 1/2 round        12 per sheet
           5295     3 1/3 round         6 per sheet

     AVERY LABEL SPECIFICATIONS (columns 6 through 13 for above table)
     =================================================================

                   Document        Paragraph     Insert Table     Page
 Setup
                   --------        ---------     ------------  Custom Page
 Size
 Avery       Top     Side     Left   Right   Column   Row  ----------------
 Label      Margin  Margins  Indent  Indent   Width  Height  Height   Width
 Number       (in     (in     (in     (in     (in     (in     (in     (in
            inches) inches) inches) inches) inches) points) inches) inches)
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------
 5095/5395/5895  0.55    0.70    0.50    0.50    3.70    -180     NA   8.5
 5096/5196/5896  0.30    0.25    0.20    0.20    2.72    -216     NA   8.5
 5097/5197/5897  1.0    0.15    0.25    0.25    4.19    -108     NA   8.5
   5160/5260     0.50    0.19    0.25    0.38    2.75    -72      NA   NA
   5161/5261     0.50    0.15    0.25    0.44    4.19    -72      NA   NA
   5162/6262     0.83    0.15    0.25    0.44    4.19    -96      NA   NA
     5163        0.50    0.15    0.25    0.44    4.19    -144     NA   NA
     5164        0.60    0.15    0.25    0.25    4.19    -240     NA   NA
     5198        0.50    0.50    0.25    0.75    4.0    -120     NA   NA
     5199        0.92    1.07    0.25    0.49    3.30    -132     NA   NA
     5266        0.55    0.53    0.25    0.81    4.0    -48      NA   NA
     5267        0.50    0.28    0.13    0.44    2.07    -36      NA   NA
     5660        0.50     0      0.25    0.25    2.83    -72      NA   NA
     5662        0.83     0      0.25    0.25    4.25    -96      NA   NA
     5663        0.50     0      0.25    0.25    4.25    -144     NA   NA
   4143/4611      0      0.19    0.25    0.25    4.12    -68      1   8.5
   4144/4610      0      0.37    0.25    0.37    2.62    -68      1   8.5
   4145/4600/
    4249-4254     0       0      0.25    0.25    3.50    -68      1   8.5
 4146/4011/4604   0       0      0.25    0.25    3.75    -103    1.5  8.5
     4160        0.25     0      0.25    0.25    3.25    -144    2.5  8.5
   4161/4612     0.12     0      0.25    0.25    3.75    -212     3   8.5
   4162/4601      0       0       0       0      3.25    -68      1   8.5
     4166         0       0      0.25    0.25    5.0    -215     3   8.5
     4167         0       0      0.25    0.25    6.0    -251    3.5  8.5
     4168         0       0      0.25    0.25    4.0    -117   2.167 8.5
     4169         0       0      0.25    0.25    5.0    -180     3   8.5
   4240/4606      0       0      0.25    0.25    4.75    -90     1.5  8.5
   4241/4607      0      0.37     0       0      2.75    -198     3   8.5
   4255-4259/4266 0       0      0.25    0.25    3.50    -32     0.5  8.5
     LSK-5       0.50    0.25    0.25    0.25    2.05    -36      NA  8.5
     LSK-8       0.51    0.50     0       0      1.07    -36      NA  8.5
     5293        0.50    0.37    0.23    0.63    2.02    -120     NA  8.5
     5294        0.56    0.25    0.38    0.63    2.75    -180     NA  8.5
     5295        0.55  L.27,R.57 1.0     0.85    3.90    -240     NA  8.5
   --------------------------------------------------------------------
Keywords          : macword macword5
Version           : 4.0 5.0 5.10


================================================================================


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Last reviewed: September 10, 1997
© 1998 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Terms of Use.