How to Print Labels in Word (Step by Step)

Here is how to print labels in Word in about ten minutes. Open the Mailings tab, choose Labels, and pick the product number that matches your sheet. Then type the text, and Word prints the label across a full page or just one spot on a partly used sheet. Word does not need a spreadsheet for this, so it is the easy route when you only have a few different labels.

Before you start: find your product number

Every label sheet has a product number on the box and on the sheet's packaging. Word needs that number so it knows the size of each label. Without it, the text spreads across the page in the wrong places. The product number matters more than the design. If the number does not match the box, the text will not sit inside each label, even when the page prints perfectly. Check it twice before you print a full sheet.

1. Open Word and go to the Mailings tab.
2. Click Labels.
3. Click Options.
4. Under Label vendors, choose your brand. For Avery® sheets sold in the US, choose the Avery US Letter option.
5. Under Product number, find your sheet, for example 5160.
6. Click OK.

If your product number is not in the list, click New Label. Type the label height and width from the box, the number across and down, and the page margins. Save it with a name you will remember.

On a Mac, the Options dialog shows Printer type, Label products and Product number. The steps are the same from there.

Option 1: One label repeated across a full sheet

Use this when every label on the sheet is the same, such as a return address or a single product tag.

1. In the Address box, type the text, one line at a time. On a Mac, the box is called Delivery Address.
2. To format the text, select it, right-click, and use Font or Paragraph. On a Mac, select the text and click Font.
3. Click OK.
4. Select Full page of the same label.
5. Click Print to print now, or New Document to edit, save and print later.

Word fills every label with the text you typed. It is the fastest way to make a sheet of identical labels.

Option 2: Print a single label on a partly used sheet

Use this when you have a sheet with some labels already used. You can print one label in the spot you choose.

1. Go to Mailings, then Labels.
2. Type your text in the Address box. On a Mac, use the Delivery Address box.
3. Choose Single label, then select the row and column where the label should go.
4. Click OK.
5. Choose Print, or New Document to save the file.

Check the row and column carefully. A label printed in the wrong spot is easy to waste.

Option 3: Different labels on one sheet

Word's label tools are built for one repeated label. If you want a different name on each label, use a table. Make a new document, insert a table with the same number of columns and rows as your sheet, then type a different entry in each cell. The table cells must match the label size, so measure the label first. If your labels are Avery® 5160, the cells are 1 inch tall and 2⅝ inches wide, with three across and ten down.

Turn on gridlines so you can see the cell edges. On a Mac, go to Table Layout and choose View Gridlines. On Windows, select the table and look on the Layout tab. Turn the gridlines off again before you print, or the lines may print on the labels.

If you want a different name on every label from a list, mail merge is faster than a table. Our mail merge guide shows how. You can also use LabelPeel, which takes a pasted list and makes one label per row.

Avery® product numbers in Word

Avery sells the same layout under different numbers for different printers. The 5160 is for laser printers, and the 8160 is for inkjet printers. The size is the same, so either sheet will work on the same settings. Use the number printed on the box you bought, not the number you remember.

Some common sheets for US Letter paper:

• 5160: address label, 1 inch by 2⅝ inches, 30 per sheet. See the Avery® 5160 page.
• 5163: shipping label, 2 inches by 4 inches, 10 per sheet. Find it on the all label sheets page.
• 5162: address label, 1⅓ inches by 4 inches, 14 per sheet.

For A4 paper, used in the UK and most of Europe, the L7160 holds 21 address labels, each 63.5 × 38.1 mm. See the Avery® L7160 page. For a full size chart, read our label sizes guide.

Fix alignment that is off

Most alignment problems come from three things. Check each one before you print the whole sheet.

• Wrong product number. If the text runs across two labels, the number in Options does not match the sheet. Pick the right one.
• Fit to page. Printers often shrink a page to fit. Choose the print setting Actual size or 100%, and turn off any "Fit to page" option.
• Printer margins. Some printers cannot print to the very edge. Print on plain paper, hold it over a label sheet against a window, and see where the edges fall.

If the whole page is a little out of line, adjust the position in the printer settings in small steps. Start with 1 millimetre at a time.

Common problems

• Text is cut off. The text is too big for the label. Reduce the font size, or shorten the text.
• Labels are blank. The sheet may have been loaded the wrong way up. Check the arrow or the printer guide on the box.
• Ink smudges on the labels. Let the ink dry fully before you touch the sheet. Also check that the sheet is made for your printer type. Laser and inkjet sheets are different products.
• An extra blank page prints. Word may have added an empty paragraph at the end. Delete it, then print again.
• Word for the web will not make labels. Word for the web does not create labels directly. Use the desktop Word app, or select a label template when you create a new document.

If you need names from a spreadsheet, read how to print labels from Excel next. It compares Word mail merge with the other ways to do it.