How to Print Address Labels in Microsoft Word

1. Purchase Labels:Office supply stores like Staples sell a wide variety of peel-and-stick labels used for mailings. Locate the label size of your choice, checking to make sure the brand of your selection is "Avery." These labels are most compatible with Microsoft Word.
2. Create a Contact List in Excel:If it is likely that you will need to create labels for the same contacts time and again, you will want to store the necessary contact info in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. Don't worry if you've never worked in Excel before. You should not have a hard time using this application to input contact info. In Excel, create a chart of contact information using the cells provided. Your first row of cells should contain headings, or "fields," labeling the information listed in the columns below. Example fields for address labels are:-Fname
-Lname
-Add1
-Add2
-City
-State
-ZipOnce you have labeled your fields, input the contact information accordingly, either cutting and pasting from an electronic document or transcribing info from a hard copy.
3. Set Up Your Label Layout:When you have finished creating your Excel spreadsheet, open a new document in Microsoft Word and locate "Mailings" within the tool bar. Next, select "Labels" from the options that appear. You will then see a small square featuring a certain type of label. Click here, and follow the instructions in order to locate the brand of Avery labels you have purchased. If you do not know the number assigned to your type of labels, you can easily find it by checking the upper corner of the box in which the labels are contained. Once you have specified the labels with which you will be working, agree to open a new document. Within the new document, you will notice a collection of squares, one for each label you are to print.
4. Merge Your Mailing:This next step is otherwise known as a "mail merge." It requires you to merge your contact info spreadsheet with the label layout you have just created in Word. Select "Add Recipients" from the menu bar. Word will ask you whether you want to use an existing document. You should select the saved Excel spreadsheet containing your contact info. Placing your cursor within the first label on your screen, click on "Insert Merge Field." A list of the fields you created in Excel will pop up. Position the fields within the label according to how you want the printed version of your labels to look. For example, if you wish to place the recipient's first and last name on the fist line of the label, insert "Fname," then a space, then "Lname," and go from there.
5. Next Record:In Excel, each row, which in this case contains a full address, is considered a "record." At the end of this project, the field titles you just placed within your first label will be replaced with the contact info belonging to your first record. Now you want to tell Microsoft Word that the second label should contain the info belonging to the second record, and so on. Do this by selecting "Next Record" from the list of field options. Position this text at the beginning of the second label. Now copy and paste the fields from the first label into the second, following "Next Record." Every following label should look just like this one, so copy and paste until you have filled an entire sheet.
6. Complete the Merge:Once every label in the sheet has been populated with fields, go ahead and complete the merge by selecting the appropriate icon from the task bar. A new window should open up, exhibiting the finished product. You will see that the field titles have now been replaced with the contact info contained within your Excel spreadsheet. This new document is the file from which you will print.
7. Print Your LabelsPlace a blank sheet of labels in your printer. Return to your document and select "File," then "Print."