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Creating Mailing Labels and Envelopes
with MSWorks, MSWord and Excel (pre-Office-2007 versions)

Click here
for using Microsoft Office 2007 to create Labels & Envelopes.

We'll Start by Creating Labels and Envelopes
with Microsoft Works
and the MSWorks Word Processing Program*
*If your version of MSWorks came with the MSWord word processor
see bottom half of this page for MSWord (pre-2007) instructions.

Recent versions of MSWorks come with built-in
tutorials and "wizards" for doing this.
You can click on Help to find the instructions.

Avery #5160 Mailing Labels


Creating Mailing Labels and Envelopes is basically
a function of two different applications:
a database program and a word processing program.

The database program is where you store all the names,
addresses, and whatever, while the word processor is
what's used to format the actual printouts.

Samples of Printed Mailing Labels


What is a database?
It's basically a program which organizes various kinds of lists so they can be cross-referenced. A mail-order business, for instance, might ask its DB program to display the names of all its female customers over age 40 who live in a certain zip code area and who bought something from them within the past year. Other databases might include all the parts in a particular car model.

But the DB most of us use is simply a list of friends and relatives, along with their addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, etc. Although there are heavy-duty database programs available, such as Access, a spreadsheet program like Excel works just fine for this purpose.

Better yet, MSWorks comes with a database utility and a word processor built right into one program.

A simple database is a grid comprised of rows and columns, which are called Records and Fields, respectively. A menu listing above the fields contains "Headers" (such as 1stName, LastName, StreetAddress, etc.). 		Let's use the following six fields for our example: 1stName, LastName, StreetAddr, City, St, and Zip.

Launch Works and go to Works Tools, Database. In the Field 1 box type FirstName and click Add. Repeat this process for each Header and then click Done. Go to File, Save As, and name this file, say, Holiday Address List. By default, it will probably be saved in the C:\MSWorks\Documents folder or in the C:\My Documents folder - but you can designate any folder you want.

Works will also add the extension .wdb to the filename.

If you want to print out your database, it's best to do it "sideways" by going to File, Page Setup, Source, Size & Orientation, and choosing Landscape. This can help make all columns fit on a page. Choosing a smaller, narrower font also helps. To make the column widths match their data do Ctrl+A (select ALL) and go to Format, Field Width, Best Fit. After you've typed in your data, your DB page should look something like the example below:
Works DataBase Example At some point you'll probably want to Sort (Alphabetize) your data by Last Name. Here's how: Go to Record, Sort Records, and choose LastName, Ascending.

Now let's format the printing of the labels. (Here's where you need the word processor.)
Go to File, New, Word Processor. Use File, Save As to name this file (Holiday Label Layout, for instance). MSWorks will add the extension .wps to the filename.

Next click Tools, Labels, Labels. Now a rather intimidating multiple-choice window will pop up - but don't let it scare you. Just click Next. If you plan to use today's most popular type of inkjet label (2 5/8" x 1" - 30 labels to a sheet) choose Avery 8160. (Choose Avery 5160 for laser printers.) Click Next. 		Then click Next again.

Now a window will open and display all the Works databases you might have created. Click on Address List.wdb. Now, assuming you plan to print a label for every name on the list, keep clicking Next until you arrive at Label Layout. Here you'll click Add Field and New Line until you get the sample label to look something like this:
Merging Fields in a Name & Address Envelope/Label Layout


Additional formatting options, such as different font styles and colors, are available by clicking on Advanced.

Two more Next clicks will get you to the Printing dialogue box. Use File, Print Preview to see what your finished pages will look like. If everything looks okay, you're ready to print the actual labels, which should look something like this: Samples of Printed Mailing Labels
If you prefer to print directly on envelopes, choose Tools, Envelopes (after opening the word processor) and give the file a name (Holiday Envelope Layout.wps, for instance). You'll be prompted to pick which size envelope you want - or you can click Custom and type in the dimensions of any odd-sized one. Follow the Next prompts and you'll be asked if you want a return address on your envelopes. If you do, just type it in. The remaining Next prompts are similar to those described above, and will offer you a Print Preview of how each finished envelope will look. (Check your printer manual to see which way to feed the envelopes.)
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Doing Envelopes & Labels with MSWord
Two methods will be explained here:
1 Using Excel & MSWord    2 Doing it all with MSWord
In MSWord XP you can go to Tools, Letters & Mailings, Mail Merge Wizard, choose Envelopes or Labels and use the "wizard" prompts to complete the job.

For earlier versions of MSWord use the following instructions:

Excel will be used to create the "database" of names and addresses, while MSWord will be used to format the printing of the labels or envelopes. 		However, the whole thing can be done in MSWord by using Word's "Table" utility as the database. Both methods will be explained here.

Let's start by using Excel as the database.

Excel, technically, is a spreadsheet program - but it also works fine as a simple database if you use the top row as a "header row. " Type First Name, Last Name, Street Address, City, State and Zip into the top row's first six cells. The top of your Excel worksheet should look something like the following illustration:
Example of a Name & Address Layout in Excel for Printing Mailing Labels
Go to File, Save As, and name your database something like Address List.xls. By default, it will normally be saved in the My Documents folder, but you can designate any folder you want.

You can alphabetize your records by clicking on Data, Sort, Last Name, Ascending.

If you want to print out your database, it's best to do it "sideways" by going to File, Page Setup, Page, and choosing Landscape. This can usually make all columns fit on a page. Choosing a smaller font also helps. To make the column widths match their data do Ctrl+A (select ALL) and go to Format, Column, AutoFit Selection.

Keep in mind that any font selected here has nothing to do with the one to be used later on the finished labels or envelopes. Formatting the finished job is where Word comes in. Let's do that now.

Launch Word to get a new, blank page. Use File, Save As to name the file (perhaps "Mailing List.doc"). Click on Tools and you'll see a menu item called Envelopes & Labels. Don't go there - it's for creating INDIVIDUAL labels and envelopes. Instead, click on Mail Merge, Create. Choose Envelopes & Labels this time. We'll start with labels. Click on Active Window and then click Get Data, Open Data Source. This will normally take you to the My Documents folder - but you probably won't see your Excel file there. 		This is because Word looks for files with a .DOC extension. Click on Files of Type and Choose MS-Excel Worksheet *.xls (or just choose All Files).

Double-click your address list file. You'll get some prompts about "using the entire spreadsheet" and

"setting up your main document." You'll finally arrive at choosing the kind of label you want. The Avery 5160/laser or 8160/inkjet (30 labels to a sheet) are the most popular.

Next you'll see an enlarged, blank label, where you'll be asked to insert the Merge Fields. Click First Name, press the spacebar and click Last Name. Press Enter to start the next line and fill in the other fields accordingly.

Merge the data with the document by clicking Merge to New Document, All Records. Click Merge. Finally, go to Edit, Select All and choose the font, style, and color you want. There will be other "fine-tuning" options along the way, but these are main ones.

Going to File, Print Preview will show how the first page of completed labels will look. Pressing your PageDown key will show subsequent pages.

Formatting envelopes is similar to the above, but you'll also be given the opportunity to type in a return address.

Now let's do the whole thing in Microsoft Word.

We'll start by creating our database. Start with a new, blank page and go to Table, Insert Table. Choose 6 Columns and however many rows you think you'll need. (This can be adjusted later.) Type First Name, Last Name, etc. into the top six cells. Then fill in the name/address data below. When it comes time to alphabetize your data, go to Table, Sort. Choose Column 2, Text, Ascending. This will sort everything by Last Name.
(Be sure to choose "My List Has a Header Row.")
Example of MSWord Table> </td></tr></table> <table bgcolor=
You can also opt for a "landscape" layout (to make your columns wider) but this really isn't necessary. Any data that doesn't fit into a table cell on one line will "wordwrap" itself to as many lines as are needed. Sorting these columns will still be done by the first character(s) in the top line.

In any case, you'll need to Save the table as a separate Word file. When you get to Open Data Source (using the above instructions) click on this file. The rest of the instructions are also as above.

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