Every product page has a download link where you can access the Templates for all our products.
These are located on each of the individual product pages just under the green download PDF button.
All our Microsoft® Word label Templates are compatible with all word versions including 2007, 2010, 2016 and Office 365.
If the label template grid is not visible upon opening the document, activate the show grid lines under Table tools-layout-view grid lines.
Using Microsoft® Word files
Microsoft Word ®Templates are more suited to text applications such as address labels, shipping labels or product labels.
You can insert jpegs or other files to print labels into the Template which is a Microsoft word table. When using images, it can be done but there will be some learning and tweaking involved.
Insert your image in the top-left cell and click on the image, the picture format tool will appear at the top of the toolbar. The inline with the text layout option is the default setting.
See the below article for the reason for this setting.
Make sure all of the cells have the same format by using the multiple selection tool which is a little cross at the top left-hand corner of the top-left cell.
Or you can alter each cell or a complete row format by clicking next to the row in the margin to the left to highlight each row.
Make sure the keep format paste option is active in each cell as you paste from the original cell or row you copied from.
When circle templates are opened, you will not see a circle, it will be a square.
For example:50mm circle word label template centred
To insert images
Click on the top left-hand cell and go to insert 3rd from the left at the top of the page and select pictures and select your picture from wherever it is saved.
You can then move the image around and alter the size and position if you want to by clicking in the cell and using the picture format tab at the top of the toolbar.
The size drop down window is at the far right of the toolbar to reduce or increase the size of the image.
When you are happy copy and paste into each of the other cells.
Print out on plain paper and measure with a ruler all the dimensions just to double-check.
To absolutely centre your image within each and all of the cells you may need to set the text wrapping to square or tight.
This is crucial if you have made a bleed template as above which is simply removing all gaps in between all of the cells and adjusting the top and left margins to suit.
To do this you can print out the relevant PDF on the product page to actual size,print your layout on plain paper and hold up to a window to see if all of the images are centred.
If the images are too far to the left make your side margin smaller if they are too high reduce your top margin to suit.
Print out on plain paper and adjust either of these two margins as needed.
This article from Allen Wyatt is very detailed and informative if you are having trouble centering your text and/or images.
Make sure your paper tray is correctly aligned and select heavy paper or labels in your printer settings menu when you get your labels.
Keeping an Image Centered in a Table Cell.
Check Your Printer Settings
Open your print dialogue and check the following
To change your printer’s settings, head to either Settings > Devices > Printers & Scanners or Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Devices and Printers. In the Settings interface, click a printer and then click “Manage” to see more options. In the Control Panel, right-click a printer to find various options.
- Page size is set to A4 (Not US Letter Size)
- Paper Type is set to Labels (or Heavyweight if Labels is not available)
- Paper Source is set to Rear Tray or Manual Feed
- Page Scaling is set to Actual Size (Not fit, or scale)
Word
- Scaling – Paper Size Auto Adjustment
Word document > File > Options >
Under Print >> Clear / Uncheck Scale content for A4 or 8.5 x 11″ paper sizes
NOTE: This setting can be counter-intuitive; investigate both the CHECKED and UNCHECKED settings; select the setting that provides the desired result.
The following might apply to per page output up to sixteen-per-page:
Word document > File > Print Preview > Page Setup > tab Layout >>
Under Page Format >>
Ensure Pages per Sheet is set to 1
Stop MS Word scaling your content
- In the Main Print Screen Click on Page Setup at the bottom
- Under the Paper tab click Print Options
- Select ADVANCED.
- Scroll down to the PRINT section
- Remove the tick from “Scale content for A4 or 8.5 x 11 sizes” and click Ok.
Before printing on your labels, always test print on a plain sheet of paper. Hold the printed sheet behind the label sheet to check the alignment of your layout to see that everything lines up with the die-cut lines. This is easier to see when held up against a window or a light. When satisfied with the layout, print on to the label sheet.
You can also remove the waste around the labels to help to see where adjustments can be made if needed.
All printers are different so you may need to align and adjust your sheet tray to allow the label sheet to run straight and from left to right.
To produce landscape labels, you will need to alter the text direction which is in the layout tab and use the text and positioning direction tools, as highlighted below.
How to make a word template
1. Open a new Word document, click on mailings in the top panel then labels second from right in the panel below.
2. Select the options button at the bottom then Microsoft in the vendor’s window which is at the top of the list.
3. In the product, number window Scroll down to the second A4 portrait option and then select the new label button at the bottom
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4. Enter all the dimensions in Centimetres.
5. Press the Ok button at the bottom then the new document button and your template should open.
Using PDF files
PDF templates are best suited to design software such as Adobe InDesign and Illustrator.
Utilising layers in these programs will help with positioning.
Adobe InDesign – place template on a separate layer to guide where to place the artwork.
Adobe Illustrator – open file in Illustrator and create artwork on a new layer.
If you want to create labels with bleed you will need to make your print material at least .5mm larger than the outside shape, then save as a PDF for the print to fit the actual label.
When printing, ensure no scaling or page fitting is selected.
Misalignment of print
Page Scaling ∷ Uniform Misalignment ∷ Unoptimized Design ∷ Non-Printable Margins
Issue 1: Page Scaling
What to look for
The labels near the centre of your sheet may be close to correct, but as you move out from the centre, your label designs start to misalign.
The labels in the top-left corner will tend to be misaligned down and to the right whereas the labels in the bottom-right corner will tend to be misaligned up and to the left.
Why it happens
When it comes time to print, your browser or PDF viewer is shrinking the document to fit within your printer’s margins.
Solution: Check your print settings
Open the print dialog box in your preferred program. Look for an option that allows you to print at actual size or at 100% scale. Most PDF viewers will give you this option, but some browsers may not.
Issue 2: Uniform Misalignment
What to look for
Your labels are consistently off in the same way. The degree of misalignment is uniform from row-to-row or column-to-column.
Why it happens
Several factors affect how your label sheets are pulled through the printer. This can impact where your printer begins printing and cause your starting point to be too high/low or left/right.
Solution: Adjust your page margins
When your printer is the cause of misalignment, the easiest way to line up your template and fix off-centre prints is to adjust the settings in “Page Setup.”
Microsoft Word
Use a ruler and determine how far your design is off in each direction on your printed sheet. Once you have your measurements, open the “Page Setup” menu. To adjust your margins manually, follow these instructions:
If design is too far left, add your measurement to “Left”
If design is too far right, subtract your measurement from “Left”
If design is too high, add your measurement to “Top”
If design is too low, subtract your measurement from “Top”
Once you have made the necessary changes, close the “Page Setup” menu and try printing your labels again.
Issue 3: Design Is not Optimized
What to look for
Your sheets shifted ever-so-slightly during printing and your design did not allow for any wiggle room.
Why it happens
The label sheets move as they feed through the printer. If your design does not allow for some movement, slight shifts can be very apparent.
Solution 1: Add bleed
When you allow your design to continue past the label outline, you are adding bleed. The term “bleed” refers to the portion of your design that exists outside the label boundary. It is there to ensure that once your label is peeled up from the liner, your design reaches the edge.
Without bleed, you might have unprinted edges when your sheets shift. We recommend adding 1/8″ (0.125″) of bleed to your design when possible. Below are instructions for doing so in Microsoft Word.
Microsoft Word
If you added a background colour using “Shapes,” make sure it is larger than the label itself. We recommend putting it across the entire sheet if your design permits. If you are adding a border or using a photo as your background, the same rules apply – ensure it sits comfortably inside and outside the label outline.
Solution 2: Observe the Safe Zone
You want there to be extra buffer inside your label as well. Moving text and design elements away from the edges will help them avoid getting cut off.
We recommend adding 1/8″ (0.125″) of a “safe zone” between the label outline and your text/design elements.
Microsoft Word
Turn on gridlines for a visual safe zone guide. Click the “View” tab then check the “Gridlines” box to enable them. Each box is 1/8″ (our recommended safe zone size), so keeping text and design elements out of those spaces should do it.
Issue 4: Non-Printable Margins
What to look for
Your design is getting cut off on labels close to the edge of your sheet.
Why it happens
Standard desktop printers cannot print all the way to the edge of a sheet. They have a perimeter around the sheet called the “non-printable margin” where the printhead cannot reach. It varies by manufacturer and model, but the limit for most printers is 0.25″.
Solution: Incorporate a blank border throughout your design
You will want to modify your design to adjust for any non-printable areas. Test your printer’s non-printable margins before getting started.
Once you know the specific perimeter for your printer, consider how to adjust your design. While you have non-printable margins on all four sides of your label sheet, it may only affect one side of each label.
We recommend removing any background colours or full colour designs, or adding a blank border around each label. This will help prevent any unprinted sections from looking out of place.
Thanks to Onlinelabels.com
