Printing directly on envelopes can save you time and present a more professional look for your mailings. Whether you’re sending invitations, business correspondence, or thank you notes, knowing how to print on envelopes with your printer and software is a valuable skill. This guide will walk you through the steps using a common setup with a Canon printer and Microsoft Word, ensuring your envelopes print perfectly every time.
First, you need to configure your Canon printer settings to handle envelopes correctly. This ensures the printer knows you’re using an envelope and adjusts the printing process accordingly.
Within your Canon printer’s properties, you’ll need to specify that you are printing on envelopes. Look for the “Media Type” setting, often found under the “Paper Source” or “Main” tab depending on your printer model. Select “Envelopes” from the list of media types. It’s crucial to also set the orientation to “Landscape” and the “Output Size” to “Envelope No. 10” as this is a standard envelope size for business mailings in many English-speaking countries.
Alt text: Canon printer properties dialog box showing “Envelopes” selected as Media Type, “Landscape” orientation, and “Envelope No. 10” output size, highlighting settings for printing envelopes.
If you don’t see “Envelopes” as an option in your printer properties, don’t worry. You can still proceed by selecting “Landscape” orientation and setting the “Output Size” to “Envelope No. 10”. For future convenience, you can even create a custom profile. Look for an “Add” or “+” button, often near the media type dropdown. Click it to create a new profile, name it something like “Envelopes,” and save your desired settings. This will make it quicker to select the correct settings next time you print envelopes.
Next, you’ll prepare your envelope document in Microsoft Word. Word has a built-in feature to simplify envelope printing.
Open Microsoft Word and start a new document. Navigate to the “Mailings” tab in the ribbon menu. In the “Create” group, find and click on the “Envelopes” option. This will open the “Envelopes and Labels” dialog box, specifically on the “Envelopes” tab. Here, you can enter the delivery address in the “Delivery address” field and your return address in the “Return address” field.
Alt text: Microsoft Word Envelopes and Labels dialog box with fields for delivery and return addresses, and the Options button highlighted for customizing envelope printing settings.
To customize the envelope further, click on the “Options” button within the “Envelopes and Labels” dialog. This opens the “Envelope Options” dialog box where you can adjust the envelope size, font styles for addresses, and most importantly, the “Printing Options” tab. Under “Printing Options,” you’ll see “Feed method.” This is crucial as it visually shows you how to load the envelope into your specific printer model. It’s important to match the feed method shown with how your printer actually feeds envelopes to avoid misprints. For the Canon MF264DW, the feed method is typically shown as “Face up.”
Alt text: Microsoft Word Envelope Options dialog box showing the Printing Options tab with “Feed method” illustrations for envelope loading, emphasizing printer-specific feeding instructions.
Within the “Envelope Options”, on the “Envelope size” tab, you can confirm or change the envelope size. You can also redirect the envelope to print from a specific paper tray if your printer has multiple trays. For the Canon MF264DW, using the multi-purpose tray set to “Auto” is often the simplest approach.
Finally, after configuring both your printer and Word settings, it’s time to load your envelopes and print.
Load your envelopes into the designated paper tray based on the “Feed method” you saw in Word’s “Printing Options.” For the Canon MF264DW multifunction tray, place the envelope face up, centered in the tray, with the envelope flap opening to the left. Align the bottom edge of the envelope with the A6 marking in the tray to ensure proper feeding. Once the envelope is loaded correctly, click “Print” in the “Envelopes and Labels” dialog box in Word.
Alt text: A hand loading a No. 10 envelope face up into a Canon printer’s multi-purpose tray, positioned centrally and aligned to the A6 marking, ready for printing.
By following these steps, you can successfully print addresses directly onto envelopes using your Canon printer and Microsoft Word. Remember to always double-check your printer settings and the envelope loading method to ensure professional and error-free results every time you print envelopes.
