If you’ve ever asked yourself, “How do I print labels?” you’re in the right place. Drawing upon extensive experience in label printing and addressing the most common questions from customers, this guide provides all the answers you need. Whether you’re aiming to print labels yourself or considering professional printing services for superior quality, we’ve got you covered. Learn how to choose the ideal labels for your printer, design them effectively, adjust your printer settings, and troubleshoot typical issues.
Before You Start Printing Your Labels
Deciding between printing labels at home and opting for professional services? Explore our detailed comparison: Printing Your Own Labels vs. Professional Printing to determine the best approach for your specific needs. Alternatively, watch a quick video overview below to help you decide.
Avery simplifies label acquisition, offering online purchases for both DIY and professionally printed options. For those printing at home, our blank labels are available without minimum order quantities, and our retail packs are a popular choice. For larger volumes or when professional quality is paramount, consider Avery WePrint, our highly-rated custom printing service.
Step-by-Step Guide: How to Print Out Labels
1. Select the Right Labels for Your Printer
Choosing compatible labels is the crucial first step to successful label printing. One of the most frequent errors is buying labels that are not compatible with your printer type.
Selection of Avery blank and custom labels for printing, highlighting size and shape options
With Avery, you have access to a wide variety of blank printable labels and our professional custom printing service, Avery WePrint, ensuring you find the perfect solution for your needs.
Inkjet and laser printers utilize different printing technologies, and while some Avery labels are designed for both, most are specifically engineered for optimal performance with either inkjet or laser printers. Using laser labels in an inkjet printer can lead to ink smearing due to improper absorption. Conversely, inkjet labels used in laser printers may experience toner flaking due to inadequate adhesion.
Identifying your printer type is straightforward. Inkjet printers use small ink cartridges, whereas laser printers use larger toner cartridges. If you remain unsure, consult your printer’s manufacturer website or contact their support for definitive information. Ensuring printer compatibility is key to achieving crisp and durable printed labels.
2. Choose Labels Suited to Your Design Needs
Beyond printer compatibility, the nature of your label design plays a significant role in label selection. Does your design feature a full-color background, or are you aiming for a full-page design? Selecting labels that complement your design aspirations is essential for optimal results.
For designs that extend to the very edge of the label, known as full-bleed designs, print-to-the-edge labels are ideal. These labels are specifically designed to accommodate colors and graphics that reach the label’s border, making them perfect for vibrant and impactful visual projects. However, for large runs of full-color, full-bleed labels, ordering custom printed labels can be more economical than using your own ink supplies.
Layout of full-bleed Avery labels, demonstrating design extending to the edge
Labels with spacing between them are better suited for designs with borders or those that don’t require background colors. This layout is also more economical as it maximizes the number of labels per sheet. Address labels for mailing lists and file folder labels are excellent applications for this type of sheet design.
Inset layout of Avery labels, showing spacing between each label on the sheet
Exploring Unique Label Formats
Full-Sheet Labels
When standard label sizes or shapes don’t quite fit your requirements, full 8-1/2″ x 11″ sheet labels offer a versatile alternative. These sheets allow you to print custom shapes and sizes, which you can then cut yourself using scissors or a cutting machine.
Demonstration of printing on full-sheet labels, showing design possibilities
When utilizing full-sheet labels, it’s important to keep your design within the printable area, avoiding the non-printable edges of the sheet. While some printers offer edge-to-edge printing, most will leave a blank margin.
For even greater customization, consider ordering custom sizes on our blank sheet labels. Our custom printing service also provides custom shapes and sizes at no extra charge, eliminating the need for manual cutting.
4 x 6 Label Sheets
Smaller 4″ x 6″ label sheets are convenient for storage and transport. However, ensure your printer supports this paper size before proceeding.
Example of printing on 4×6 label sheets, highlighting the compact size
Refer to our guide on choosing the correct label size to pinpoint the precise label dimensions you need. Once you have your labels, proper storage is key. Keep them in their original packaging in a cool, dry place to prevent curling due to humidity. The original packaging also contains crucial information like the template number and printer compatibility details.
3. Utilize the Correct Avery Template
A frequent cause of print misalignment is using an incorrect label template. While some label companies claim compatibility with Avery templates, our templates are specifically designed for Avery products to ensure accurate alignment. For example, searching “Avery labels 5160 how to print address labels” will prioritize official Avery templates. Always verify that any template you find online is indeed from Avery to guarantee proper alignment with your labels.
Locate the 4–5 digit product or template number on your Avery label packaging or sheet. Use this code to find the exact template you require. For further assistance, explore how to find templates on avery.com. For offline work, you can download blank Avery templates compatible with Word, Pages, and Adobe editing software. Our dedicated Help page provides tutorials for printing Avery products from various software, including this guide for printing from Apple Pages.
Once you’ve selected your template, leverage our free Design & Print software which automatically optimizes your design. It highlights the safety area, alerts you to design incompatibilities, and offers a range of editing tools. Our software also provides access to thousands of pre-optimized designs for an effortless printing experience. Simply customize a design and print it yourself or let Avery handle the printing for you.
4. Understand the Label Printable Area
Before embarking on your design, understanding the printable area of your labels is crucial. This knowledge helps you work within the canvas effectively and prevents critical design elements from being cut off during printing.
Diagram illustrating the printable area of Avery labels, including safety, trim, and bleed areas
The printable area of a label is segmented into three key zones:
Safety Area: This is the guaranteed print zone on the label. Keep all essential content, such as text and logos, within this area to ensure it’s printed.
Trim Area: This represents the physical edge of the label and provides a visual guide for where your design will be cut off.
Bleed or Print-to-the-Edge Area: This is extra space beyond the trim line intended for full-color backgrounds and images. Extending your design into this area ensures a full-bleed effect without any white margins on the final label.
5. Design Best Practices for Labels
While printers are sophisticated, slight sheet shifts during printing are common. Optimizing your design by utilizing safety, trim, and bleed areas minimizes the visibility of minor misalignments. Here are design tips tailored to different label types:
Text Considerations for Labels
Keep critical information like names and addresses within the safety area to prevent cutoff. Design & Print software simplifies this by issuing warnings when content extends beyond the printable area. Consult our artwork guidelines for comprehensive design and artwork upload instructions.
Example of legible text on Avery labels, emphasizing font size and clarity
Ensure text legibility at the actual printed size. A font that appears readable on screen may be too small when printed. Aim for a minimum of 7pt font, adjusting based on label size. Design & Print will also alert you if your font size appears too small for readability.
Explore How To Pick the Right Fonts for Your Labels for more font selection advice. Also, ensure sufficient contrast between font and background colors for readability. Note: If using our free barcode generator, verify barcode scannability after printing.
Achieving a Full-Bleed Label Look
Example of full-bleed designs on labels, showcasing vibrant edge-to-edge color
Full-bleed designs require compatible print-to-the-edge labels and templates. To confirm template suitability, check if your design extends into the “bleed” area beyond the trim line in Design & Print software.
Preventing Design Overlap on Labels
Example of preventing overlapping designs on labels, showing proper spacing and safety areas
For label sheets without spacing between labels, ensure your design remains comfortably within the safety area. This creates a uniform border and prevents printing onto adjacent labels. Alternatively, use blank backgrounds to guarantee design separation.
Printing on Full-Sheet Labels
Guidance on printing on full sheet labels, highlighting margin considerations
Most printers cannot print to the absolute edge of a sheet. Determine your printer’s non-printable margins before printing on full 8-1/2″ x 11″ label sheets. Margins vary by printer model, but a .25″ margin around your design is a general guideline.
Design & Print Online displays a dotted line indicating page margins for edge-to-edge sheet templates. Test print on plain paper and review your printer settings to verify the printable area.
6. DIY Pre-Print Procedures
Illustration of determining the correct printer feed direction for label printing
Before printing labels, verify three key printer settings: paper size, paper type, and page scaling. Setting names may vary by printer manufacturer. For example, for HP printer label printing guidance, refer to our help article on recommended printer settings for detailed instructions.
Paper Size Setting
The “sheet size” or “paper size” setting in printer settings dictates how your design is scaled to the label sheet. Ensure this setting precisely matches your label sheet size. Incorrect size settings will lead to misalignment. Letter-size 8-1/2″ x 11″ is the most common. For alternative sizes like 4″ x 6″, adjust the paper size setting accordingly.
Paper Type Setting
The “paper type” or “media type” setting regulates the sheet feeding speed. Set this to “Labels” to slow down feeding and minimize misalignment risk. If “Labels” isn’t an option, “Cardstock,” “Heavyweight,” or “Premium” are suitable alternatives. On some printers, selecting “Labels” or “Cardstock” may necessitate using a manual feed tray, which often provides superior results by feeding sheets flat, reducing bending and curling through multiple rollers.
Page Scaling Setting
Always set page scaling to 100% or “actual size.” Avoid “fit to the page,” as it shrinks your design to an incorrect size, causing misalignment.
After setting these options, perform a test print on blank paper to assess output. Mark your test sheet to indicate the top side and feed direction to confirm proper label sheet feeding. While most labels feed correctly face up, double-check your Avery label sheet for specific feed direction instructions.
7. Troubleshooting Common Label Printing Issues
Encountering printing problems? Here are solutions to common label printing issues:
Print Misalignment
Q: Why is my entire print shifted uniformly in one direction?
A: This can stem from various factors that are often difficult to pinpoint precisely. However, you can adjust print alignment in Design & Print in the final step. Alternatively, adjust print margins in downloadable templates.
Q: Why are labels printing skewed towards a corner?
A: This is typically due to the print being scaled to “fit to page” instead of printing at the correct size. Re-verify page scaling is set to “actual size” or 100%.
Paper Jams
Q: Why are my labels jamming?
A: Paper jams can arise from incorrect sheet feeding or damaged printer rollers. Ensure your printer’s media type is set to “labels.” When printing multiple label sheets, feed them one at a time or ensure they are fully separated to prevent sticking. Consider Avery labels with Sure Feed technology, designed to minimize printer jams through more reliable feeding.
Smearing or Smudging
Q: Why is the print smearing?
A: The most common cause is using incompatible labels for your printer type. Double-check label compatibility. Avoid using laser labels in inkjet printers.
Blank Margin Around the Label Sheet
Q: Why is there a blank white margin around the sheet?
A: Many printers cannot print to the sheet edges, resulting in a blank margin. Print a test sheet to assess your printer’s full-bleed capability. Alternatively, use print-to-the-edge labels to circumvent this limitation.
8. Final Label Printing
After making any necessary adjustments, proceed with printing on your label sheets.
If DIY label printing seems daunting, remember that Avery WePrint offers professional printing services. Our experts ensure perfectly aligned, full-color labels, stickers, cards, tags, and more, with rapid turnaround times as fast as three business days.
For further assistance, contact our consumer care center. Our team is ready to help with any design, printing, or ordering inquiries.
Author: Melanie Neff
Melanie Neff brings a wealth of writing experience grounded in a distinguished journalism background. As a former reporter for USA Today and The Los Angeles Times for nearly two decades, she covered a wide spectrum of events, from major news stories to sports and entertainment. Following her newspaper career, Melanie spent considerable time covering commercial real estate financing and development. For the past 12 years, she has focused on writing about small business marketing and labeling needs. Melanie is passionate about reading, research, and staying abreast of current business trends, aiming to provide readers with the most valuable and up-to-date information. View all posts by Melanie Neff
