Envelopes and Labels

I’ve been receiving a lot of question about printing address labels and envelopes using a contact list or address book. So I’ll be starting a series of articles today on various printing methods relative to the questions I’ve received.

One of the simplest methods for maintaining an address book or contact list is with Microsoft Word.  The two most commonly found versions today are Word 2003 and Word 2007, though some people are still using Word XP (2002).  Word XP (2002) and 2003 are very similar to one another and their preceding versions, but Word 2007 is very different, and will most likely “put off” anyone familiar with the older versions. If you’d rather stay with the familiar, plenty of used and new copies of Word 2003 can be found online through Amazon or eBay.

Simple Contact Management with Word 2003

There are several methods you can use for storing addresses in Microsoft Word. The easiest method works best if you only print one address label or envelope at a time.

To store your contact information just type a list of addresses as you would if you were addressing an envelope. Place the first and last name on one line, the street address on the next line, and the city, state, and postal code on the thrid line.  Additional information such as phone numbers and email addresses can be entered beneath that.

Skip a line between each individual person or business on your list.

Some may ask, “How do I sort this list?” Well, there’s no easy way to do that with this method, you have to do your sorting by hand, either by cutting and pasting to rearrange items, or by dragging and dropping.

The easiest way to make your way around a long list of names is to use CTRL +F on the keyboard, or select “Find” on the “Edit” menu. Then you can type a name or some piece of information that you’d like to find.

Printing Single Labels or Envelopes

This contact list is very easy to use when printing single address labels or envelopes. All you have to do is highlight a name and address in the list. Then click Tools > Letters and Mailings > Envelopes and Labels.

• If you’re printing a single address label, click the Labels tab, then click the “Single label” option. If you’re reusing a sheet of labels, specify the “column” and “row” for the label to be printed on. You can use the “Options” button to specify which label product and size you are printing on.
• If you’re printing an envelope, click the “Envelopes” tab, fill in a “Return Address” if you wish, and specify the envelope size with the “Options” button.

Envelopes and Labels Tool

Come back tomorrow for more methods on managing address lists and printing envelopes and labels. We’ll be working our way up to mail merges for mass mailings, and I’ll show you some other printing tools and software packages along the way.

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Printing to a secondary printer

Bob sends in the following question by email concerning printing with Word 2007:

I have a networked Ricoh printer that is my default printer. I have an HP laser attached to my workstation.

I use the HP to print envelopes. How do I print an envelope to the HP without resetting default printer?

Thanks for the question, Bob.

When two or more printers are available to your computer — either directly connected to the computer, or over a home or office network — one printer is the primary (default) and the others are secondary. In Bob’s case the Ricoh printer on his network is his primary (default) printer, and he has a Hewlett Packard (HP) attached to the computer which is his secondary printer.

First, I’ll assume you’re using the envelope setup technique I discussed in my post Setting Up Envelopes in Word 2007. (If you’re using the Envelopes tool on the Mailings tab, I’ll discuss that later in this post).

Simply put, when you’re ready to print the envelope, use the CTRL + P technique I mentioned in that earlier post, but before clicking the OK button — or hitting ENTER — to print, look at the upper left of the Print dialog box onscreen, and click the dropdown button for “Name” to select your secondary —in your case, the HP— printer. (See the picture below; I’ve circled the dropdown button.) Then click the OK button.

Word 2007 Print dialog box

Alternate Method: The Envelopes tool

If you’re using the “Envelopes” tool on the “Mailings” tab of Word 2007, it’s little more involved, in my opinion, which is why I don’t use this alternate method.

Word 2007 Mailings tab and Envelopes tool

The Envelopes tool has no option to change the default printer. Before starting to use the Envelopes tool you have change the printer by using CTRL + P and following the instructions above for changing the printer Name. Then click the “Close” button next to the OK button.

Now you can click the Mailings tab, and use the Envelopes tool to setup and print your envelopes.

You can repeat the change printer name process to revert back to your primary (default) printer. Alternately, if you close and restart Word 2007, it will revert back to your default printer automatically.

Don’t like to use CTRL+P?

In Word 2007 you can click the Office button in the top left of the screen, then point at “Print” and then click “Print” in the submenu to reveal the Print dialog box. To use your default printer or the last used printer, just click “Quick Print” on the submenu.

If you’re using Word 2003 or Word XP (2002), use the “File” menu instead of the Office button, and click “Print” to access the Print dialog box.

Thanks, again, Bob for your question.

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Correcting a misspelled name in Word

Michael from Purchase, NY asks the following question by email this weekend:

I recently wrote a long letter to my lawyer recounting a car accident I was in. Afterwards I had saw I had misspelled the person’s name who hit me. I was very annoyed because I had used the name a lot and it took a long time to correct them all. Is there a fast way to correct mistakes like this?

The feature you’re looking for is called “Find and Replace”. In Microsoft Word 2007 you will find “Replace” on the “Home” tab. In older versions of Microsoft Word (Word 2003, Word 2002 (XP), Word 2000, etc.) , you will find “Replace” on the “Edit” menu.  Either way, you can use the keyboard combination of ”CTRL” + “H”.

CTRL + H

1. Highlight the misspelled word or name.
2. Hold the “CTRL” key with one hand, and while holding it, tap the “H” key with your other hand. The “Find and Replace” dialog box will appear. The highlighted word or name will appear in the “Find” box.
3. In the “Replace with” box, type the correct spelling of the word or name.
4. Then click “Replace all”.

If you prefer to use the “Edit” menu, at step 2 click “Edit”  then ”Replace”; or in Microsoft Word 2007, click “Replace” on the “Home” tab.

If for some reason you don’t want to change all the instanaces of the misspelled word, at step 4 you can use the “Find Next” and “Replace” buttons. For example, two people with a similar sounding name, but with different spellings.

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