Microsoft KB Archive/140343

= WD97: How to Print Envelopes or Labels from a List of Addresses =

Article ID: 140343

Article Last Modified on 1/19/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Word 97 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q140343





SUMMARY
When you click Envelopes and Labels on the Tools menu, Microsoft Word cannot print a separate envelope or label for each address when your address information is in one column, as in the following example:

Joe Howard

123 Main Street

Anytown, US 12345

Jane Clayton

Microsoft

456 Elm Street

Sometown, US 67890

Leonard Zuvela

789 Oak Road

Mytown, US 54321

Important Notes About Using the "Envelopes and Labels" Feature:
 * When your address information is in a single column (as in the preceding example), Word automatically uses the address that is selected or where the insertion point is located.
 * On the Envelopes tab, you can print the selected address to one envelope, or you can add an envelope to the current document that contains the selected address.
 * On the Labels tab, you can print a label sheet full of the same (selected) address, or you can print a single address to a specific label on the sheet.
 * The Envelopes and Labels feature in Microsoft Word is only intended to create a printout of a single address.

To create a separate envelope or label for each address, Word requires the address list to be in either a table or a delimited format. After the address information is rearranged, you can merge the address list into separate envelopes or labels for each address.

The "More Information" section of this article describes several methods you can use to print your address list to mailing labels or envelopes.



MORE INFORMATION
Use one of the following methods appropriate for your situation. For example,
 * If you are new to printing mailing labels or envelopes in Microsoft Word, and you want to keep your address list in a single-column format, use Method 1.

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 * If you are familiar with printing mailing labels or envelopes by using the mail merge feature, and you want to convert your existing single-column address list into a table or delimited file, use Method 2.

Method 1: Use Your Existing One-Column Address List
This is the easiest method to print either mailing labels or envelopes, using an address list that is in a one-column format similar to the example in the "Symptoms" section of this article.

NOTE: Close all other open Word documents before you follow these steps.  Open the Word document that contains your single-column address list, and make sure there is no other text in the document (other than the actual addresses), and that the address list is arranged similar to the following example:

Joe Howard¶

123 Main Street¶

Anytown, US 12345¶

¶

Jane Clayton¶

Microsoft¶

456 Elm Street¶

Sometown, US 67890¶

¶

Leonard Zuvela¶

789 Oak Road¶

Mytown, US 54321¶

NOTE: Each line in your address list must end with a paragraph mark (¶), and there must be one blank line between each address. To view the paragraph marks in your Word document, either click the Show/Hide button (¶) on the Standard toolbar, or click to select the All check box on the View tab (on the Tools menu, click Options). At the beginning of the address list, add a new line, and type MergeRecords. Then press ENTER to add another blank line between MergeRecords and the first address of your address list. At the end of the last address of your address list, press ENTER to add a blank line. Your address list should now look similar to the following example:

MergeRecords¶

¶

Joe Howard¶

123 Main Street¶

Anytown, US 12345¶

¶

Jane Clayton¶

Microsoft¶

456 Elm Street¶

Sometown, US 67890¶

¶

Leonard Zuvela¶

789 Oak Road¶

Mytown, US 54321¶

¶

 On the File menu, click Save to save the changes to your address list.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Continue with steps 5a through 5g to temporarily rearrange your address list, so that Word can create separate envelopes or labels for each address. If you save your address list after you perform steps 5a through 5g, it will be difficult to correctly add additional addresses to your address list in the future. Use the following steps to temporarily rearrange your address list into a format that Word can use to create your separate envelopes or labels:  On the Edit menu, click Replace.</li> On the Replace tab, click More to expand the Replace tab to show the additional options.</li> With the insertion point in the Find what box, click Special and then click Paragraph Mark. Repeat this step to add a second paragraph mark to the Find what box. The Find what box should contain the following text:

^p^p

</li> In the Replace with box, type an asterisk (press SHIFT+8). The Replace with box should contain the following text:

*

</li> Click Replace All.</li> Click OK to the following message:

Word has completed its search of the document and has made nn replacements.

where nn is the number of replacements that Word made.

NOTE: Word replaced the occurrence of two paragraph marks with an asterisk.</li> Click Close to close the Find and Replace dialog box. Your address list should now look similar to the following example:

MergeRecords*Joe Howard¶

123 Main Street¶

Anytown, US 12345*Jane Clayton¶

Microsoft¶

456 Elm Street¶

Sometown, US 67890*Leonard Zuvela¶

789 Oak Road¶

Mytown, US 54321*¶

</li></ol> </li> On the File menu, click New.</li> On the General tab, click to select Blank Document, and then click OK to create a new Word document.</li> On the Tools menu, click Mail Merge.</li>  In the Mail Merge Helper dialog box, click Create and then click either Mailing Labels or Envelopes. Then do one of the following:

For Mailing Labels
<ol style="list-style-type: lower-alpha;"> Click Active Window to the following message:

To create the Mailing labels, you can use the active document window  or a new document window.

where  is the name of the current unsaved new document that you created in steps 6 through 7.</li> In the Mail Merge Helper, click Get Data, and then click Open Data Source.</li> In the Open Data Source dialog box, click to select your Word document that contains your address list, and then click Open.</li> In the Header Records Delimiters dialog box, change the Field delimiter box to (none), change the Record delimiter box to * and then click OK.</li> Click Set Up Main Document to the following message:

Word needs to set up your main document. Choose the Set Up Main Document button to finish setting up your main document.

</li> In the Label Options dialog box, click to select the type of label you want, and then click OK.</li> <li>In the Create Labels dialog box, click Insert Merge Field, and then click Mergerecords.

Word places one MERGEFIELD in the Sample label address box. This looks similar to the following example:

<<Mergerecords>>

</li> <li>Click OK to close the Create Labels dialog box.</li> <li>In the Mail Merge Helper, click Merge.</li> <li>In the Merge dialog box, change the Merge to box to the way you want to complete creating your mailing labels.</li> <li>Do one of the following: <ul> <li>If you changed the Merge to box to New document, click Merge. Word creates a new document that contains your address list, with each address on a separate label.

If this new document looks exactly like you want your labels to appear, click Print on the File menu to print your labels.

If you want to make additional changes to the labels (such as specific formatting or changes to the text on each label), make those changes before you click Print on the File menu.

-or-</li> <li>If you changed the Merge to box to Printer, click Merge. In the Print dialog box, click OK. Word prints your labels directly to the printer you selected in the Printer Name box.</li></ul> </li></ol>

For Envelopes
<ol style="list-style-type: lower-alpha;"> <li>Click Active Window to the following message:

To create the envelopes, you can use the active document window  or a new document window.

where  is the name of the current unsaved new document that you created in steps 6 through 7.</li> <li>In the Mail Merge Helper, click Get Data, and then click Open Data Source.</li> <li>In the Open Data Source dialog box, click to select your Word document that contains your address list, and then click Open.</li> <li>In the Header Records Delimiters dialog box, change the Field delimiter box to (none), change the Record delimiter box to * and then click OK.</li> <li>Click Set Up Main Document to the following message:

Word needs to set up your main document. Choose the Set Up Main Document button to finish setting up your main document.

</li> <li>On the Envelope Options tab, change the Envelope size box to the size of your envelope, and then click OK.

NOTE: On the Envelope Options tab, you can make other changes to the delivery address and return address.</li> <li>In the Envelope address dialog box, click Insert Merge Field, and then click to select Mergerecords.

Word places one MERGEFIELD in the Sample envelope address box. This looks similar to the following example:

<<Mergerecords>>

</li> <li>Click OK to close the Envelope address dialog box.</li> <li>In the Mail Merge Helper, click Merge.</li> <li>In the Merge dialog box, change the Merge to box to the way you want to complete creating your envelopes.</li> <li>Do one of the following: <ul> <li>If you changed the Merge to box to New document, click Merge. Word creates a new document that contains your address list with each address on a separate envelope.

If this new document looks exactly like you want your envelopes to appear, click Print on the File menu to print your envelopes.

If you want to make additional changes to the envelopes (such as specific formatting or changes to the text on each envelope), make those changes before you click Print on the File menu.

-or-</li> <li>If you changed the Merge to box to Printer, click Merge. In the Print dialog box, click OK. Word prints your envelopes directly to the printer that you selected in the Printer Name box.</li></ul> </li></ol> </li> <li>After you print your mailing labels or envelopes, several documents remain open. Close each of these documents, and do not save the changes. To do this, click Close on the File menu. Then click No to the following message:

Do you want to save the changes you made to ?

</li> <li>Repeat step 10 for each open document, including the document that contains your address list.

NOTE: You previously saved the changes to your address list. Do not save the changes after you complete steps 5a through 5g, or you may have difficulty when you try to add new addresses to your address list in the future.</li></ol>

Method 2: Convert Your One-Column Address List to a Table or Delimited File
This is a more advanced method that refers to several articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base to print either mailing labels or envelopes by using an address list that is initially in a one-column format similar to the example in the "Symptoms" section of this article.

NOTE: If you use this method, your single-column address list will be permanently converted to either a table or a delimited address file.

By default, Microsoft Word requires that the address information be laid out in a table or in a delimited file format. Using an address file that is laid out in a table (or as a delimited file) provides many more options for merging address information, such as the ability to use one address file for merging to different types of documents, or easily filtering and sorting your address information.

For additional information about converting address information into the table or delimited format that Word requires, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

140344 WD97: How to Convert Data in One Column to a Table for Merging

For additional information about completing a mail merge, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

141922 WD97: How to Start a Mail Merge

195989 WD97: How to Create Envelopes Using Mail Merge

195609 WD97: How to Create Mailing Labels Using the Mail Merge Feature

NOTE: The example companies, organizations, products, people, and events depicted herein are fictitious. No association with any real company, organization, product, person, or event is intended or should be inferred.

Additional query words: mmh merging print merge howto label mailmerge

Keywords: kbenvelope kbinfo kbmerge KB140343

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