Excel mailing labels

The joys of creating mailing labels in Excel!

Here's a step-by-step guide to help you create professional-looking mailing labels in Excel:

Prerequisites:

1. You have a list of contacts with the necessary information (name, address, city, state, zip code, etc.).
2. You have Excel 2010 or later version installed on your computer.

Step 1: Set up your data

1. Open your Excel spreadsheet and create a table with the following columns:
   • Name
   • Address
   • City
   • State
   • Zip Code
   • Other columns as needed (e.g., phone number, email, etc.)
2. Enter your contact information in the table.

Step 2: Format your data

1. Select the entire table by pressing Ctrl+A.
2. Go to the "Home" tab in the ribbon and click on the "Format" button in the "Cells" group.
3. Select "Column" and then "Width" to adjust the column widths to fit your data.
4. Use the "Alignment" button to center the text in each column.

Step 3: Create a mailing label template

1. Go to the "Insert" tab in the ribbon and click on the "Label" button in the "Illustrations" group.
2. Select "Mailing Label" from the drop-down menu.
3. Choose the label size you want to use (e.g., Avery 5160, 4x6 inches).
4. Click "OK" to create the label template.

Step 4: Merge your data with the label template

1. Select the entire table again by pressing Ctrl+A.
2. Go to the "Data" tab in the ribbon and click on the "From Table/Range" button in the "Get & Transform Data" group.
3. Select the table range and click "OK".
4. In the "Merge Labels" dialog box, select the label template you created in Step 3.
5. Choose the fields you want to merge with the label template (e.g., Name, Address, City, State, Zip Code).
6. Click "OK" to merge the data with the label template.

Step 5: Print your mailing labels

1. Go to the "File" tab in the ribbon and click on "Print" to print your mailing labels.
2. In the "Print" dialog box, select the printer and paper size you want to use.
3. Click "Print" to print your mailing labels.

Tips and Variations:

• Use a consistent font and font size throughout your mailing labels.
• Use a border or shading to make your labels more readable.
• Add a logo or image to your labels to make them more visually appealing.
• Use a different label size or shape to accommodate different types of mailings.
• Use Excel's "Mail Merge" feature to create more complex mailings, such as envelopes or postcards.

By following these steps, you should be able to create professional-looking mailing labels in Excel. Happy labeling!