WD2000: Postal Bar Code Will Not Fit on Some Labels

When you print addresses to mailing labels, the delivery point bar code may not print in its entirety on your label, or the option to add the bar code may not be available, as in the following cases:

Case 1: Postal Bar Code Cut Off

If you create a merge to mailing labels and insert a postal bar code, when you print your labels, the postal bar code is cut off on the right side of the label.

Case 2: Delivery Point Bar Code Check Box Unavailable

If you create labels by clicking Envelopes and Labels on the Tools menu, the Delivery point barcode check box may not be available.

This behavior is by design in Microsoft Word. Some labels are physically too narrow to contain a complete postal bar code.

Use a label that is wide enough to contain the postal bar code. For example, use an address label that is more than 3.25 inches wide.

When you print a postal bar code with Microsoft Word, a correctly printed 11-digit postal bar code is approximately 2.75 inches wide. When you add the postal bar code to a label that is less than 3.25 inches wide, the postal bar code may not be printed in its entirety on the mailing label. Some mailing labels (for example, Avery 5160) are too small to contain a complete 11-digit delivery point bar code.

NOTE: The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) requires an 11-digit delivery point bar code to satisfy the requirements for a discount in your mailing.

According to USPS Publication 25, the dimensions of an 11-digit delivery point bar code (62 Bars - C Prime Field) are as follows: For more information about business address formatting, see Publication 28, which can be obtained from the USPS at the following Web sites: