How to create a custom label or modify an existing label in Word

This step-by-step article explains how to create a new custom label or modify an existing label.

Microsoft Word provides many different label products that you can use when you perform either of the following tasks:

• Create a mail merge. To do this in Microsoft Word 2002 or in Microsoft Office Word 2003, point to Letters and Mailings on the Tools menu, and then click Mail Merge.
  
  To do this in Microsoft Office Word 2007, click Start Mail Merge in the Start Mail Merge group on the Mailings tab.
• Create a single page or full page of the same label. To do this in Word 2002 or in Word 2003, point to Letters and Mailings on the Tools menu, and then click Envelopes and Labels.
  
  To do this in Word 2007, click Labels in the Create group on the Mailings tab.

However, your particular label vendor or label product number may not be available in Word.

If your label product number is not available in Word, you can create a custom label description for your label. This article explains how you can either create a new label or modify an existing label.

To create a new label or modify an existing label, use one of the following methods, as appropriate to your situation.

Method 1: Create a New Custom Label

Word 2002 or Word 2003

1. On the Tools menu, point to Letters and Mailings, and then click Envelopes and Labels.
2. On the Labels tab, click Options.
3. Under Printer information, select your printer type (either Dot matrix or Laser and ink jet).
4. Click New Label.
5. In the Label name box, type a name for your new custom label. Type the exact height and width measurements of one label in the Label height and Label width boxes, and the number of labels across and down one page in the Number across and Number down boxes. You may also have to adjust the top margin, side margin, vertical pitch, and horizontal pitch settings. Use the Top margin, Side margin, Vertical pitch, and Horizontal pitch boxes to do this.
6. Click OK.
   
   Note If you receive the following error message, click OK:
   The margins, label size, and number across or down values produce a page that is larger than the label page size.
   Then, verify that your label dimensions and page margins are not larger than the actual paper size.
7. Click OK.
   
   Note The label name that you added in step 5 will appear in the Product number list. At the end of the label, "custom" will be added to indicate that it is a custom label.

Word 2007

1. On the Mailings tab, click Labels in the Create group.
2. On the Labels tab, click Options.
3. In the Label Options dialog box, click New Label.
4. Configure the following settings:
   • In the Label name box, type a name for your new custom label.
   • In the Label height box and in the Label width box, type the exact height and width measurements of one label.
   • In the Number across box and in the Number down box, type the number of labels across and down one page.
   Note You may also have to adjust the top margin, side margin, vertical pitch, and horizontal pitch settings. To do this, type the appropriate value in the Top margin, Side margin, Vertical pitch, and Horizontal pitch boxes.
5. Click OK.
   
   Note If you receive the following error message, click OK:
   The margins, label size, and number across or down values produce a page that is larger than the label page size.
   Then, verify that your label dimensions and page margins are not larger than the actual paper size.
6. Click OK.
   
   Note The label name that you added in step 4 will appear in the Product number list. At the end of the label, "custom" will be added to indicate that it is a custom label.

Method 2: Modify an Existing Label

Note You cannot change the existing dimensions of the predefined label settings in Word. When you modify the settings for an existing label, you can type a new label name and then save the changes as a new custom label.

Word 2002 or Word 2003

1. On the Tools menu, point to Letters and Mailings, and then click Envelopes and Labels.
2. On the Labels tab, click Options.
3. Under Printer information, select your printer type (either Dot matrix or Laser and ink jet).
4. In the Product number list, select a label with the closest dimensions to those of your custom label.
   
   Note Verify that the label page size is the same size as your label sheet.
5. Click Details.
6. Make any necessary changes to the Label height, Label width, Number across, Number down, Top margin, Side margin, Vertical pitch, Horizontal pitch, and Page size settings.
7. In the Label name box, type a name for your custom label.
   
   Note If you did not make any changes to the predefined label information, the Label name box will be unavailable.
8. Click OK.
   
   Note If you receive the following error message, click OK:
   The margins, label size, and number across or down values produce a page that is larger than the label page size.
   Then, verify that your label dimensions and page margins are not larger than the actual paper size.
   
   The label name that you added in step 7 will appear in the Product number list. At the end of the label, "custom" will be added to indicate that it is a custom label.

Word 2007

1. On the Mailings tab, click Labels in the Create group.
2. On the Labels tab, click Options.
3. In the Product number list, select a label that has the closest dimensions to those of your custom label.
   
   Note Verify that the label page size is the same size as your label sheet.
4. Click Details.
5. Change the following settings if required:
   • Label height
   • Label width
   • Number across
   • Number down
   • Top margin
   • Side margin
   • Vertical pitch
   • Horizontal pitch
   • Page size
6. In the Label name box, type a name for your custom label.
   
   Note If you did not make any changes to the predefined label information, the Label name box will be unavailable.
7. Click OK.
   
   Note If you receive the following error message, click OK:
   The margins, label size, and number across or down values produce a page that is larger than the label page size.
   Then, verify that your label dimensions and page margins combined are not larger than the actual paper size.
   
   The label name that you added in step 6 will appear in the Product number list. At the end of the label, "custom" will be added to indicate that it is a custom label.

For more information about the error message in step 7, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: