How to Create Free Mailing Labels in Word

Whether you want to inform your customers of an upcoming sale, mail them a coupon or keep them abreast of a store move, you can use Microsoft Excel and Word to create free, professional mailing labels.

How to Create Free Mailing Labels for your Business

Before you can begin creating your labels, you will need to ensure that the data contained in Excel matches the format required by Word for the mail merge. In other words, you must use column headers, such as First Name, Last Name, Street Address, City and Zip Code. If you have yet to import the data into Excel, do so. Depending on where your customer's personal data is stored, you may be able to simply export the data via a .csv file and open with Excel.

Create the above column headings and populate your worksheet. Once complete, highlight the entire workbook and then click on the "Formulas" tab and then "Define Name." Select a relevant name for the address workbook, such as "Promotion Mailing List" and then save. If you only intend to include those addresses within a certain radius, be sure to note that in your worksheet title.

Configure your blank labels so that they match the worksheet label dimensions. Open a Word document. Click on the "Mailings" tab and then "Start Mail Merge." Select "Labels" and then specify your parameters. In the "Label Vendor" box, input the vendor from whom you purchased your blank labels and then click "OK." This will ensure that the labels align correctly once printed. If you do not know the vendor or the vendor info doesn't match, you will need to measure your blank labels and then select the option with the closest specs.

While your label dimensions are now set in your Word document, you may not see the lines. Click on the "Layout" tab, located under "Table Tools" and then click "View Gridlines" to see them. Now you need to link the Excel workbook.

On your Word document, click on the Microsoft Office Button on the left side of the toolbar. Scroll to the bottom and click on "Word Options." Click "Advanced" and then scroll down to the "General" section. Click on the "Confirm file format conversion on open and select "OK."

Return to the "Mailings" tab in your Word document and then click on "Select Recipients" and then "Use Existing List." Select the Excel workbook that contains your addresses and click "Open." Click "MS Excel Worksheets via DDE (*xls.) in the "Confirm Data Source" box. If you do not see that option, click on "Show All." Select the range or worksheet where you data is contained in the dialog box that opens up.

"Next Record" will appear in every label except for the first one. Now it's time to import the actual data. If you need to edit your recipients, click on the "Edit Recipient List" under the "Mailings" tab and select or deselect customers.

Otherwise, you can simply customize the first label by clicking on the "Address Block" and selecting the format. Then click "OK."

Click "Update Labels" under the "Mailings" tab. This will populate each label with the selected recipient's information.

Click on the "Finish and Merge" button under the "Mailings" tab. Then click "Print Documents."