When printing labels use nine point type in a simple font such as Helvetica. Nine
point type prints six lines to the vertical inch. Larger point sizes will run off
the right hand edge when you encounter addresses like "1234 Winding Wooly Hummock
Trail, Second Floor, Suite 1543." Testing label layouts takes many trials to
get it right.
To test your label layouts without wasting expensive labels, print your test layouts
on plain paper. Put the test printout behind a sheet of labels and hold it up to
a bright light. The position of the text will show through.
There are two types of programs used for printing labels: databases and word processors.
Databases are visual, you see a picture of a page and drag the labels and margins
around. Word processors are text-based; you simply see text on a screen. Databases
are much preferred for label printing chores. There are a few programs available
that do only label printing but they are largely a waste of money since any good
database will handle label printing chores quite well.
Before we get deep into this, a word about templates. Check your program carefully
and see if there are any built-in templates for label printing. FileMaker has templates
for all types of Avery labels and Microsoft Word has many popular label layouts included
with the program as sample documents. If you find a layout that will suit your needs,
go to the store and buy the labels mentioned and your life is easy.
One of the most important things about label alignment is learning to deal with
the problems involved in the proper order and only one problem at a time.
This is how you line up laser printed labels. Vertical alignment deals with how
the text is positioned up and down the page. Horizontal alignment deals with how
the text lines up across the page. We will start with vertical layout. Ignore any
problems with horizontal alignment for now.
1. Put enough text on the label to cover the vertical area. If you are
using 1" labels, put 6 lines of 9 point text on the label. It doesn't matter
what the text is, just put enough text on the label to fill it up for testing purposes.
2. Align the first line of the first label. The first line of text should
hit the first label at the proper spot. Don't worry about anything else right now,
just check that. The way to get this first label to align is to change the amount
of blank space at the top of the page. If you are working in a word processor you
should change the top margin. If you are using a database, change the size of the
page header.
3. Handle any problems with vertical "crawl." The next thing
to worry about is the vertical alignment of all the other labels on the page. If
they do not line up properly you will find that the labels will "walk"
or "crawl" either up or down the page. If they are crawling up the page
then the first line of the second label will be too high, and the first line of each
successive label will be higher still. Crawling down the page is the opposite. Each
successive label hits lower and lower.
The cause of this is that the amount of space allowed for each label is wrong. If
you are using a database, change the amount of space allowed to each label. If you
are using a word processor, put a blank line (carriage return) after the lines of
text to increase the amount of space each label takes or delete any blank lines to
decrease it. In a word processor the amount of space taken up by each label is determined
by the point size and the number of blank lines either before or after the text of
the label.
4. Handle any disappearing labels. The next vertical problem has to do
with how many labels appear vertically on the page. If you have a full ten labels
then you are in business. If you have less than ten appearing then bottom margin
is too big. The computer thinks it is running out of room at the bottom and is bumping
that last label over to the next page. In a word processor decrease the bottom margin;
in a database make the page footer smaller. Make it as small as your program will
allow or delete it altogether. If you still do not get the full ten labels on the
page then check the amount of space being given to each label again.
New horizons
At this stage we should have proper vertical alignment. Horizontal alignment
is the same process, only sideways.
5. Move the left margin until the first letter of the first column of labels
hits the first column of labels at the correct spot.
6. Handle any horizontal crawl. If the labels crawl out or in as they proceed
across the page, check the amount of vertical space or width of each label. Visual
layout programs make it easy to set the width of the labels, just drag the width
out until it is correct. Word processors vary in the way you set the width. Some
have you lay out three labels across using tab stops. Others have you lay out just
one label and set the width of the columns. Consult your manual to find out just
exactly how your program handles this.
7. Make the right margin as small as possible. If less than three labels
fit across, this should correct the problem.
8. Remove any extra text you added to the label for testing purposes.
With all these steps done your labels should line up and print properly on the
page.
Special situation
On an ImageWriter labels are done differently than on a laser printer. If you
print labels on an ImageWriter use pin-fed one-across labels. They don't jam as much
as the three-across ones and are easier to use and set up. Keep in mind that even
though they are in a continuous roll that the computer still believes it is printing
to an 8.5 X 11 page and will act accordingly. In the page setup dialog box for ImageWriters
there is an option "no gaps between pages." Make sure this is checked.
This way you will be able to have no top or bottom margins when you print. You will
need to fit eleven 1" labels to a "page." This means your top and
bottom margins must be set to 0 and the labels must take up no more than 1".
If every 11th label is blank, the computer believes it is running out of room at
the bottom of the 11" page and is jumping to the next page to print the next
label.
If you use a new ribbon, draft mode on an ImageWriter is very readable and very
fast. Use a monospaced font such a Monaco 9 point to lay out your labels or the spacing
between your letters will be erratic. Monaco 9 matches the height and width of draft
characters very well.
Never, not at any time and at no point should you feed labels backwards through
an ImageWriter. When you are finished with a run, break the roll behind the printer
at one of it's perforations and then roll the printed labels forward through the
printer. Yes, I know it wastes about ten labels but trust me, a sure way to get a
label jam is to run the labels through backwards.
When loading your labels be sure not the stretch the labels too tight across the
back of the printer. Many label jams are caused by having those little black tractors
in the back too tight or too loose. Pull out that manual and learn what those little
levers do.
The vertical position of the text on the label changes when you move the platen.
Rather than trying to mess with margins to get the labels to hit at the right vertical
position, print a test label or two and roll the platen up or down to get the alignment
right. If you can't figure out which way to roll the platen, think of the text as
being stationary and move the labels underneath the text to get the position right.
Remember, always roll the labels forward.
Worse than a disgruntled postal worker…
Label jams are something to be dreaded by any sane person. As you are printing
away, one of the labels decides that it was not meant for the US Mail and peels off
somewhere deep inside your printer making a big sticky mess. If you are using a laser
printer make sure that you are using labels made specifically for a laser printer.
The page is heated to bond the toner to the paper as part of the printing process.
Typewriter labels have a glue that will melt under this heat while laser printer
labels have a high temperature glue that stands up well. If you get a label jam,
stop your print run and remove as much of the offending labels as you can. Inspect
the rollers carefully for any stray labels. If you leave a stray label on a roller
somewhere it will lie in wait for the next sheet of labels and snag it. De-Solv-It,
a mild solvent available at hardware and grocery stores is excellent for softening
the label glue and getting the goo off. Avoid harsh solvents such as acetone; they
will damage the rubber on the rollers. Apply the solvent with a Q-Tip and do not
allow it to run down into the machine where it can make mischief. With an ImageWriter
sometimes a label will get stuck beneath the platen (the big black rubber roller).
Sometimes you can use a sheet of light card stock to get it out, but other times
disassembly is required, a job for a technician. If you do have a label jam, make
sure you get all of the labels and sticky residue out of the printer or another label
jam is sure to follow.
Save your work
The layout of blank labels varies greatly, so once you are happy with your label
layout, save the label format using the name of the labels themselves, such as "Avery
#5262." The next time you want to print some labels, all you will have to do
is buy the same type of labels you had before.
Small jobs
If you want to print labels one at a time on a laser printer Avery has come up
with good solution. Their "mini-sheets" look like ordinary labels with
each of the three columns cut into a separate sheet. They are fed into the laser
printer like an envelope. Set the top margin to get the label positioned vertically
and the left margin to position it horizontally. For printing single labels these
are less complex because there are no multi-column problems to worry about.
Good luck
Perhaps armed with this information, in just moments, sheet after sheet of cleanly
printed labels really can magically issue forth from your printer. But that check
from your brother-in-law is another matter entirely.
Robert Wright
Copyright 1994 MacValley Voice Burbank CA
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