Label Layouts Imprecise

[Sam Elowitch]

What's the best way to approaching the problem of accurate label layouts,
particularly making sure that the layout work for your particular printer
and that these settings get saved to the underlying template so that other
Avery templates work the same way?

-Sam

 

[Repeating Rifle]

What's the best way to approaching the problem of accurate label layouts,
particularly making sure that the layout work for your particular printer
and that these settings get saved to the underlying template so that other
Avery templates work the same way?

-Sam

I am having similar problems using Word X. Even though I change margins, I
cannot get to move the printing over to the right far enough to make sure
that it does not overlap the cut on the label. It looks fine on the screeen
but WYSISWYG is not obtainable by me. The mail bar code seems to be
particulary resistant to adjustment. Does anyone else have this problem? Is
there a workaround for this?

Bill

 

[Repeating Rifle]

This is a second reply with additional content. At the time of sending, ,y
first reply had not been posted.

What's the best way to approaching the problem of accurate label layouts,
particularly making sure that the layout work for your particular printer
and that these settings get saved to the underlying template so that other
Avery templates work the same way?

-Sam

I am having similar problems using Word X. Even though I change margins, I
cannot get to move the printing over to the right far enough to make sure
that it does not overlap the cuts along the label edges. It looks fine on
the screeen but WYSISWYG is not obtainable by me. The mail bar code seems to
be particulary resistant to adjustment. Does anyone else have this problem?
Is there a workaround for this?

I have gotten around the problem, for now at least. By omitting the bar
code. I am paying full first class postage, so I will let the USPS do that
work for me.

I was able to adjust location of name and address information on the label
without printing over the label cuts. I used an extra line return in the
label layout to adjust up and down. I used extra spaces to move the
information to the right, again to avoid printing over the label left hand
edge. The bar code does not seem to accept leading spaces.

This whole excercise reminded me of some of the reasons I detest Microsoft!
Among the other problems, trying to print a single page seemed fruitless
whether from the print menu or the preview. This spewed out much more paper
than necessary including the more costly label sheets.

At one time making labels was easy. I think that was with Word 4. Then with
so-called improved versions of Word, it became almost imposssible. New
useless features along with new bugs crept in. Every attempt at making
labels became an adventure.

GRRR!

Bill

 

[Sam Elowitch]

My approach goes something like this:

1. Pick the appropriate label type and text.
2. Immediately select the entire document and move the left margin to the
right by a few ticks.
3. Go to Format --> Document and increase the top margin by a few tenths of
a inch.

My results are often passable at that point. No, the text isn't centered
vertically and each row of labels looks a little different than the
previous, but it is sorta-kinda okay. Life with Microsoft -- barely
acceptable mediocrity after much grief.

-Sam

 

[John McGhie]

Hey guys:

Not fair to blame 'Microsoft' for the fact that Your Printer Manufacturer
can't get the DRIVER right for their printer, wouldn't you say?

Word simply does what Apple OS X tells it to do. Apple OS X gets the
information for printer resolution, paper size and printable margins from
the printer driver. Get the printer driver right and Word is within one
Twip (one twentieth of a point) of 100 per cent WYSIWYG.

On some measurements (margins would be one) it is within one printer pixel.
Problem not belong 'im Microsoft

Now here's what I do: Take one sheet of your nice Avery labels and draw
around the labels in a nice heavy black pen so you can see what you are
doing.

Now, load the printer with plain paper (white, cheap, fairly light weight).

Load the template for the label concerned. Go into Printers in OS X and
ensure that the printer you have selected is actually the one you are using.

Go into File>Print in Word and ensure that you are formatting the document
for the specific printer you are using. If you let this default to "Any
Printer" Word uses generic measurements: if you choose the printer in use,
it imports the exact settings from the printer driver.

Go into Labels in Word and make sure that your settings are all exactly
correct.

Now print a test to your sheet of cheap paper. Lay a sheet of labels behind
it and hold both up to the light. With a ruler, MEASURE the offset from the
label.

Now DON'T start dragging margins around: this will throw everything off.
Instead, work out exactly how much you have to add or subtract from the top
margin and add or subtract from the left and right margins to move the print
image where you want it.

Make those settings changes and SAVE the document. Print options are a
document property, they are saved with the document.

Next time you want to print to those labels, start off by making a copy of
the document you just saved. Everything should then be set up for you.

Some people make the mistake of thinking that Word is "simple" and they
don't get deep enough in to it to do the job properly. So they end up doing
it over: again, and again, and again! Word is not simple: it's the most
powerful professional-quality word-processor around. Time spent learning to
do things professionally and completely the first time pays big rewards. I
just wish I could learn this

Hope this helps