How to print Avery® 5161 labels in Google Docs
Google Docs has no built-in Avery 5161 layout. Use the designer below to download an aligned PDF, or build a 3-column table with page margins of 0.5 in (top) and 0.156 in (left), 4 in label columns and 1 in rows.
Updated · measurements from the gLabels template database
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In Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers: select the cells with the header row, copy, and paste here. The sample rows are replaced.
Text auto-fits at 14 pt.
Print at 100% / Actual size, not “Fit to page”. Paper: US Letter (8.5 × 11 in).
Free prints one full sheet.
Font, style, colours, start position and printer offset
Print the alignment test sheet on plain paper, hold it over a label sheet, and nudge: positive moves everything right / down.
Pro, one payment, no subscription:
- Unlimited mail merge rows and sheets
- Open .xlsx files directly
- QR codes and Code 128 barcodes
- Serial numbering
- Your logo or image on every label
- Saved designs
- Saved printer calibration
- No credit line
Pro tools
Avery 5161 in Google Docs, step by step
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Fastest: use an aligned PDF
Google Docs has no built-in Avery 5161 layout. Type your text or paste your rows in the designer at the top of this page and download a PDF already aligned to the 20 positions of the 5161 sheet; open it and print at 100 %.
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Set up the page in Docs
To build the 5161 layout in Docs, open a blank document and go to File › Page setup: paper size US Letter, margins top 0.5 in, bottom 0, left 0.156 in, right 0.156 in. The bottom margin stays at 0 on purpose: the 10 table rows already place every label, and the empty paragraph that always follows a table then fits in the 0.5 in below the last row instead of starting a blank second page.
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Insert a 3 × 10 table
Use Insert › Table and draw the 5161 grid as 3 columns by 10 rows (2 label columns plus 1 narrow gap columns).
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Size the cells exactly
Select the 5161 table and open Format › Table › Table properties (called Table options in newer versions). Column widths: 4 in, 0.188 in, 4 in. Minimum row height: 1 in for every row. Set cell padding to 0 and the table border to 0 pt so each 5161 cell is exactly one label.
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Type within the label
Keep each cell to about 5 lines at 10 pt; Docs grows a row when text overflows and every 5161 label below it shifts down, and the last row can then push onto a second page.
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Lists from Google Sheets
Docs cannot merge a spreadsheet into the 5161 table by itself; label add-ons exist in the Google Workspace Marketplace, or paste the rows from Sheets into LabelGrid's merge mode above.
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Print 5161 at 100 %
Use File › Print or download a PDF, set US Letter paper and 100 % scale (not “fit to page”), and check a plain-paper test: the first 5161 row starts 0.5 in from the top.
Worked example: 20 shelf labels on 5161
One Docs table holds 20 Avery 5161 labels, so 20 labels fit in a single table. Paste a page break before each copy so every table starts at the top margin of 0.5 in.
In the LabelGrid designer the same 20 rows go into merge mode; the free version prints the first 20 (one full 5161 sheet) and Pro removes the limit. To reuse a part-used sheet, set the start position to the first empty label.
The Google Docs numbers for Avery 5161
| Page setup margins | top 0.5 in, bottom 0 (the sheet has 0.5 in), left 0.156 in, right 0.156 in |
|---|---|
| Table size | 3 columns × 10 rows |
| Column widths | 4 in, 0.188 in, 4 in |
| Minimum row height | 1 in for every row |
| Cell padding / border | 0 / 0 pt |
When 5161 labels print out of line in Google Docs
- A second, empty page appears after the 5161 table: Docs keeps a paragraph after every table and it cannot be deleted. Check File › Page setup: with the bottom margin at 0 (step 2) that paragraph fits in the 0.5 in below the last row; with a 0.5 in bottom margin it does not.
- Columns look right on screen but the 5161 labels print narrow: Docs may round widths; re-enter 4 in for each label column and check the page margins again.
- If every 5161 label printed from Google Docs is off by the same amount, the printer feeds off-centre: add the measured offset to the 0.5 in top or 0.156 in side margin, or use the LabelGrid printer offset.
About the Avery 5161 sheet
Avery® 5161 (address labels) has 20 labels of 1″ × 4″ per US Letter sheet. The same layout is sold under other Avery codes too (5261, 5961, 8161, 8461 and 18161), so these settings work for them as well.
Common jobs for 5161: Halloween address labels, Christmas address labels, holiday address labels, wedding invitation address labels and address labels. Avery® 5161 is named only to identify compatible sheets; LabelGrid is not affiliated with Avery.
More for Avery 5161
Avery 5161 in other apps
Templates and sizes
Frequently asked questions
Is there an Avery 5161 template in Google Docs?
Not built in. Build a 3 × 10 table with the sizes above, use a label add-on, or download the aligned PDF from LabelGrid and print it.
What are the measurements of Avery 5161?
20 labels of 4 in × 1 in on US Letter, 2 across and 10 down. In Docs: page margins 0.5 in top and 0.156 in left, columns of 4 in.
Why do my 5161 labels from Google Docs drift down the page?
Either a row grew past 1 in because of extra text or the page was scaled; at 97 % the last row moves about 0.315 in. Print at 100 %.
Can I skip Google Docs entirely?
Yes. The LabelGrid designer at the top of this page is set to Avery 5161: type one label or paste a list and download a PDF aligned to all 20 positions, free and in your browser.