How to print Avery® 5161 labels in Microsoft Word
In Word, open Mailings › Labels › Options and pick 5161; if it is missing, click New Label and enter a 0.5″ top margin, 0.156″ side margin, 4″ × 1″ labels, 2 across and 10 down. Or skip Word: the designer below prints 5161 sheets directly.
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 Microsoft Word, step by step
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Open the Labels dialog
For 5161 labels, open a blank Word document, go to the Mailings tab and click Labels, then Options. Set the printer type (page printers covers laser and inkjet) before you look for 5161.
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Pick 5161 from the list
Under Label vendors choose “Avery US Letter” and select 5161 in Product number. Label information should read 1″ high and 4″ wide, and Details shows 2 across × 10 down; product lists differ between Word versions.
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Or create 5161 as a new label
If 5161 is not listed, click New Label, name it “5161 LabelGrid” and enter: Top margin 0.5″, Side margin 0.156″, Vertical pitch 1″, Horizontal pitch 4.188″, Label height 1″, Label width 4″, Number across 2, Number down 10, Page size Letter (8.5 × 11 in). Word keeps the custom label for next time (in current versions it appears under the Other/Custom vendor).
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Fill the labels
Back in Labels, type the 5161 text once and pick “Full page of the same label” for 20 copies, or click New Document to get an empty 2 × 10 table of 20 cells to fill one by one.
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Mail merge a list onto 5161
For a list, use Mailings › Start Mail Merge › Labels with the same 5161 settings, then Select Recipients › Use an Existing List (an Excel or comma-separated file), insert the merge fields in the first 5161 label, click Update Labels to copy them to the other 19 and Finish & Merge.
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Print 5161 at 100 %
Print on US Letter paper with no “scale to paper size” option, then hold a plain-paper test behind the 5161 sheet against a window: all 2 columns should sit 0.156″ from the edge.
Worked example: 20 shelf labels on 5161
Your list has 20 rows, so Finish & Merge fills 1 page of 20 Avery 5161 labels, with no label left over.
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 Microsoft Word numbers for Avery 5161
| Top margin | 0.5″ (1.27 cm) |
|---|---|
| Side margin | 0.156″ (0.4 cm) |
| Vertical pitch | 1″ |
| Horizontal pitch | 4.188″ |
| Label height × width | 1″ × 4″ |
| Number across × down | 2 × 10 (20 labels) |
| Page size | Letter (8.5 × 11 in) |
When 5161 labels print out of line in Microsoft Word
- Word may warn that the 5161 margins are outside the printable area of the page. Continue without letting Word fix the margins (the button names differ between versions): the 0.156″ side margin is narrow, but the 4″ labels sit inside it.
- A blank second page appears after the 5161 table: Word always keeps a paragraph mark after a table; select it and set its font size to 1 pt so all 10 rows stay on one page.
- In Microsoft Word, 5161 labels that drift more the lower they are mean the page was scaled: at 97 % row 10, 10.5 in from the top, lands about 0.315 in off. Print at 100 %.
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
Does Word have an Avery 5161 template?
Word's built-in list normally has 5161 under the “Avery US Letter” vendor in Mailings › Labels › Options, but the list differs between versions. If yours does not, New Label with 0.5″ top margin, 0.156″ side margin and 2 × 10 labels gives the same layout.
What are the measurements of Avery 5161?
20 labels of 4 in × 1 in on US Letter, 2 across and 10 down. In Word's New Label dialog that is a 0.5″ top margin, 0.156″ side margin and 4.188″ × 1″ pitch.
Why do my 5161 labels from Microsoft Word drift down the page?
Either the Vertical pitch is not 1″ or the print dialog scaled the page; at 97 % the last row moves about 0.315 in. Print at 100 %.
Can I skip Microsoft Word 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.