Our fifth document choice in the mail merge wizard is labels. Similar to when we created envelopes, we can only choose to change the document layout (of the current document) or start from an existing document in Step 2. (It is recommended that you change the current document unless you have a label-style layout already set up.)

In Step 2, we also must click the Label Options link to tell Word what kind of labels we’re using. (If you don’t click this link, you will be prompted for the information when you click Next.)

Here’s what that dialog box looks like:

You can use the top portion of this window to set printer information. Then, in the bottom part of the window, set the options for the labels you are using. Pick the brand from the Label Products drop-down menu, and then pick the specific product using the list on the left. (You can also set advanced options by clicking the Details button, or create a custom label by clicking New Label.)

Once you click OK, your document layout will be changed to reflect the label type you have selected. Then, you can click Next to proceed to step 3, which is the same. This is where you choose your list type and then browse to that list, or create a new one.

Step 4 is fairly similar as well. This is where you can place an address block, greeting line, electronic postage, or postal bar code in your envelope.

You should customize the merge fields of only the first label. Then, click Update all labels to copy those changes to all labels in the document. You MUST click this button, otherwise your labels won’t turn out properly!

Once you’ve customized your labels, click Next to preview them. Here’s a sample:

If you notice that only your first label is complete, click the Previous button to click the Update All Labels button. If everything looks correct, click Next to complete the merge. Your options here are similar to letters and envelopes: you can print the labels right away or send the merge to a new document. If you choose the latter option, you will be prompted with the Merge to New Document dialog we saw before.

Just click OK to finish the merge! Remember that you can come back to the original merge document at any time to make changes and re-merge your files.