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November 24, 2008

Simple labels in OpenOffice Writer 2.0 or 3.0: Just typing or pasting the content

Here's how to just print out a few labels very simply.

I follow this procedure when I ship out books. Let's say I've got five people who've ordered books directly from me through PayPal or Amazon. I've got five emails in my inbox, with five addresses. So I need to make five labels.

I describe the simple but more labor-intensive way in the following steps. Then at the end I show what I actually do that adds a little bit of one-time extra setup and makes the whole process much simpler.

1. Choose File > New > Labels.* (See note at end.)

In this window, look at the two lists in the lower right corner. Pick the right layout, usually Avery Letter, and the kind of labels you're using (the number is on the box or envelope) like 8160.

Lab1

2. Click the Options tab and make sure that the Synchronize checkbox is NOT marked.

Lab2

3. Click New Document.

4. You'll see the new empty label document.

Lab3

5. Now just type the content you want in each box. OR copy and paste. In my example, I copy the address from my email and paste it into the box.

If you've already used up some of the labels on the physical sheet you're going to print onto, then just start pasting or typing in the next available box.

If you have trouble clicking in a box to type, click somewhere in the blank margin around the area where the boxes are, then click in the middle of the box. You'll then see a normal blinking cursor and you'll be able to type.


6. To format the text differently, you could do a few different things. Pick any of the following; I recommend b or c.

a - Just format every text box the same, manually.

b - Format the first text box how you want it, and select some of the formatted text. Then DOUBLE-CLICK the Paintbrush icon.


Labform1

Select every additional text box with text to format the same way.

Labform1b

Then CLICK the Paintbrush icon again and you're done.

c - Format the first text box how you want it. With some formatted text selected, choose Format > Styles and Formatting. Click and hold down on the far right icon and choose Update Style. All the other boxes will be formatted the same way.

Labform2_2

7.  Now just stick the label sheet in your printer and print. If you want more than one sheet of labels, then just print out these, then type the new addresses over the old addresses and print a second sheet. (Or save this sheet, then choose File > Save As and save the sheet under a different name, and type the second set of addresses over the old addresses.)


* NOTE: What I actually do instead of steps 1-4 and 6 is open the label template that I created. I went through this entire process, then formatted the text the way I wanted it. I formatted the text in the first label box the way I wanted it. Then I choose Format > Styles and Formatting, I clicked and held down the mouse on the far right icon, and chose Update Style, as in step 6-c above.  After that, I chose File > Templates > Save. I named the template Labels and clicked OK.

Labtemp1

That's what I did to create the template the way I wanted it. Then instead of step 1, I choose File > New > Templates and Documents, and pick Labels from my list of templates.

Labtemp2




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Thanks for that. It solves a problem I've had with labels for a long time.

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Having followed this through, however, it doesn't seem to work for me and I'm left with a template which works the same as the one I originally created - pasting in a new address, the first line is formatted, e.g. four spaces in from the edge of the label, but the remaining lines are still right up to the edge.

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