Troubleshoot envelopes and labels

• On the Tools menu, point to Letters and Mailings. The Envelopes and Labels command appears on the submenu.

Try the following solutions:

• Switch to another printing tray option. In the Print dialog box, click Options, and then select the option you want in the Default tray list.
• Check that you have installed the most current version of the printer driver. If you have access to the Internet, you can go to the printer manufacturer's home page and look for an updated version of the driver.
• Check that you have selected the correct feed method for your envelopes.
  1. On the Tools menu, point to Letters and Mailings, and then click Envelopes and Labels.
  2. Click the Envelopes tab.
  3. Click Options, and then click the Printing Options tab.
  4. In the Feed from box, click the name of the tray you want.

Word might display an incorrect envelope feed method for some printer drivers. After you've checked the documentation that came with your printer and know the correct feed method for your printer, you can follow these steps to select the proper orientation in Word:

1. Check that you have installed the most current version of the printer driver.

   If you have access to the Internet, you can go to the printer manufacturer's home page and look for an updated version of the printer driver for the printer you're using. If necessary, you can download and install the driver, and then restart Word.

2. On the Tools menu, point to Letters and Mailings, and then click Envelopes and Labels.
3. Click the Envelopes tab.
4. Click Options.
5. Click the Printing Options tab.
6. Under Feed method, click the orientation that is supported by your printer.

Note  If the envelope feed method is still incorrect, try to reverse the proposed direction of an envelope when you insert it in the printer (some printers don't support this option). To do this, repeat steps 2 through 6, and then select the Clockwise rotation check box.

Try the following solutions:

• If the Delivery point bar code option isn't available for mailing labels, the bar code might be too wide to fit on the mailing label size you selected. You can either select a larger label size or manually add a bar code field. Note that if you add a bar code field, you might have to modify the mailing label layout and formatting to fit the entire bar code on the label.

  How do I add a bar code field?

  1. On the Insert menu, click Field.
  2. In the Field dialog box, click BarCode.
  3. In the Bookmark name box, select the zip code bookmark.
  4. Select the POSTNET bar code check box.
  5. To indicate that the bar code is for a U. S. address, select the Bar code is US zip code check box, and type the desired zip code.
• Because the FIM-A courtesy reply mail option isn't available for mailing labels, you can instead manually add a bar code field.

  How?

  1. On the Insert menu, click Field.
  2. In the Field dialog box, click BarCode.
  3. In the Bookmark name box, select the zip code bookmark.
  4. Select the POSTNET bar code check box.
  5. Select the Facing ID Mark (FIM) check box, and type the desired FIM code (A or C).
  6. To indicate that the bar code is for a U. S. address, select the Bar code is US zip code check box, and type the desired zip code.
• If both the Delivery point bar code and FIM-A courtesy reply mail options aren't available, you might have enabled an editing language other than English and typed text in that language, so that Word recognizes the address as a non-U.S. address. The POSTNET bar code and FIM-A code options are available in the U.S. English version of Microsoft Word for U.S. addresses.

POSTNET codes are intended to be read by the U.S. Postal Service's automated mail-handling equipment, and they cannot be resized. In the Label Options dialog box, be sure to select a label size that accommodates the postal bar code.

In order to add electronic postage to your envelopes, you must first purchase electronic postage software and install it according to the provider's instructions.

For more information about electronic postage programs, visit the Microsoft Office Online Web site.

When you open the Envelopes and Labels dialog box, Word populates these address boxes with text that has certain address characteristics, for example, left-aligned text that only includes a few words in a three-to-five paragraph group. If Word doesn't find text that it recognizes as an address, it may display unexpected information or leave these boxes blank.

Try any of the following:

• Place each address element on a single line, and press ENTER between each line (do not press SHIFT+ENTER to start a new line).
• Make sure addresses are left-aligned.
• Don't add formatting between paragraphs.

Changing the formatting of an address from within the Envelopes and Labels dialog box does not permanently change the formatting. To do that, you must modify the Envelope Address or Envelope Return style.

How?