Printing guide
How to print on envelopes
Printing on an envelope goes wrong in two ways. The envelope goes in the wrong way round, so the address lands on the back, upside down or across the flap. Or the printer is still set for a sheet of paper, so the address comes out where a letter’s first lines would be, or off the edge. One test with a sheet of paper settles the first, the envelope size setting settles the second, and the rest is where the address goes and how to write it.
First, find out which way your printer takes envelopes
- Look for the envelope picture on the paper tray, on the rear or manual feed slot, or in the printer’s manual. It shows which side faces up, which edge goes in first and whether the flap is open or closed. Many printers take envelopes in a rear or manual feed slot, often one at a time.
- Not sure? Test with paper. Draw an arrow on a plain sheet, on the side facing up and pointing into the printer, load it where the envelope would go and print the envelope on it. Whether the address lands on the marked side, and at which end, tells you how to load the envelope.
- In the printer’s settings, set the paper size to the envelope — Envelope #10, Envelope DL, C5 and so on — so the page is placed on the envelope, and the paper type to Envelope if there is one, which many printers use to adjust how they feed and print. If your envelope is not listed, make a custom paper size with its measurements.
Print envelopes from Word
One envelope at a time; a whole list is the next section.
- Go to Mailings > Envelopes.
- Type the Delivery address. To change its font, select it, right-click and choose Font.
- Type the Return address, or tick Omit to leave it off. Word fills it in for you once your address is saved under File > Options > Advanced, in the Mailing address box.
- Select Options. On the Envelope Options tab, choose the Envelope size (Size 10, DL, C5, C6 and others; Custom size is at the bottom of the list).
- On the Printing Options tab, the Feed method picture shows how to put the envelope in: face up or face down, which edge first. Load it that way and select OK.
- Select Print, or Add to Document to keep the envelope with the letter as its first page.
Microsoft’s own advice is to print a test envelope first and change the Printing Options until it comes out right. Word for Mac has Mailings > Envelopes too.
Many envelopes from a list
In Word this is a mail merge. Go to Mailings > Start Mail Merge > Envelopes and choose the size, then Select Recipients > Use an Existing List and open the Excel file — a header row naming the columns, one row per address. Click where the address goes, insert an Address Block, check a few with Preview Results, and finish with Finish & Merge > Print Documents.
Without Word, paste the list into the envelope address printer: a blank line between addresses, or rows copied from a spreadsheet. It makes one PDF page per envelope at the envelope’s own size, says which addresses are too long for the envelope, and keeps the list in your browser. Rather stick labels on? The same list goes on an address label sheet in the label sheet generator, and printing labels in Word has its own guide.
An envelope from a PDF
Open the PDF in Acrobat Reader and, in the print dialog, choose Actual size, never Fit: a shrunk page moves the address towards the corner. Set the paper size to the envelope in the printer’s Properties, or tick Choose paper source by PDF page size, and leave Orientation on Auto portrait/landscape so Acrobat can turn the wide envelope page to match how the printer describes the envelope. Print the first one on paper, as above, before you use an envelope. A browser’s own PDF viewer works too, as long as its scale is 100% — the actual size guide shows where that setting is in each one.
Where the address goes
A DL envelope, 220 × 110 mm, to scale. The dashed area is where the address must sit for the post to read it.
The address goes on the front, parallel to the long side, a little right of centre and below the middle. The return address goes in the top left corner and the stamp in the top right, so neither gets in the way of the sorting machines, which read the lower part of the envelope.
- The international standard of the Universal Postal Union puts the address at least 15 mm from the right and bottom edges, at least 40 mm from the top and no more than 140 mm from the right edge, with nothing else printed beside or below it. Deutsche Post asks for the same 15 mm and 40 mm.
- In the United States, USPS machines read the address inside an area ½ in from the left and right edges and between ⅝ in and 2¾ in up from the bottom edge (Domestic Mail Manual 202.2.1).
- Window envelopes need no printing: the address goes on the letter, where the window falls when it is folded.
How to write the address
Line up every line on the left, in one font and size, with no blank lines. The order changes from country to country.
United States
Jane Example1200 Main St Apt 4Springfield IL 62704
City, state abbreviation and ZIP Code on the last line. USPS asks for no commas or periods, and a PO Box or a street address, not both.
United Kingdom
Jane Example12 Mill LaneYORKYO1 7HH
The post town in capitals, as Royal Mail’s own example writes it, and the postcode last, on a line of its own: capitals, a space between its two parts, no punctuation.
Germany
Jana BeispielMusterstraße 1210115 Berlin
The house number after the street, the five-digit postcode before the town, and no “D-” in front of the postcode.
To another country, write the address the way that country does and add the country’s name on the last line, in capitals — in the language of the country you are posting from, or one known internationally, such as English. From abroad, the town goes in capitals too: 10115 BERLIN, with GERMANY on the line below.
Common envelope sizes
The size to choose in Word or in the printer’s settings, and what each envelope takes. The envelope finder works it out for any paper and fold.
| Envelope | Size | Takes |
|---|---|---|
| US #10 | 4⅛ × 9½ in (104.8 × 241.3 mm) | US Letter folded into thirds |
| US A7 | 5¼ × 7¼ in (133.3 × 184.2 mm) | 5 × 7 in cards and invitations |
| US A2 | 4⅜ × 5¾ in (111.1 × 146.1 mm) | Letter folded into quarters (4.25 × 5.5 in cards) |
| DL | 110 × 220 mm (4⅓ × 8⅔ in) | A4 folded into thirds |
| C5 | 162 × 229 mm (6⅜ × 9 in) | A4 folded once or unfolded A5 |
| C6 | 114 × 162 mm (4½ × 6⅜ in) | A4 folded twice or unfolded A6 |
If it goes wrong
- The address is on the back, upside down or across the flap
- The envelope went in the wrong way round. Do the paper test above and load it the way it shows.
- The address is in the wrong place or cut off
- The paper size is still a sheet of paper, or the print is scaled to fit. Set the envelope as the paper size and print at actual size.
- The ink smudges
- Let inkjet envelopes dry before you stack them, and set the paper type to Envelope. Glossy or coated envelopes hold inkjet ink badly; plain paper envelopes are the safe choice.
- Envelopes crease, jam or come out with the flap stuck down
- Feed them one at a time from the rear or manual slot, flatten curled ones first, and in a laser printer use envelopes made for laser printers; some lasers have envelope levers at the back that reduce the pressure.
Frequently asked questions
Which way does an envelope go into the printer?
It depends on the printer, which is why there is no single answer. Look for the envelope picture on the tray or in the manual, or in Word under Mailings > Envelopes > Options > Printing Options, which shows the side that faces up and the edge that goes in first. If you are not sure, mark a sheet of paper with an arrow, load it the way you would load the envelope and print on it: where the address lands tells you.
How do I print envelopes from an Excel list?
In Word, use a mail merge: Mailings > Start Mail Merge > Envelopes, choose the size, then Select Recipients > Use an Existing List and open the Excel file. Insert an Address Block where the address goes, check with Preview Results and finish with Finish & Merge > Print Documents. Or paste the list into the envelope address printer here, which makes a PDF with one envelope per page.
What size is a #10 envelope?
A US #10 envelope is 4⅛ × 9½ in (104.8 × 241.3 mm) and takes a US Letter sheet folded in thirds. In a printer’s settings it is usually listed as Envelope #10 or Envelope No. 10.
What size is a DL envelope?
A DL envelope is 110 × 220 mm and takes an A4 sheet folded in thirds. It is the usual business envelope in Europe, listed in printer settings as Envelope DL.
Why does the address print in the wrong place on the envelope?
Usually because the printer is still set for a sheet of paper: set the paper size to the envelope, so the page is placed on the envelope rather than where a letter’s text would go, and print at actual size, not fit to page. If the address comes out on the back or upside down, the envelope went in the wrong way round.
Can I print envelopes on a laser printer?
Yes, with envelopes made for laser printers: the heat that fixes the toner can wrinkle other envelopes or seal the flap. Feed them one at a time from the rear or manual slot, which gives them the straightest path, and check the manual for envelope levers at the back, which some printers have to reduce the pressure.