How To Print Envelopes on Microsoft Word – Lesson 4

How To Print Envelopes on Microsoft Word - Lesson 4In our last Word lesson, we added our recipient’s name and address to our letter. If you did the File Explorer lesson you changed the name of your document. Today we are going to expand on that and learn about how to print envelopes.

How To Set Up Envelopes For Printing on Microsoft Word – Lesson 4

First, a hack to retrieve files more easily…

File tab>Open:  Pushpins and Browse

How To Print Envelopes on Microsoft Word

Click on File tab>Open. Assuming you changed the name of your document, the File tab>Open list will still show your document with the old name, even if you changed it. If you click the old name, your computer will tell you the file is missing. Instead, click on the Browse button, and use the Open window to find your document. This works just like File Explorer. Find the Documents folder and your document. Click on it to open the document in Word.

Now that you have opened the document with the new name in Word, you will be able to find it in the File tab>Open list next time. Why not “pin” it to this menu until we finish our lessons? On File tab>Open, find your document and click the pushpin to the right of the name. Now it will always be in that menu. After clicking the Pushpin, click on the Home tab to return to your document.

How To Print Envelopes on Microsoft Word

If you did not do the File Explorer lesson, which I recommend, open your document, then go to File tab>Save As and assign a new name with the date in year first format with a good description, such as “2017.06.30 Practice Letter.” The old document will still be there, too, and you may delete it whenever you’d after saving it with the new name.

How To Edit An Envelope To Print on Microsoft Word

Before we go further, I want to show you the handy envelope shortcut in Word. For this step, you need to have a printer hooked up to your computer. If you don’t have a printer, read through this feature so you may use it when you do have access to a printer.

Usually, when you are mailing a letter, you need an envelope, correct? Word can help you print this envelope easily. As usual, we will start by selecting our range. Select the mailing address by dragging through “Mr. John Brown” and his address, all the way through the zip code. On the Mailings tab, there is a Create section on the far left. The first choice is Envelopes. Once you have Mr. Brown selected, click Mailings tab>Create section>Envelopes, so the Envelope and Labels window will appear.

How To Print Envelopes on Microsoft Word

The first time you use this, the return address section will be blank, but Word will have filled in the Delivery Address with Mr. Brown’s address IF you highlighted it first. If you forgot, click “Cancel” and try again. Whenever you want to exit a window, click Cancel or the “X” in the top right.  Now go to the Return address section and fill in your return address. I’ve taken another screenshot with a little more detail. I’ve circled the Return Address section in red.

How To Print Envelopes on Microsoft Word

How to Pick your Envelope Size To Match Your Printer

Circled in green, is a little graphic of how the envelope will go in your printer in the window. If you look at it carefully, the envelope flap may show, or the stamp may show – in my screenshot, the flap is showing and goes to the right; do you see it?  Mine is also set to go in the center, and it shows you which way you “feed” the envelope to your printer. The very first time you use it, you may need to edit your Print Options.

Most printers have a “Manual Feed” slot. Usually, your printer takes paper from the “Automatic Feed” tray where you load your paper. For unusual paper or envelopes, for example, you put the envelope in the Manual Feed slot.

How To Print Envelopes on Microsoft Word

On my printer, I open a secret compartment and a new feed slot appears.  This slot has a graphic printed right on the plastic, showing how a piece of paper goes in the slot, face down with the bottom going first, circled in yellow. It also has a graphic of the how the envelope goes inside, circled in red.

I have a second printer. One this printer the image is not on the manual feed tray, but it is in the printer’s manual.

How To Print Envelopes on Microsoft Words

The first time you print an envelope, you need to tell Word how your printer prints envelopes. Compare your printer to the graphic in the Envelope and Labels window above. Does it match? Yes? Then you can just skim the next steps and continue to the Print section below.

If you need to change the way Word will print your envelope, click on the Options button, circled in blue on the screenshot. (If neither your printer nor your printer’s manual tells you, you will need to experiment with some envelopes.)

How To Print Envelopes on Microsoft Word

When you click the Options button, the Envelope Options window appears on top of the Envelope and Labels window… just more and more options with each click. Select the Printing Options tab, circled red. Now you can make Word match your printer. You can click on Face Up or Face Down, rotate the envelope clockwise and pick the right alignment to match your printer. Once it is all set, click OK to return to your Envelope and Labels window.

How To Print Envelopes on Microsoft Word

How To Print An Envelope On Word With Your Printer

The last step is to get your paper envelope set in your Manual Feed slot and then click the Print button, circled in yellow. If all goes well, your printer will grab the envelope, print your name and address as the return address and Mr. Brown’s name and address as the recipient.

How To Print Envelopes on Microsoft Word

Did it work? If yes, it’s ready for a stamp. If no, keep trying this until you have it down. Once you’ve got it, save and exit. Word will remember those settings and be ready next time you are rushing out a letter. (That’s why we made a custom document in the beginning of this section!)

Up Next: Word Lesson 3: Cut, Copy, Paste and Format Painter