Changing Word Envelope Layouts

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Changing the envelope layout

Envelope layouts provide hours of fun, if you don't know their secrets. The most important thing to note is that you can only have one envelope size for a given template. If you use different envelope sizes for different document types, then you will need different templates to hold the settings. If the envelope settings have not been changed for a given document template, the default settings are those in the standard Normal template.

There are three things you can change:

1. The envelope size - this is selected in the envelope/label wizard from the 'Options' button.

2. The envelope address position and format - these are fixed by the Envelope Address paragraph style. Note the Envelope Address style incorporates a frame - by default this has fixed height and width, but this can be changed.

3. The envelope return address position and format - these are fixed by the Envelope Return paragraph style. See Alternative Return Addresses for a means of expanding the use of return addresses on envelopes.

Note:

The Envelope Address paragraph style, by default, is based on the Normal paragraph style. In Word 2007, the Normal style has 10 points of added spacing which can give the envelope addresses the appearance of double spacing. The default Envelope Address style takes account of this, but, for example where upgrades from earlier Word versions are involved, the Envelope Address style may not take account of the spacing.

This is easily addressed either by using the Word 2003 style set (see illustration below) in which the Normal style has no added spacing, or by modifying the Envelope Address paragraph style to remove the spacing.

Getting started
 

The principles involved are the same for all recent Word versions. The menu layouts may however be slightly different from those illustrated here. Where there are important differences I have added illustrations.

Start by putting a dummy address on a document. This is purely as an aid to layout and will be discarded later. The content is thus immaterial.

Word 2002/3
 

From the tools menu (or the envelope/label button on the standard toolbar) select the envelope/label wizard:

Word 2007

 

The envelope dialog is accessed from the Envelopes tool on the mailings tab of the ribbon.

 

Use the tool to add an envelope to the document (if the default envelope size is not what you require, select the required envelope size from the wizard 'Options').

Word 2002/3

Word 2007

 

Click on the address and the frame will come into view, as above. Note that the frame size is fixed. This should be sufficient for any normal address, but you may prefer to allow the frame to expand to accommodate large addresses. Note that if you do so, there is a danger that the address can run off the page. Right click the border of the frame and select 'Format Frame'.

Word 2002/3

Word 2007

 

Set the frame height to 'Auto'.

The text is subject to the same formatting controls as any other document text. Format the font etc. as required - in the example I have changed this to Times New Roman 14 point italic.

Update the styles

Word 2002/3

 

When you have the layout you require, the next step is to make the changes in the underlying document template, so that they will be available for the next envelope you create.

Ensure that Word's Tools > Options > Edit > Prompt to update style checkbox is selected.

Word 2007
  In Word 2007, this option is accessed by clicking the 'Pizza' button (Office button)  and selecting Word options.

 

Word 2002/3
 

Next click the cursor in the address you have modified and from the styles palette on the formatting toolbar re-apply the Envelope Address style. The point of the previous modification to tools > options is to force Word to make you, the user, make a decision about what happens next with the following dialog box. .

  Check the 'update' box as indicated

 

This will write the changes to the paragraph style for that document. What you now need to do is write the changes to the template. The simplest plan is ensure the add to template box is checked for the paragraph style:

Word 2007
 

With Word 2007 the process is a little more tortuous. Click the arrow where indicated below (Home tab on the ribbon) to open the styles dialog.

 

 

This applies the new style to the current envelope only. To apply it to all future envelopes from the current template, you need to repeat the process in the above section, but this time select 'Modify' at the apply styles dialog

 

This produces the following dialong in which you can check the button to add the style updates to the template.

Word 2002/3

 

In the earlier Word versions life is a little more straightforward. You can access the styles task pane and re-apply the original Envelope Address style to your newly formatted address frame. The rest of the process is essentially the same. However to access the 'Modify' style dialog, right click the Envelope Address style in the task pane and select 'Modify Style'

 

Check the add to template box and 'OK'  out of the dialog. When you close Word, you will be prompted to save normal.dot (or rather you should be if you have the appropriate option checked in tools > options > save > prompt to save normal.dot. As it is always a good idea to keep control of what gets saved in the normal template, this option should be checked as a matter of course.

Word 2007

 

In Word 2007 this option is again provided from Word Options. Click the 'Pizza' button.

 

And thus when you respond in the affirmative to the following prompt, the changes will be saved for posterity.

or in Word 2007

Envelope return address
 

If you have survived so far, the envelope return address changes should hold no fears - the only difference is that the style does not employ a frame and thus positional changes are made by indents and spacing as part of the style format. However, the facility to use Alternative Return Addresses  adds so significantly to the use of return addresses that you will probably prefer to do things this way instead.

Window Envelopes
 

Window envelopes have nothing to do with any of what has gone before, but for the sake of completeness the following shows how to set up a template to use window envelopes.

Start by taking a window envelope, remove any cellophane from the window and insert a blank page that would be used for your letter, folder to fit the envelope. Insert the folded page into the envelope so that the top left side of what would be the letter will appear in the window of the envelope.

Take a pencil and draw around the window onto the folder paper inside.

 

Remove the paper from the envelope and unfold to reveal the pencil marks. Measure the distances from the edge of the paper.

 

Print out a letter with the addressee information at the top and use a ruler to establish whether the address would fit within the rectangle. Adjust the margins and indents or paragraph spacing to accommodate any mis-match.

Custom Envelopes

 

Word can only print what the active printer driver will allow, and as many drivers are poor when it comes to custom paper sizes, Word will tend to substitute a standard paper size that the driver can print. This can prove a problem when printing non-standard envelopes, e.g. for greetings cards (and unusual sized documents generally).

The simplest workaround is to create an envelope template for such envelopes. As Word has no idea whatsoever what size paper you are going to run through your printer, you can start by setting up the page layout to any standard size that you wish that is larger than the document/envelope that you wish to print. The most obvious size to use is your standard page size of A4 or US Letter.

Establish whether the printer guides, when adjusted for your narrower document, are set for centre or side feed and attach the envelope to a blank piece of paper either at top centre or top left (right feed). Tip: If centre feed, fold the narrow edge of the paper and the top edge of the envelope in two and nip the edges to mark the centres. Superimpose envelope over paper so that the nip marks coincide,  

 

 

You should end up with something like the image above. Take a note of the two measurements (in the case of the centre feed printer - the measurement at the left side of the envelope will be the same as that at the right.)

Open a blank document based on the normal template and add the measurements to the page margins. The page setup dialogs are similar for Word 2007 and earlier versions so I have shown that from 2007 below.

 

This will almost certainly produce the following error message as most drivers cannot print to the edge of the page. Click Fix to correct the errors.

 

 

Note:

If you would prefer to use a document template to produce envelopes, samples in #10 size are available from the downloads page for you to use or adapt.