How to Make Labels from a Mailing List

Mail merge allows you to create personalized labels for each contact in your spreadsheet. Instead of manually typing each address, Label Maker pulls data from Google Sheets and generates a unique label for every row.

What is Mail Merge?

Mail merge is a feature that combines a template with data from a spreadsheet. You create one label design with placeholder fields like <<name>> and <<address>>, and Label Maker replaces those placeholders with actual data from each row in your spreadsheet.

For example, if your spreadsheet has 200 contacts, mail merge will create 200 personalized labels automatically.

Step 1: Prepare Your Spreadsheet

Your Google Sheets spreadsheet should be formatted with column headers in the first row:

• Each column should have a clear header (e.g., "Name", "Address", "City", "State", "ZIP")
• Data should start from row 2
• Avoid empty rows in the middle of your data
• Keep column headers simple—they become your merge field names

Step 2: Connect Your Spreadsheet

In the Label Maker sidebar:

1. Click the Data Source section
2. Click Select Spreadsheet
3. Use the Google Picker to find and select your spreadsheet
4. If your spreadsheet has multiple sheets, select the correct one
5. Label Maker will read your column headers automatically

Step 3: Choose a Label Template

Select your label template as usual:

1. Click the Template dropdown
2. Search for your label format (e.g., "Avery 5160")
3. Click to select the template

Step 4: Design Your Label with Merge Fields

Now comes the key part—adding merge fields to your label:

1. Click inside a label cell in your document
2. In the Label Maker sidebar, you'll see a list of available merge fields (based on your spreadsheet columns)
3. Click a merge field to insert it at your cursor position
4. Or manually type merge fields using the format: <<ColumnName>>

Example Label Design

A typical address label might look like this:

<<Name>>
<<Address>>
<<City>>, <<State>> <<ZIP>>

When merged, this becomes:

John Smith
123 Main Street
Springfield, IL 62701

Formatting Merge Fields

• You can format merge fields like regular text (bold, italic, font size)
• Add line breaks between fields for multi-line labels
• Include static text that appears on every label
• Combine multiple fields on the same line with commas or spaces

Step 5: Create Your Merged Labels

Once your design is ready:

1. Click the Create Labels button
2. Label Maker will process each row in your spreadsheet
3. A new document will be created with all your personalized labels
4. Review the output to ensure all data merged correctly

Step 6: Preview and Print

Before printing your labels:

1. Scroll through the generated document to verify data
2. Check that all merge fields were replaced with actual values
3. Look for any formatting issues or overflow text
4. Print a test page on regular paper
5. Hold the test against your label sheet to check alignment
6. Set margins to None in print settings

Troubleshooting

Merge fields not being replaced

• Check that your merge field names exactly match your column headers
• Merge fields are case-sensitive: <<Name>> is different from <<name>>
• Make sure there are no extra spaces in your column headers

Missing data in labels

• Check for empty cells in your spreadsheet
• Ensure your data starts from row 2 (row 1 should be headers)
• Verify you selected the correct sheet if your spreadsheet has multiple tabs

Text overflowing label boundaries

• Reduce font size for longer addresses
• Choose a larger label template
• Abbreviate state names (CA instead of California)