How to Create Return Address Labels to Match Computer Greeting Cards

You can create return address labels using your printer, standard software and address labels designed for your printer. Use them on your holiday greeting cards or to add a personal touch to a letter.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Printers
• Address Labels
• Printer Paper
• Computers
• Greeting Card Software
• Word-processing Software

1. Purchase precut labels at a stationery or office supply store. These labels are usually designed specifically for ink-jet or laser printers, but some are available for dot matrix printers.

2. Check your software program to see if it prints labels. Most word-processing programs print pre-formatted labels; some greeting card and desktop publishing programs do as well.

3. Identify the main theme of your greeting. A Christmas card might have a tree as the central graphic; a birthday card might have cake and candles.

4. If you don't already have the appropriate image on your card, find an image that conveys the theme. (It might be clip art or an image you created.)

5. Open the image in a paint program and resize to fit approximately 1/4 of the label. Make any other additions necessary, such as removing clutter from the image or lightening a too-bright color.

6. Use the same font for the family name on the label as you did for the main (front) greeting on the card. Use the greeting card text font for the body of the address label.

7. Use the same colors in the label as the greeting card. Experiment with shading, lightness or darkness of the color for variety.

8. Print the label following the instructions from the label package or your printer's manual. Before printing in color, print the labels using black-and-white or draft printer settings to check for mistakes.

Tips & Warnings

• Use the same layout to design your regular address labels. Substitute a seasonal graphic or an enlarged monogram for the greeting card clip art.
• Avoid using fancy, difficult-to-read script, or colors that are too light. The recipient and mail carrier need to be able to read the label quickly and easily.