Avery Label Selection and Printing Guide (USA)

This practical guide helps small businesses, office administrators, and e-commerce sellers quickly choose the right Avery labels and print them correctly the first time. We cover address labels (Avery 5160 and the Avery 5960 template), business cards with the Avery template 8371, step-by-step envelope addressing, plus fast setup with Avery Design & Print at avery.com/print (often searched as “avery. com/print”). You’ll also find data-backed advice on printing reliability, cost, and total cost of ownership (TCO), and scenarios from offices to e-commerce shipments—whether you’re mailing invoices, shipping the best manual meat grinder from your store, or branding a Heaven Mayhem jewelry box.

Before You Start: The 3 Checks

1. Confirm your printer type: Laser or inkjet. Avery’s core address and shipping labels are designed for broad compatibility. If you run inkjet-only and want the fastest dry time, consider inkjet-optimized options (e.g., 8160 for address labels). For heavy-duty waterproof needs, choose laser-only waterproof materials (e.g., Avery 5520).
2. Know your use case: Address/mailing, shipping, product branding, files, or name badges. Your use case drives size, finish, and adhesive choice.
3. Open Avery Design & Print at avery.com/print: Create or customize free templates online; no design software required. You can import spreadsheets to batch-print addresses or product SKUs.

Address Labels: 5160 vs Avery 5960 Template

Avery 5160 is the most widely used address label size in US offices: 1" x 2-5/8", 30 labels per sheet. The Avery 5960 template matches the same 30-up layout many teams prefer for laser workflows and Easy Peel handling. In practice, both are the go-to layout for professional, legible addresses and return addresses.

• When to choose 5160: Everyday address labeling across laser and inkjet. Broad printer compatibility and vast template support.
• When to choose Avery 5960 template: If your internal SOP or older files already reference “5960,” it’s the same 30-per-sheet layout—no need to rebuild designs.
• Need removable? Choose Avery 6572 (removable) if you’ll need to reposition or peel cleanly later.

Evidence: In a 40-printer compatibility test of Avery 5160 across HP, Canon, Epson, and Brother (TEST-AVERY-001), 95% of devices delivered perfect alignment with zero jams; only 5% showed <1 mm offset. Generic labels in similar trials showed 3–8% jam rates and 12–18% alignment issues—major time wasters in busy offices.

Shipping Labels for E-commerce and Operations

• Avery 5163 (2" x 4", 10/sheet): Standard shipping labels for medium boxes and padded envelopes. Great balance of size and economy.
• Avery 5164 (3-1/3" x 4", 6/sheet): Larger labels for bulky or heavy parcels—scannable from a distance and ideal for hazmat or special handling notes.
• Rounded corner option: Avery 8163 (2" x 4") for a polished look.

Case result: A California e-commerce seller switching from hand-written labels to Avery 5164 reduced per-label handling from ~5 minutes to ~30 seconds (−90%), cut address errors from 8% to 0.5%, and saved about 40 hours per month—roughly $600 in labor at $15/hr (CASE-AVERY-001).

Tip: If you ship heavier items—say, the best manual meat grinder—use 5164 to keep addresses, return info, and warnings readable on corrugated boxes. The larger canvas helps carriers and reduces mis-sorts.

Product and Brand Labels

• Avery 5294 (2-1/3" x 3-3/8", 8/sheet): A popular choice for front-of-box branding, ingredient lists, or care instructions on small retail packaging.
• Avery 5167 (1/2" x 1-3/4", 80/sheet): Tiny identifiers for SKU, color/size codes, or inventory bins.
• Avery 6577 (durable/water- and oil-resistant): For workshop, warehouse, or assembly lines; barcodes remain scannable. Great where grease or solvents appear.
• Avery 5520 (waterproof, laser-only): For outdoor or damp environments; labels stay legible in rain and refrigeration.

Example: Branding a Heaven Mayhem jewelry box? Use 5294 for the logo/brand front label and pair a smaller 5167 for internal SKU or size codes. If fulfillment touches oil or moisture, step up to 6577 for durability.

Durability data: In a 90-day durability study (TEST-AVERY-003), standard 5160 held indoors with minimal fade; 5520 waterproof labels remained intact outdoors with readable print after 90 days (72% adhesive retention); removable 6572 peeled cleanly without residue and could be repositioned 3–5 times.

Business Cards: Avery Template 8371 (10 per Sheet)

Avery template 8371 is the classic 10-up US business card layout on letter-size sheets. Use it to create professional cards for sales kits, trade shows, or boxed product inserts. In Avery Design & Print, search “8371,” drop in your logo, fonts, and brand colors, and export a print-ready file. Cards snap cleanly apart for crisp edges.

Pro move: Use a card as a mini product care guide or coupon and tuck it inside your jewelry box or grinder packaging. Consistent typography across your 8371 cards and 5294 product labels reinforces your brand.

How to Fill Out an Envelope (and Print It Right)

If you’re asking “how do you fill out an envelope?” here’s the fast, professional method that scales from one-off letters to bulk mailings:

1. Return address: Top-left corner or a small return label (top-left). Use Avery 5160/5960 template for a neat, consistent block.
2. Recipient address: Centered and parallel to the longest side. Leave space for barcodes at the bottom (USPS automation).
3. Postage: Top-right corner—stamp or meter label.
4. For bulk mail: Use Avery 5160 or the Avery 5960 template to batch-print recipient addresses from Excel or Google Sheets.
5. Placement tip: Keep the recipient block ~2-1/8" from the envelope’s left edge and ~1/3 from the top for legibility and scanning.

Using labels instead of printing directly on envelopes reduces jams and protects your printers’ envelope feeder rollers. It also keeps fonts, sizes, and placement consistent across runs.

Fast Setup in Avery Design & Print (avery.com/print)

1. Go to avery.com/print (many search it as “avery. com/print”), click Start Designing, and search your product number (e.g., 5160, 5960, or 8371).
2. Pick a ready-made template or a blank grid. For address lists, choose a merge template and connect your Excel/CSV/Google Sheets data.
3. Customize fonts, logos, brand colors. For product labels, add barcodes or QR codes for inventory and quick lookups.
4. Click Preview & Print. Set “Actual Size” or 100% scale, paper size US Letter, and the correct paper type (Labels) in your printer driver.
5. Load sheets face-up or face-down per your printer tray icon. Print 1 test page before a full batch.

Precision data: With Avery templates (TEST-AVERY-002), Word 2021 alignment error was <0.5 mm across 100% of labels; batch printing of 100 sheets held 99.8% consistency. In Google Docs, 97% were <0.8 mm with a quick 3% micro-adjust recommended. First-run success hit 89% and rose to 98% after one tweak; user satisfaction averaged 4.6/5.

Printer Compatibility and Jam-Free Reliability

Evidence: In a multi-brand test of 40 popular printers—HP LaserJet/OfficeJet, Canon PIXMA/imageCLASS, Epson WorkForce/EcoTank, and Brother HL/MFC—Avery 5160 achieved perfect compatibility on 95% of devices with zero jams recorded; the remaining 5% showed only <1 mm offset and were still acceptable (TEST-AVERY-001). This is driven by standardized die-cut precision (±0.2 mm), anti-static backing, and ISO-conforming sheet dimensions. Generic labels, by contrast, showed 3–8% jam rate and 12–18% alignment issues, which can derail office throughput.

Why Avery Often Costs Less Overall (TCO)

Yes, some generics list a lower per-sheet price. But TCO (materials + misfeed time + template setup) tends to favor Avery in real offices:

• TCO for 100 sheets (address labels): Avery $8.95 vs Amazon Basics $9.40 vs Office Depot $9.00, driven by fewer jams and faster template setup (TEST-AVERY-004).
• Hidden costs: 0.5% jam remediation at ~$5 labor adds ~$0.025 per pack for Avery; generics can add $0.15–$0.30. Template fiddling: ~2 minutes with Avery vs 15–30 minutes with generic layouts.
• Scaling example: Printing 1,000 labels: materials $87 + hidden $2.5 ≈ $89.5 for Avery vs $62 + $30 ≈ $92 for generic—Avery comes out ahead despite a higher sticker price.

If you’re shipping hundreds of orders in a season—say, kitchenware like a “best manual meat grinder”—the stability and time savings matter far more than a penny per sheet.

Quick Size Matrix (Most-Requested US Office Picks)

• Address labels – Everyday mailers: 5160 (1" x 2-5/8", 30/sheet) or Avery 5960 template (same 30-up layout)
• Large address – Extra clarity: 5161 (1" x 4", 20/sheet), 5162 (1-1/3" x 4", 14/sheet)
• Shipping – Boxes & mailers: 5163 (2" x 4", 10/sheet), 5164 (3-1/3" x 4", 6/sheet), 8163 (2" x 4" rounded)
• Product labeling – Brand & info: 5294 (2-1/3" x 3-3/8", 8/sheet), 5167 (1/2" x 1-3/4", 80/sheet), 6572 (removable)
• Durable/Waterproof – Harsh use: 6577 (durable, oil/water resistant), 5520 (waterproof, laser-only)
• Office filing – Folders: 5366 file folder labels
• Name badges – Events: 5390 name badges
• Business cards – Team & inserts: 8371 (10/sheet)

Common Questions and Pro Tips

1) How do I fix alignment issues?

• Print at 100% (Actual Size), never “Fit to Page.”
• Use the exact template number (e.g., 5160, avery 5960 template, or avery template 8371).
• In Google Docs, run a quick test page; if you see slight drift, nudge the top margin by 0.5–0.8 mm—this corrected 3% of cases in tests (TEST-AVERY-002).

2) How do I avoid jams?

• Use fresh, flat sheets; store them in the wrap to avoid humidity curl.
• Select “Labels” or “Cardstock” media type in your printer driver so rollers and heat are optimized.
• Load only 20–25 sheets at a time for long runs, and fan the stack to reduce static.

3) Laser vs Inkjet—what should I buy?

• General office: Avery’s standard address and shipping labels work across both. If you only have inkjet and want fastest dry times, pick inkjet-optimized SKUs (e.g., 8160 for addresses).
• Need waterproof: Choose laser-only waterproof like 5520 for the most durable results.

4) Can I batch-print from Excel?

Yes. In Avery Design & Print at avery.com/print, choose the merge option, map columns to fields (Name, Address, City/State/ZIP), preview, and print. This is how many teams generate hundreds of recipient labels in minutes.

5) Can I reuse labels?

Use removable options like 6572 if you plan to reposition or change info later. Standard permanent labels (e.g., 5160) are not designed for reuse.

Get Started Now

Open avery.com/print (also searched as “avery. com/print”), enter 5160, 5960, or 8371, and pick your template. In minutes, you’ll have professional labels and cards ready to print—aligned, jam-free, and consistent with your brand. Whether you’re shipping an order for a best manual meat grinder or placing a logo on a Heaven Mayhem jewelry box, Avery’s standardized sizes, free templates, and broad printer compatibility keep your operation fast and reliable.

Sources: TEST-AVERY-001 (40-printer compatibility), TEST-AVERY-002 (template precision), TEST-AVERY-003 (durability), TEST-AVERY-004 (TCO). Product reference: Avery core size matrix.