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How to Print on an Envelope Easily: 2 Best Methods to Know

Do you need to write down mailing addresses on a lot of envelopes as a part of your business operations? Are you willing to automate the task by printing envelopes?

You can effortlessly print return and delivery addresses on envelopes using popular word processing apps like Microsoft Word and Google Docs. Read on to learn how to print on an envelope.

An illustrative image showing a printer and a paper

How to Print on an Envelope: Microsoft Word

Word is the pioneering tool to offer automatic printing of envelopes from computers. Currently, the desktop app only supports the printing of envelopes. Here are the steps to try:

  • Open a Blank document in the Word app.
  • You’ll see the Mailings tab on the ribbon menu. Select that tab.
  • In the Create section of the Mailings tab, you’ll find Envelopes and Labels.
  • Click on Envelopes to open the Envelopes and Labels dialog box.
  • Inside the new window, ensure you’ve selected the Envelopes tab.
  • Now, click on Preview to open the Envelope Options dialog box.
  • Choose envelope size, delivery address font, return address font, left alignment, and top alignment.
  • The Printing Options tab of the same screen lets you adjust the feed method, page rotation, and the feed tray.
  • Press Ok to apply the changes.
  • Write the delivery and return addresses in their dedicated fields.
  • Click on Add to Document.
  • You can also save the addresses for future use.
  • You can now print the envelope by pressing Ctrl+P.

Screenshot showing how to print on an envelope

How to Print on an Envelope: Google Docs

The Word app is a paid software, and hence if you don’t have a subscription to Office 365, you won’t have access to it. In this scenario, Google Docs seems to be the appropriate choice since it’s a completely free web app of Google Workspace.

On Google Docs, however, there is no direct approach for printing envelopes. You’ll need to get a Gmail add-on for this task. To print a postal envelope using this tool, you can try these steps:

  • Open Google Docs and click on the Extensions menu on the top navigation pane.
  • Hover the cursor over Add-ons and then click on Get add-ons.
  • Type Envelope in the Search apps box.
  • Select Mail Merge by Quicklution from the search result.
  • Follow Google’s on-screen guidance to add the extension to Docs.
  • Once installed, go to the Extensions menu again.
  • In the Add-ons section, you’ll find Mail Merge.
  • Click on that to find the Envelopes option.
  • Select Envelopes and set the size according to your envelope.
  • The Google Docs writing space will adjust accordingly and you can now enter addresses.
  • Print the envelope by pressing Ctrl+P.

The add-on will get the job done. However, it’s a premium tool and only comes with a limited trial period and services if you use it for free. During the free trial period, you may not be able to install the tool from the same Google account once you uninstall it. So, this is a good app for printing envelopes for a short period of time for free.

Final Words

Whether you’re using Google Docs or Microsoft Word, there’s no one stopping you from printing professional envelopes easily and affordably for business or home needs. Just follow the steps mentioned above and get started.

If you’re a Linux user and want to know how to print on an envelope, you can run Microsoft word on Linux and follow the same steps mentioned in this tutorial.