Avery 5160 vs 8160 vs 5260 vs 18160: same size, different printers

Avery 5160, 8160, 5260 and 18160 are the same label: 1" × 2-5/8", 30 per US Letter sheet, in the same 3-across by 10-down layout. The numbers differ by printer type and pack size, not by size. On avery.com, 5160 and 5260 are listed for laser printers, 8160 for inkjet, and 18160 for both, and all four print from the 5160 template.

Quick answer

• Same size and layout: all four are 1" × 2-5/8", 30 labels per 8.5" × 11" sheet.
• Printer type: 5160 and 5260 are laser, 8160 is inkjet, 18160 is laser/inkjet.
• Template: choose 5160 in Word. Avery lists 5260, 8160 and 18160 as compatible with the 5160 template.
• Blank sheets: any 30-up 1" × 2-5/8" sheet with the same margins and pitch prints from that template. Match the material to your printer.

What the four numbers have in common

Each product page on avery.com describes a white rectangular address label, 1" × 2-5/8", 30 to a sheet. All four are listed with the same feature set:

• Easy Peel with a Pop-up Edge. Bend the sheet back and the label edges lift.
• Sure Feed. Avery's name for a sheet construction meant to feed more reliably.
• Permanent adhesive.

So if you have a document set up for one of them, it prints on any of the others without changes. Avery's own help page for this size says the products that share it use the same template, the 5160.

What actually differs

Pack counts are from each product's page on avery.com on the review date above. The sheet counts are our arithmetic from those totals.

Read as a pattern:

• 5160 vs 5260: both laser, same label. The listed difference is pack size, 3,000 labels against 750.
• 5160 vs 8160: same label and layout. 5160 is listed for laser printers, 8160 for inkjet.
• 18160: the same label listed for both laser and inkjet, in a 300-label pack.

Why laser vs inkjet matters

The two printer types put the image on the sheet differently. An inkjet sprays liquid ink that has to dry on the surface. A laser printer fuses powdered toner with heat. Label facestocks are made with one process or the other in mind, and Avery's printing guide ties smearing to using the wrong label type for the printer.

The practical rule: buy the number, or the blank material, that names your printer type. If a sheet is rated for both, it works in either.

Which template to choose in Word

In Microsoft Word, Avery's instructions are:

1. Open a blank document and go to Mailings, then Labels.
2. Click Options.
3. Set Label vendors to Avery US Letter.
4. Scroll to your product number, select it, and click OK.
5. Click New Document to get a full sheet of label cells.

If the grid does not show, turn on View Gridlines under Layout.

Which number to pick: choose 5160. Avery's template page for 5160 lists 5260, 8160 and 18160 among the compatible product numbers, and Avery's template page for 8160 lists 5160, 5260 and 18160 in return. If your exact number is in Word's list, selecting it gives the same grid.

To see the grid measurements Word is using, select the product number and click Details. That dialog shows the margins, pitch and label size, and it is the quickest way to compare a template against a sheet you are holding.

Google Docs

Google Docs is less direct. Avery's help center says its Avery Label Merge add-on is no longer available in the Google Workspace store, and that third-party add-ons with similar names are not made or supported by Avery. Avery points Google users to its Design & Print Online tool, which can connect to Google Drive and merge addresses from Google Sheets onto the 5160 layout.

The other route is a downloadable template file. A PDF or Word template for the layout gives you the cell outlines without any add-on, as long as you print it at actual size.

Why a blank 30-up sheet works with the same template

A template is only a grid: where the first label starts and how far apart the labels repeat. It does not know what brand of sheet is in the tray. Any US Letter sheet with 30 labels, 1" × 2-5/8", cut to the same margins and pitch lands in the same cells.

That is why blank sheet labels cut to this layout work with the 5160 template. What you still have to choose is the material: plain white matte, gloss, clear, weatherproof, removable adhesive and so on, each rated for laser, inkjet or both. Our guide to choosing a label material covers those options.

"Compatible with" is the accurate phrase. Labels Boss sheets are third-party labels and Labels Boss is not affiliated with Avery Products Corporation.

Layout geometry: margins and pitch

Two terms do most of the work:

• Margin is the distance from the edge of the sheet to the first label.
• Pitch is the distance from the start of one label to the start of the next. Horizontal pitch is label width plus the gap between columns. Vertical pitch is label height plus the gap between rows.

The arithmetic for this layout is tight. Three labels at 2.625" wide take up 7.875" of an 8.5" sheet, leaving 0.625" to split between two side margins and two column gaps. Ten labels at 1" tall take up 10" of an 11" sheet, leaving 1" for the top and bottom margins, so the rows touch with no gap between them.

The Labels Boss catalog lists these measurements for its made-to-order 2.625" × 1" sheet label, 30 per sheet (100-sheet minimum):

Those figures add up exactly: 0.1875 + 2.75 + 2.75 + 2.625 + 0.1875 = 8.5".

Not every 30-up sheet is cut identically. Our stocked 5160-compatible sheet, the 2.625" × 1" address labels, 30 per sheet, has rounded corners and a slightly narrower die cut: the catalog lists a 2.5935" label length, a 0.14" column gap, 0.21975" side margins and a 2.7335" horizontal pitch. The cells sit inside the same 3 × 10 grid, but each label is about 0.03" narrower, so keep text and borders a little further in from the left and right edges. The product page lists every measurement, with a template download built to that exact die.

Other numbers in the same layout family

Avery's template page for 5160 lists several dozen product numbers as compatible. Among the ones that appear both there and on Avery's help page for this label size: 5520, 5630, 5660, 5960, 8250, 8460, 8660, 8860, 15660, 18260, 18660, 45160 and 58160.

They are not all white paper address labels. Avery's help page says the numbers reflect different pack sizes, colors, materials, adhesives or printer compatibility. Before buying by number, look that number up and check the printer type.

Neighboring numbers are different sizes, not variants. Avery lists 5161 and 8161 as 1" × 4" and 5162 and 8162 as 1-1/3" × 4". A 5161 template will not line up on a 5160 sheet.

Common print-alignment problems

Most misprints on this layout come from a short list of causes.

The print is scaled. With ten rows and no gap between them, a page shrunk by a few percent drifts further off with every row. Set the print dialog to Actual Size or 100% and turn off "Fit to page." Avery's troubleshooting pages name fit-to-page as a cause of misalignment.

The wrong template is selected. 5160, 5161 and 5162 sit next to each other in Word's list. Check the number against the package.

The sheet is loaded the wrong way. Avery's printing guide suggests marking an arrow on plain paper and printing a test page to see which side prints and which edge feeds first.

The paper type is set to plain. Avery recommends choosing "Labels" or a heavier paper setting in the printer driver.

Text is too close to the cell edge. Feeding always varies a little from sheet to sheet. Center the address in the cell and leave space on all sides rather than running text to the edge. This matters more on sheets with rounded corners or a narrower die cut.

No test print. Print on plain paper first, lay it over a label sheet and hold both up to a light. If the first row is right and the last row is off, the cause is scaling. If everything is shifted by the same amount, it is the template or the margins.

Our print alignment help page walks through the same checks using margin and pitch values.

Where to go next

The address labels page gathers the sizes used for mailing, including this one. The template library has a downloadable layout for each sheet. If you would rather skip Word, the online Label Designer repeats one design across a full sheet using the listed margins and pitch.

FAQ

Are Avery 5160 and 8160 the same size?

Yes. Both are 1" × 2-5/8" with 30 labels per US Letter sheet, and Avery lists them as compatible with the same template. The difference is the printer type: avery.com lists 5160 for laser printers and 8160 for inkjet.

What is the difference between Avery 5160 and 5260?

Pack size. Both are listed on avery.com as laser address labels, 1" × 2-5/8", 30 per sheet, with the same features. The 5160 listing is a 3,000-label pack and the 5260 listing is a 750-label pack.

Can I use the 5160 template for Avery 18160?

Yes. Avery's template page for 5160 lists 18160 as a compatible product number. Avery lists 18160 for both laser and inkjet printers.

Can I use 8160 inkjet labels in a laser printer?

Avery's guidance is to use inkjet labels in inkjet printers and laser labels in laser printers, and it links smearing to using the wrong type. If you switch between printers, pick a sheet rated for both, such as a number listed as Laser/Inkjet.

Why do my labels print lower on each row?

The page is being scaled. Set the print dialog to Actual Size or 100%, turn off "Fit to page," and run a plain-paper test before loading label sheets.

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