How many labels per sheet: the standard US layouts and their dimensions

A US Letter sheet (8.5" × 11") holds anywhere from 1 to 80 labels, and the count is set by the label size: 1" × 2-5/8" labels come 30 to a sheet, 2" × 4" come 10 to a sheet, and 3-1/3" × 4" come 6 to a sheet. Pick the smallest label that fits your content at a readable type size, then confirm the sheet's margins and pitch match your template before you print. Label size and count alone do not guarantee that two sheets line up the same way.

Quick answer

• Return address: 1/2" × 1-3/4" (80 per sheet) or 2/3" × 1-3/4" (60 per sheet)
• Standard address: 1" × 2-5/8" (30 per sheet)
• Larger address: 1" × 4" (20 per sheet) or 1-1/3" × 4" (14 per sheet)
• Shipping: 2" × 4" (10 per sheet), 3-1/3" × 4" (6 per sheet), 5-1/2" × 8-1/2" (2 per sheet)
• Full sheet: 8-1/2" × 11" (1 per sheet)
• Round: 1" (63 per sheet), 1-2/3" (24), 2" (12 or 20), 2-1/2" (9 or 12)

Standard US Letter label layouts

All of the layouts below are on 8.5" × 11" sheets. The layout number is the Avery product number that template menus commonly list for that size and count. Avery is another company's trademark; the numbers are here only so you can find a template with the same label size and count. "In our catalog" means Labels Boss sells a blank sheet with that label size and count.

Rectangular labels

Round labels

A few notes on reading the tables:

• Sizes are nominal. A sheet sold as 1" × 2-5/8" may have a die cut a few hundredths of an inch narrower, depending on the gap between columns. Check the exact width on the product page.
• The same size and count can come in more than one arrangement. Our catalog has several 10-up 4" × 2" sheets that differ in column gap, row gap and top margin. They look alike in a product photo and print differently.
• Columns × rows assumes portrait orientation, with the 8.5" edge at the top.

You can browse every size in one place on the blank sheet labels page, or go straight to address labels and circle labels.

Why these particular counts

The counts fall out of dividing the sheet. Ten 1" rows use 10 of the sheet's 11 inches and leave a half-inch margin at the top and bottom. Three 2-5/8" columns use 7-7/8 of the 8.5 inches and leave room for side margins and small gaps. That is the 30-up layout. Double the label height to 2" and widen it to 4", and you get 2 columns of 5: the 10-up shipping layout. The 6-up layout stacks three 3-1/3" rows, which also add up to 10 inches.

Round labels waste more of the sheet because circles do not tile. A 2" circle can sit 3 across with generous gaps (12 per sheet) or 4 across with tight gaps (20 per sheet). The tighter layout gives two-thirds more labels from each sheet and less room for error, since four 2" circles use 8 of the 8.5 inches.

How to pick a layout

Start with how much you need to print on each label

Count the lines of text and the longest line. A three-line address fits a 1" × 2-5/8" label at ordinary type sizes. Four or five lines, or long company names, read better on 1" × 4" or 1-1/3" × 4". For shipping, 2" × 4" holds a plain address block; if your shipping software prints a full label with barcodes, use the label size that software specifies.

For product labels, measure the container first. The label should be narrower than the flat panel it sits on, and on a round jar or bottle it should not wrap far enough to overlap itself unless you intend it to.

Check your printer's margins

Most desktop printers leave a thin unprintable strip at the paper edges. Layouts with labels close to the edge, such as full-sheet, half-sheet and some tightly packed round layouts, need you to keep text and borders away from the outer edge. Layouts with a half-inch top and bottom margin, like the 30-up and 20-up address sheets, are the most forgiving.

If your design runs to the edge of the label (a solid background color, for example), choose a layout with gaps on all sides of each label, so the color can extend slightly past the cut without landing on its neighbor.

Think about how the labels will be applied

• Hand-applied in volume: Pick a size that is easy to handle; very small labels are slower to peel and place.
• Small containers: A smaller label you can read beats a larger one that wrinkles around a curve.
• Mailings: The more labels per sheet, the fewer sheets you feed. For a 600-piece mailing, 30-up needs 20 sheets and 14-up needs 43.
• One-off odd sizes: A full sheet lets you print anything and cut it yourself.

Match the material to the printer

Sheet materials are made for laser, inkjet, or both. The layout does not change with the material, so pick the layout first, then choose a material your printer type supports on the product page.

How to match a template to your sheet

A template is a page with the label positions already drawn. To know whether a template fits a sheet, compare six numbers:

If all six match, the template fits, whatever brand name is on it. If the label size and count match and a margin or pitch does not, the print will be off by a fixed amount or will creep across the sheet.

Three ways to get a matching template:

1. Download ours. Each sheet layout we sell has a file in the sheet template library, and each product page lists its margins and pitch.
2. Use a built-in template. Word lists templates by vendor and product number under Mailings > Labels > Options. This works when the sheet's six measurements match that product's. A sheet that uses the same layout as a numbered product, margins and pitch included, will line up with that built-in template; where only the size and count match, test first.
3. Design online. Our online Label Designer lets you set the label size and find a sheet layout, then export at print size.

Whichever route you take, print one page on plain paper at 100% scale and hold it against the label sheet before you load the real thing. Our guide to aligning blank sheets for printing walks through that test.

Other sheet sizes

Letter is the standard for US desktop printers, and everything above assumes it. Sheet labels are also made on 8.5" × 14", 11" × 17" and 12" × 18" sheets for printers that take them; those hold more labels per sheet and need their own templates. A4 sheets (210 mm × 297 mm) are narrower and taller than Letter, so a Letter template will not line up on an A4 sheet even when the label size sounds the same.

FAQ

How many labels are on a standard sheet of address labels?

Thirty. The standard US address label is 1" × 2-5/8", arranged 3 across and 10 down on a Letter sheet. Larger address labels come 20 per sheet (1" × 4") or 14 per sheet (1-1/3" × 4").

How many 2" × 4" labels fit on a sheet?

Ten, in 2 columns of 5. This is the common shipping and product label layout. Some variations hold 8 per sheet with larger margins.

What size are the labels on a 30-per-sheet page?

Nominally 1" tall by 2-5/8" wide. The exact die-cut width varies slightly between sheets, so check the width and the horizontal pitch against your template.

Do sheets with the same label size always use the same template?

No. Two sheets can share a label size and count and differ in margins or gaps. Compare the top margin, left margin, horizontal pitch and vertical pitch before you rely on a template made for another sheet.

How many 2" round labels fit on a sheet?

Twelve (3 across, 4 down) or twenty (4 across, 5 down), depending on how tightly the circles are spaced. The 20-up layout gives more labels per sheet with less margin for print drift.

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