Industry Trends

How to Print Avery 5163 Labels: A Step-by-Step Checklist for Office Administrators

If you've ever ordered the wrong Avery labels and had to eat the cost of a reprint, you know the exact moment your stomach drops. I've been there. In my first year managing procurement for a 40-person marketing agency, I made the classic specification error: assumed 'standard' meant the same thing to every vendor. Cost me a $600 redo on a rush order of return address labels.

Here's what you need to know: buying Avery stickers and labels isn't complicated. But skipping a few checks—especially the template number—will cost you time, money, and a lot of sanity. Below is my five-step checklist, built from tracking roughly 200 office supply orders over six years. Take it from someone who learned the hard way.

Step 1: Match the Template to Your Printer & Project

This is the step most people rush through. You see "Avery template 5392" in a product description and assume it'll work for your project. Maybe it will—but maybe you need template 5160 or 8160 instead.

The key difference: printer type. Avery's 8000-series templates (like 8160) are designed for laser printers. The 5000-series (like 5160) works with inkjet printers. That '5392' template you're eyeing? It's an inkjet-compatible label. If you're running a standard office laser printer, you want the 8160 equivalent instead. I've watched a team of five order 2,000 sheets of the wrong series because one person clicked 'add to cart' without checking their printer model. That was a $400 mistake—not mine, but painful to witness.

Action step: before you click 'buy', look at your printer's specs. Newer Brother or HP models often handle both. But older or high-volume units? Stick to the series that matches. And if you're buying for remote employees? Verify their printer type, too. Assumptions get expensive.

Step 2: Choose the Right Avery Product Line for Your Use Case

Avery sells a lot of stickers and labels. And I mean a lot. But they serve different purposes. Picking the wrong line is a waste of money. Here's my breakdown from years of orders:

• Mailing & Shipping Labels: For basic address labels, USPS priority labels, or barcode labels. The classic 5160/8160 or 5163/8163. Durable enough for shipping boxes, but not waterproof.
• Stickers & Decals: If you're printing round stickers, product labels, or 'thank you' seals, look for the Sticker Project Paper line. It's peel-and-stick, not pressure-sensitive, so it won't hold up in a dishwasher or on a car bumper. But for handouts or packaging? Fine.
• Weatherproof Labels: For outdoor use, shipping labels that'll see rain, or barcode labels on warehouse shelves. Avery's WeatherProof line (like 5520) is a different material entirely. It costs more, but replacing a damaged label on a $500-piece of equipment costs even more. I've swapped 100+ shipping labels because we cheaped out on weatherproof stock. Learned that lesson once.
• Business Cards & Name Badges: For networking events or client meetings. Avery's perforated card stock (8371, 5371) is passable for small runs. But honestly, if you need 500+ cards, a dedicated printer (Moo, GotPrint) will deliver better thickness and feel for roughly the same per-unit cost. More on that in Step 4.

Also: if you're printing wine labels, go with the specific 'Wine Label' sheets. Regular sticker paper won't handle the chilled bottle condensation. I'm not a sommelier, but I've learned that lesson from a holiday party fiasco.

Step 3: Print & Check a Test Sheet (Yes, Every Time)

I know, I know—you've printed labels before, you have the template set up in Word or Canva, it looks fine on screen. Skip the test sheet and you'll regret it. Not maybe. You will.

Here's why: even with Avery's industry-standard templates (they're literally called 'Avery templates' in Google Docs and Canva), alignment can drift between print jobs. The same template that worked perfectly on your laser printer in September might shift on the next batch because the paper tray was adjusted by someone else in the office.

Print one sheet on plain paper first. Hold it up to a label sheet against a backlit window. If the alignment isn't exact—if text bleeds into the margin between labels—you have a problem. Adjust your margins in the template (usually 0.5 inch top/side) or check your printer's borderless settings. This test takes 2 minutes. I've seen a team print 500 sheets of address labels with a 1mm shift that left every single label partially cut off. The reprint cost was $240. All because no one printed a test sheet first.

A note on Canva vs. Avery Design & Print: For complex projects—multi-color designs, logos, or non-standard sizes—Avery's own Design & Print Online tool is actually better for alignment. Canva exports often shift the layout by a few pixels. To be fair, Canva is great for simple text labels. But for critical jobs? Stick with Avery's tool.

Step 4: Calculate Total Cost—Not Just Per-Sheet Price

This is where my cost-controller brain kicks in. A box of 25 Avery label sheets costs about $12-18 (as of January 2025; verify current pricing at avery.com). That seems cheap. But the total cost includes:

• Printer ink/toner. Full-color labels? A set of ink cartridges for a mid-range HP runs $40-60. Color labels eat toner 3x faster than black-and-white.
• Time cost. You or your assistant spending 45 minutes to design, print, cut, and apply 100 labels. At an average administrative wage of $20/hour, that's $15 in labor.
• Edge case cost. If you need 100 labels and a sheet contains 30, you'll buy 4 sheets (120 labels, 20 wasted). Waste adds up over quarterly orders.

In Q3 2024, I compared 4 vendors for a client's small-run order of 500 shipping labels. The breakouts were roughly:

• Vendor A (Avery direct): $28 for materials + $0 labor on template + $6 for ink estimate = $34 total (DIY).
• Vendor B (Online printer): $75 for 500 pre-printed labels + $0 labor = $75 total.
• Vendor C (Big box store generic): $18 for 100 generic labels (non-Avery) + $6 ink + $20 labor for custom design = $44 total (but lower adhesive quality—had a 5% adhesion failure rate).

For that client, Avery direct was the most cost-effective because the template was free and they already had the printer. But if they needed 5,000 labels? The online printer's bulk pricing would win. Don't fixate on the price-per-sheet. Look at the full picture.

Step 5: Know Your Postage & Shipping Requirements

This is the step everyone forgets. You've printed your Avery labels. They look great. But now you need to mail them. If you're using them for shipping labels (e.g., UPS, USPS), make sure your labels meet carrier requirements:

• USPS labels: Must be on thermal or standard label stock (Avery 5160 is fine). Barcode clarity matters—if the mail sorter can't read it, your package might get delayed or returned. According to USPS (usps.com, accessed January 2025), address labels for First-Class Mail must be at least 1.5 inches tall and have clear, dark text.
• UPS/FedEx labels: Often require thermal labels that are 4x6 inches. Avery's shipping labels (like 8126) are designed for this. Using a standard 5160 label for a FedEx package? The barcode area may be too small, and the carrier's system won't scan it. I've tracked a $50 order that sat in a sorting facility for 10 days because the label was rejected.
• Hazardous materials? Then you need specific label stock per DOT regulations. Don't guess. Per OSHA guidelines (effective 2023), hazmat shipping labels must be durable and non-smudge. Avery's Hazmat labels (like 21906) are specifically tested for this.

A quick note on the 'avery template 5392' search: That template is specifically for 1x2-5/8 inch inkjet-compatible labels (25 per sheet). It's a niche size, often used for product labels or small stickers. I've ordered it twice—once for a client's wine bottle neck tags, once for small barcode labels in a warehouse. Worked fine on inkjet printers. But for laser printers? You'll want the equivalent, 8292. Keep that in mind.

Common Mistakes & Final Pro Tips

Even after tracking all these steps, people still slip up. Here are three mistakes I see most often:

1. Not checking humidity/storage. Label sheets are sensitive to humidity. If you store them in a damp basement office, the adhesive can become less tacky. I've seen a box of 200 sheets become almost unusable because of a leaky AC unit. Store labels in a cool, dry place, ideally in their original shrink-wrap until use.
2. Over-ordering 'just in case.' A 10% buffer is reasonable. Ordering 50% extra 'because you might need them' ties up cash in inventory that might shift in design or branding by the time you actually use it. I've cleared out $1,000+ in obsolete labels from supply closets when companies rebranded. Order for your immediate need plus one quarter's buffer, max.
3. Assuming 'Avery template for Google Docs' is always perfect. Google Docs' Avery template add-on is good for 90% of cases. But I've had 3 instances where the margins in the add-on were off by 1-2 points, causing text to bleed into the label margin on print. For critical orders, download the actual template from avery.com in PDF format and open it in Photoshop or Illustrator. Slightly more work, but no alignment surprises.

Take it from someone who's been burned: the extra 15 minutes upfront to verify your template, check your printer, and calculate total cost saves hours of fixing a $200-600 mistake later. As of January 2025, Avery remains the most reliable option for small-batch label production—just make sure you use the right series.

Pricing is for general reference only. Actual prices vary by vendor, specifications, and time of order. Verify current rates at avery.com.