Label Planet
Our guide to paste options in Word and which ones work best for label templates.
When pasting content within a Word document, you actually have the choice of several different paste options. Each option works in a slightly different way, especially when it comes to determining the formatting options applied to your pasted content. In this post, we’ll take a look at how you can use the different options when designing label templates.
Label Templates – Finding Paste Options In Word
When the “Home” tab is selected, the first section in the ribbon will be the “Clipboard”. This section contains all of the icons required for performing the “Cut”, “Copy”, and “Paste” functions. To view the different paste options, you need to click on the downward facing arrow below the main paste icon. This brings up a dropdown menu showing icons for all of the different paste options available. The paste options available will vary depending on the type of content you have copied AND the location where you intended to paste your content.
The image above shows two of the different sets of paste options you might see when designing label templates. In the first, text is about to be pasted into a label in a Word label template. This provides FOUR options; Keep Source Formatting, Match Formatting, Picture, and Keep Text Only. In the second, a single label is about to be pasted into a column of the template. This provides SIX options; Cell Contents, Entire Cell, Merge Table, Insert As New Rows, Overwrite Cells, and Keep Text Only.
If you don’t see the paste options button it has been turned off. You can turn it on by clicking on “File” and then “Options”. Select the “Advanced” tab and then scroll to the “Cut, copy, and paste” section. Tick the check box called “Show Paste Options button when content is pasted”.
Label Templates – Using Paste Options To Add Content to A Word Template
When pasting text into your label template, you should see (some of) the following options:
- Keep Source Formatting: this keeps the formatting options applied to your content in its original location.
For example, if you copy text set to a font of Arial size 12, it will keep that font.
- Match Formatting: this replaces the formatting options applied to your content with those applied to the new location. This option also keeps any emphasis (e.g. bold, italic, underlined text) where that formatting applies to PART of your content only.
For example, if you copy text set to a font of Arial size 12 and paste it into a label template that has been set to a font of Calibri size 16, your text will be given the font format used in your label template.
- Keep Text Only: this discards any content that is not text AND removes the formatting options from the remaining text.
For example, if you copy a table containing text, this option removes the table and pastes just your text using the formatting options applied to your label template.
- Picture: this converts your copied content into an image and adds it to your label template.
The option you choose depends on what you want to do with the content you have copied. To use content exactly as it is in its original location use “Keep Source Formatting”. To match your content to your label template choose “Match Formatting” or “Keep Text Only”. “Picture” is useful if you have various elements (e.g. text and images) and want them grouped into a single image. This option isn’t very precise, however, and it can be difficult to edit the resulting picture.
Label Templates – Using Paste Options To Complete A Label Template
Copy and paste is a simple way to complete a label template quickly and accurately. After selecting and copying a cell, you will be able to choose from the following paste options:
- Cell Contents: this pastes JUST the content and keeps any formatting options you have applied.
- Entire Cell: this pastes your content AND the cell itself and keeps the formatting options applied to both (including, for example, a background you have applied to the cell etc).
- Keep Text Only: this discards non-text elements and strips existing formatting options from your text (replacing them with the formatting applied to the new location).
When using copy and paste to complete a label template, the “Entire Cell” option will replicate the exact layout and formatting of your design. “Cell Content” and “Keep Text Only” can be used to create sticky labels that share the same content but have different background designs.
NB: there are other paste options for tables but these are the most useful options for designing label templates.
If you are pasting into multiple blank labels, you must not select any cells that represent gaps on your sheets of sticky labels. Adding content to these areas can cause your label template to automatically resize itself or create misalignment issues when you print your label template.