Label Planet
Our guide to the Label Templates sections of the Label Planet website.
The Label Planet Label Templates Section
We’ve dedicated an entire section of our website to label templates. It includes individual template pages for EVERY label size we supply (that’s over 100 label sizes), along with advice pages to help everyone, from beginners to experts, to print their own labels.
This is because we know how important label templates are when it comes to getting the perfect print. A good template produces great labels – a bad one ruins labels.
All of our customers have unique designs and uses for their labels. They also have their own set up of hardware and software – and their own level of experience when it comes to designing and printing label templates.
With all this in mind, we knew we needed label templates that would suit all-comers – from beginners to experts. This is why we’ve created a SET of label templates for each of our label sizes – so you can always find one that suits your design, hardware/software, and level of experience.
Word Templates & PDF Templates
All of our template sets include Word templates and PDF templates.
This refers to the file format that these templates are saved in AND indicates the type of software you can use to edit these templates (to add your design).
Our Word templates are saved in the .docx file format. This is the default format used by Microsoft Word and is supported by various word processing software (e.g. Word For Mac, Pages etc).
Word label templates are basically single page documents containing a table. The table represents the layout of sheet labels using a grid of rectangles (and squares). Most Word label templates represent both the labels themselves and any gaps between and around the labels.
Word templates are very basic; they cannot show any shaping, from rounded corners on rectangular labels and square labels to the shape of round labels and oval labels.
You create your design(s) by adding the required elements (e.g. text, images etc) into the cells of the table that represent each of your labels.
PDF templates use the .pdf file format. This format can be read AND edited by graphics packages, such as Adobe Illustrator and InDesign, and Photoshop.
The PDF format can also be READ by software such as PDF Readers; while they can read (OPEN) PDF templates, they cannot edit (CHANGE) them – meaning you cannot add designs.
PDF label templates contain a single page background layer, which shows the outline of each label.
You create your design on a new layer, ensuring that all of your design elements fit within (or slightly overlap) each of the label outlines on the background layer.
Standard Templates & Bleed Templates
In addition to standard label templates (which simply show the layout of an A4 sheet of labels), we also supply bleed templates (where possible). These templates make it easier to print full colour backgrounds and/or borders.
It is next to (if not actually) impossible to align every design with every label with 100% accuracy. When a design (with a coloured background or border) doesn’t quite align perfectly, you will find that sections at the edges of that label are left unprinted. As labels are usually white in colour, this is known as white edging.
A simple way to avoid this problem is to oversize coloured backgrounds and borders, so they overlap the edges of each label making it impossible for white edging to occur. Bleed label templates include a “bleed area” for you to overlap your design. This area makes use of the blank spaces or gaps between and around your labels.
Bleed templates can only be produced for layouts containing gaps all the way around each label to act as a bleed area.
Our Word templates incorporate the bleed area into the cells that represent each label. Our PDF templates show the outline of each label (solid black line) AND the available bleed area (dotted grey line).
“Extra” & “Alternative” Label Templates
Some of our label sizes have additional sets of “Extra” or “Alternative” templates.
Labels are manufactured to tolerances (an allowable deviation from the stated measurements), which can result in slightly different sizes and layouts to those indicated. At Label Planet, we’ve found that a small number of our products have such slight variations.
All of these variations are less than 1mm; however, we know from experience that even a fraction of a millimetre can make a big difference. This is why we’ve created “Extra” and “Alternative” templates, which account for these variations.
NB: use these templates only if you have a) ruled out other causes for any misalignment and b) measured your label sheets to confirm that the additional templates would produce a better alignment.
If your designs are seriously misaligned (i.e. by more than a few mm), these templates are unlikely to help as it is more likely that something else is causing a specific misalignment issue, such as your printer’s print settings.
We have created a short video explaining how to find and download label templates on the Label Planet website.