Label Planet
A few quick tips on how to change from landscape to portrait or from portrait to landscape.
While the majority of our labels already have an orientation that suits most printing requirements, sometimes our customers want to be able to use the opposite orientation – to create a different shape or look for their label, or simply because it allows them to be more efficient with the content of their labels.
There are two ways to change the orientation of your Word template: changing the orientation of the template or changing the text direction for your template.
Now it might seem like simply changing the orientation of the template would be the easiest option, but unfortunately it isn’t all that simple. While it is easy enough to alter the page layout from portrait to landscape (or vice versa!), Word will only change the orientation of the page and not the content on that page – so your template grid remains exactly as it was, and ends up dropping off the bottom of the page. So if you try this option, you will – essentially – find yourself setting up an entirely new template.
Which is, of course, fine if you are confident setting up a template, but if you want a simpler trick, then you’ll want to use the “Text Direction” tool.
Images are easy enough to deal with – you simply rotate them 90° and you’re done. With text, you have to follow a few extra steps to get there.
WINDOWS 2003 AND EARLIER
- Change Text Direction In A Table
Select the cell or cells you want to change the text direction of. Then click on “Format” at the top of the page, and select “Text Direction” from the list of options. Select the text orientation you need and select okay. - Change Text Direction Using A Text Box
Insert a text box and resize/move it to the area you want it to be. To change the direction of the text, you can either:
a) left click inside the text box, then click on “Format” at the top of the page, and select “Text Direction” from the list of options. Select the text orientation you need and select okay.
b) left click inside the text box, then right click, and select “Borders and Alignment” from the options that appear. Select the text orientation you need and select okay.
WINDOWS 2007 AND LATER
- Change Text Direction In A Table
Select the cell or cells you want to change the text direction of. Then you can either:
a) click on the “Layout” tab at the top of the page (under “Table Tools”) and look for the “Text Direction” button in the “Alignment” section. Click this button to alter the text direction until it is the orientation that you require.
b) right click and select “Text Direction” from the options box that appears. Please note that this option doesn’t always work if you are trying to change the text direction in the entire table, so this option is probably best for changing individual or groups of cells. - Change Text Direction Using A Text Box
Insert a text box (it’s usually easiest to choose Simple Text Box), and resize it/move it to the area you want it to be. To change the direction of the text, you can either:
a) left click once to select the text box, then click on the “Format” tab at the top of the page. In the “Text” section, click on “Text Direction” and the select the option you want from the list that drops down.
b) left click once to select the text box, then right click and select “Format” (or “Format Shape”). Select “Text Box” and choose the text direction you want from the drop down box named “Text direction”.
It should be noted that changing the text direction is the much quicker option but it does have one significant drawback – you will need to tilt your head to view your text/label design right way up, so if you intend to spend time working on your template (or if you simply want to avoid getting a crick in your neck!) you may want to consider putting the time in to set up a new template in the orientation you require.