Label Planet
Here's why Word label templates for circles show a grid of squares instead of a grid of circles.
Simply put, Word just isn’t capable of producing a grid of circles.
As a Word Processor, Word is geared towards all things text, rather than all things graphic. So, while Word is capable of some basic design and editing functions, it simply cannot create a label template for circular labels.
This is why both our templates and those already built into Word feature a grid of squares rather than circles.
In either case, you need to imagine the circular labels sitting within each of the squares in the grid, with the outermost points of each circle touching the four sides of the square around it.
Aha! (we hear you say) But what about creating a template with circular shapes rather than a grid of squares?
Well! (we do reply) While this is technically possible, it can become a bit of a nightmare to work with.
Getting the perfect circular shape can be difficult to begin with (and is especially troublesome if you’re working with ovals) and getting each circle to sit in the exact right position on the A4 page is very, very tricky indeed.
If you do manage to get the right size and layout for a particular sheet of labels, yet more problems arise when you try to fit your design “inside” the circle.
For starters, the circular shape is an object in itself and cannot be “filled” in the same way that a grid (actually a table) can. While you can enter text and/or images into the cells of a table, you cannot fill a shape/object with text and/or images.
Instead you would need to layer your text and/or images over the top of the circular shape that represents the label you are printing.
Which is where the difficulties really begin. Where a table tends to stay in one place on the A4 page, Word does not cope overly well with layering objects over one another, whether they are shapes (like the circles that would represent the labels), images, or text. Anyone who has spent any time working with Word and images will know only too well the frustrations of trying to get images to sit next to one another, let alone layering them over one another. Again, we would point out that while this CAN be done, it does take a bit of time to get all of the settings correct and to get everything in the right place. It would also be difficult to place text accurately – whether you insert text as normal or use Word Art or a text box.
So, with the circular shapes, text, and images all liable to jump about the page, it is highly likely that you’d soon find that your template no longer resemble the layout on your sheet of labels.
This is why we (and others) have settled on the compromise of a grid of squares. The grid itself stays in place and can be filled with whatever elements you require (although getting the absolute perfect positioning and alignment can still take some time along with a dose of trial and error).