Avery 5160 labels from Google Sheets: exact sizes and steps

The 5160 layout in numbers

Everything else in this guide follows from these figures. They describe a US Letter sheet (8.5″ × 11″).

Measurement	Value
Label size	1″ tall × 2⅝″ (2.625″) wide
Labels per sheet	30: 3 across, 10 down
Top and bottom margin	0.5″
Left and right margin	0.1875″ (3/16″)
Gap between columns	0.125″ (1/8″), so each column starts 2.75″ after the last
Gap between rows	None. Rows touch, one every 1″

Check: 0.1875 + 3 × 2.625 + 2 × 0.125 + 0.1875 = 8.5″ across, and 0.5 + 10 × 1 + 0.5 = 11″ down.

Labels with the same layout

These Avery products share the 5160 layout, so the same document prints on any of them: 5160, 5260, 5520, 5960, 8160, 8460 and 18160. The numbers mostly differ by material and printer type. 8160, for example, is the inkjet version and 5160 the laser one. Store brands often print “compatible with 5160” on the box. If yours does, the measurements above apply, but test first, because “compatible” sheets vary slightly.

Free: a Google Docs table built to 5160

This takes about 15 minutes the first time. After that, keep the Doc and only replace the text.

Make the label text in the sheet. In an empty column, for example F:
=TEXTJOIN(CHAR(10), TRUE, A2, B2, C2&", "&D2&" "&E2)
Then make one page of labels with =WRAPROWS(F2:F31, 3), which gives 3 columns and 10 rows.
Paste into a new Doc. Copy the 3 × 10 block, paste it into a blank Google Doc and choose Paste unlinked.
Page setup. File → Page setup: Letter, portrait, top and bottom 0.5, left 0.1875, right 0.0625. The right margin is small because the table below is 8.25″ wide.
Table properties. Select the whole table, then Format → Table → Table properties: column width 2.75″, minimum row height 1″, cell padding about 0.08″, border 0 pt, vertical alignment middle.
Remove the empty line after the table if it pushes a blank page onto the end, and make sure the paragraph spacing inside the cells is 0.

Why 2.75″ columns instead of 2.625″? Docs tables can’t leave a gap between columns. Making each column as wide as label plus gap keeps every column starting in the right place. The text stays on the label as long as it doesn’t run into the last 1/8″ of the cell.

Where it falls short: Five short lines at 10 pt is about all a 1″ label holds. A sixth line, or a long line that wraps, makes that row taller, and every label below it drifts down. Check the Doc page by page before printing. Each extra page of labels needs another WRAPROWS block and another paste.

Label text that stays tidy

The Docs method pastes whatever the label-text column holds, so small gaps in your data turn into odd labels. Three fixes, each checked on a test list with a blank row and a missing city:

Blank rows make labels with a stray comma. =TEXTJOIN(CHAR(10), TRUE, A2, B2, C2&", "&D2&" "&E2) on an empty row still returns , , because the comma and spaces are text. Wrap it so empty rows stay empty:

=IF(A2="", "", TEXTJOIN(CHAR(10), TRUE, A2, B2, TEXTJOIN(" ", TRUE, TEXTJOIN(", ", TRUE, C2, D2), E2)))

A missing city leaves “, WA 98101”. The nested TEXTJOINs in the formula above only add the comma between parts that exist, so the last line becomes WA 98101 instead.
The last row of the grid fills with #N/A. When the number of labels isn’t a multiple of three, WRAPROWS pads the gap with errors. Give it a pad value and skip empty cells: =WRAPROWS(FILTER(F2:F, F2:F<>""), 3, "").

More than 30 labels. Each 5160 page is 10 rows of the grid. Put the first 30 labels in one block (=WRAPROWS(FILTER(F2:F31, F2:F31<>""), 3, "")), the next 30 in another (F32:F61), and paste each block into its own page of the Doc. Keeping a page per block means one label that wraps onto an extra line can only push its own page out of line.

Sorted labels. To print in ZIP code order, which some bulk-mail rates ask for and which makes stacks easier to sort, sort before wrapping: =SORT(FILTER(A2:F, A2:A<>""), 5, TRUE) with the ZIP code in column 5 of the range.

Faster: straight from the sheet with LabelRows

LabelRows has this exact layout built in, listed as Address labels 1″ × 2⅝″ (30 per sheet), compatible with Avery 5160, 5260, 5520, 5960, 8160, 8460 and 18160. It’s one of the sizes on the free plan.

Open your sheet and click the LabelRows icon in the side panel on the right.
Choose the 1″ × 2⅝″ size, then press Suggest from headers or type the label text with {{Column name}} fields. Update preview shows the first row as a label.
Choose all rows, a row range, the selected rows, or only rows ticked in a checkbox column.
Click Create labels. You get a new Google Doc laid out on the 5160 grid, with each label in its own fixed cell. Too-long text is shortened and listed in the result, so one long address can’t push the rest of the sheet down.

Avery’s own Design & Print

Avery runs a free web tool, Design & Print Online, at avery.com/templates. It doesn’t connect to Google Sheets, but it can import a spreadsheet file:

In Google Sheets, open the tab with your addresses and choose File → Download → Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) or Comma-separated values (.csv). Keep a header row (Name, Street, City…) so the fields are easy to recognise.
On Avery’s site, search for the template number 5160 and start a blank or pre-designed label.
Use its import data (mail merge) step to upload the file, then place the fields you want on the label.
Preview, then print or download the PDF it creates, at 100% scale like any other label file.

It suits people who want Avery’s designs and clip art. The catch is that the file is a copy: change an address in the sheet and you download and import again. Add-ons with Avery in their name, such as “Avery Label Merge”, are made by other companies, not by Avery, so check who publishes an add-on before you install it.

Test, then nudge

Print one page on plain paper at 100% / Actual size, with the paper set to Letter.
Lay it on a 5160 sheet and hold both up to a window or a lamp.
If every label is off by the same amount, the layout is right and your printer shifts the page. Move everything by that amount. In a Docs table, change the top and left margins. In LabelRows, use Printer alignment to nudge right or down by up to 0.5″ either way, and print its free test page again.
If the error grows down the page, something is scaling the page. Look for “Fit to page” or a paper size of A4.

Troubleshooting

The text is cut off at the bottom of a label. A 1″ label holds four lines of 10 to 11 pt text, five if you go down to 9 pt. Remove empty lines from the label text (the formula above does this), shorten long company names, or reduce the cell padding to 0.05″.

The first row is right but each row below drifts lower. A row is taller than 1″. In Docs, a cell grows when its text doesn’t fit, so one long label stretches its whole row. Find the tallest label and shorten it, or set a smaller font for the whole table.

The labels are all shifted the same amount. That’s the printer’s feed, not the layout. Change the top or left margin by the amount you measured on the test sheet; 1/16″ (0.0625″) steps are usually enough.

An extra blank page prints. Docs always keeps a paragraph after a table. Click just after the table and set that empty line to 1 pt, or delete the content after the table so it fits on the page.

Everything is slightly too small. The print dialog is scaling the page. Choose Actual size or 100% and make sure the paper size is Letter, not A4. A4 paper is 210 × 297 mm, and shrinking 8.5 × 11″ to fit it moves every label.

Labels peel off inside a laser printer. Use laser-rated stock in a laser printer and inkjet stock in an inkjet, feed partly used sheets carefully or not at all, and never reuse a sheet that has been through the printer once.

Frequently asked questions

Is Avery 8160 the same size as 5160?

Yes. Both are 1" x 2-5/8", 30 per sheet, on the same layout. 8160 is made for inkjet printers and 5160 for laser printers, so pick the one that matches your printer.

Is there an Avery 5160 template for Google Docs?

Google Docs doesn't come with label templates. You can download a ready-made 5160 document from a label site, build the table yourself with the measurements in this guide, or let an add-on create the Doc from your sheet.

How many lines fit on a 5160 label?

Up to five short lines at 10 pt, and four leave comfortable white space. For more, use a smaller font or drop a line you don't need. A long line that wraps counts as two.

Can I print on a sheet that's already partly used?

With a Docs table, leave the used cells empty. In LabelRows, skipping used labels is part of the planned Pro plan, which isn't on sale yet. On the free plan, you can start a new sheet or print the remaining rows on a fresh sheet.

Do these steps work for A4 labels?

The method does, but not the numbers. A4 sheets such as Avery L7160 (21 per sheet, 38.1 x 63.5 mm) have their own measurements. LabelRows includes L7160 and L7163 on the free plan.

What font size fits on an Avery 5160 label?

For a three-line address, 10 to 12 pt fits comfortably. For four lines, 10 to 11 pt; for five lines, 9 pt. Test on plain paper before printing real labels.

How do I print labels in ZIP code order?

Sort the rows before you arrange them into the label grid: wrap a SORT around the FILTER that picks your rows, with the ZIP code column as the sort column, then wrap the sorted label text three across. The guide shows the formula.

Why do my labels say #N/A at the end?

WRAPROWS fills the last row with #N/A when the number of labels is not a multiple of three. Add a pad value as its third argument: WRAPROWS(range, 3, "").

Disclosure: we make LabelRows, the Google Sheets add-on mentioned in this guide. We describe the other methods as fairly as we can, including when they are the better choice.

Google Sheets and Google Docs are trademarks of Google LLC. Avery is a registered trademark of Avery Products Corporation. Microsoft and Word are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. LabelRows and Cellbrook are not affiliated with or endorsed by Google, Avery or Microsoft.