The layout
An L7160 sheet has 21 labels in 3 columns and 7 rows. Each label is 63.5 mm wide by 38.1 mm tall with rounded corners. Rows touch each other (no vertical gap) and there is a small gap between columns. The label sheet maker uses these figures; because Avery's template pages could not be checked automatically, it marks the template unverified and gives you a calibration page so you can confirm the alignment before printing labels.
Step by step
- Choose the template: Avery L7160 / J8160 is the default in the label sheet maker.
- Choose the barcode type: EAN-13 for products with GS1 numbers, Code 128 for your own SKUs.
- Fill the labels: one value repeated, a sequence (for example SKU0001 counting up), or a CSV exported from your spreadsheet with columns for the barcode, product name and price.
- Add text: line 1 (bold) for the name and line 2 for the price or size; 8 pt suits this label. Add a logo if you want one.
- Check the preview: page through the sheets and look for labels marked Invalid (a check digit or character the barcode type cannot encode).
- Print the calibration page on plain paper at 100% and measure the 100 mm ruler. Hold it over a label sheet against a window: the dashed outlines should sit on the labels.
- Download the PDF and print at 100% / Actual size on the label sheets.
Printer settings that matter
- Scale: 100% or Actual size. Never "Fit to page" or "Shrink oversized pages". This is the cause of most misaligned labels.
- Paper size: A4. If the printer is set to US Letter, the page is scaled or shifted.
- Media type: Labels (or heavy paper) so the printer slows down and fuses toner properly.
- Manual or rear feed for a straighter paper path and less curl.
Fixing alignment
If every label is off by the same distance, the printer has a fixed offset. Measure it on the calibration page and use your printer driver's margin or offset adjustment. If labels drift progressively down the page, the paper is slipping: print one sheet at a time and check the paper guides. If labels are slightly too small or large, scaling is still on somewhere, often in the PDF viewer's print dialog.
Partly used sheets
Enter how many labels are already used in "Labels already used on the first sheet". The PDF leaves those positions blank and starts on the next label, counting across each row from the top left. This saves sheets when you print a few labels at a time.
Barcode size on L7160
After a 2 mm margin and two lines of 8 pt text, there is room for an EAN-13 of around 100% magnification. Code 128 codes up to about 12 characters fit comfortably. The tool scales each barcode to fit and keeps its quiet zone; if a code is too long for the label, choose L7162 or L7163, which are wider.
Laser or inkjet
L7160 is the laser version and J8160 the inkjet version of the same layout. Use the right one for your printer: inkjet ink sits on laser labels and smudges, and laser heat can lift inkjet labels and jam the printer. Both print barcodes that scan well if the print quality is good. For long-lasting labels in a warehouse or freezer, look for weatherproof or freezer-grade sheets with the same layout code.
Checking a printed sheet
Scan a few labels from the corners and the middle of the first printed sheet with the scanner you will use. Labels near the bottom of the page are the most likely to be misaligned, so check those first.