How to print your own labels from Canva

Install the Label Sheets app

• Find the Apps section in the Canva editor
• Search for the Label Sheets app
• Choose to use it in an existing or new design. Make sure the design size matches the label size

Video walkthrough: Install the Canva Label Sheets App

Start the Label Sheets app

You can also start the app directly from a current design:

• Click on the Apps section in the left-hand menu
• Search for the Label Sheets app
• Click Open

Video walkthrough: Start the Canva Label Sheets App

Create the label designs

Create a new Canva design with exactly the same dimensions as your label. You can create it as you normally would, or you can create it when launching the Label Sheets app.

If you already have a label design, ensure that the width-to-height ratio of the design matches the physical width-to-height ratio of the label you are printing on. Our system does not stretch or crop label designs to fit the labels, so if the width-to-height ratios do not match, you will see empty space around the printed label.

Before using the Label Sheets app, finish designing your label. If you need to print multiple label designs on the same sheet, create each design on its own Canva page (click + Add page beneath your last design).

Print on Standard Label Sheets

Standard label sheets are pre-manufactured sheets of adhesive labels designed for use with inkjet and laser printers. They come in standard sizes such as A4 or Letter and are produced by well-known manufacturers like Avery® and many other label brands worldwide. Each sheet contains multiple labels in a predefined layout, with perforated or die-cut labels that can be easily peeled off after printing.

Select Brand and Template code

Each label sheet product is identified by its brand and template code.
Let’s suppose you are printing on Avery® 5260 label sheets. To let the app know that, make the following selections in the app’s user interface:

1. Select the Standard tab
2. Select the Letter Page format (since Avery® 5260 uses Letter size)
3. Select the Avery Brand
4. Select 5260 as the Template code. Since the list of template codes can be long, you can start typing your template code to search for it.

Once you select the template code, the app will automatically display options for adjusting the alignment and positioning of the label sheet printout. This document contains a dedicated section for this, so you can skip it for now.

Select the number of different labels to create

A label sheet contains multiple labels, and the way you distribute different labels across the sheet falls into three main categories.
Let’s use Avery® 5260, which contains 30 labels, as an example:

1. You create only one label design and print it across the entire sheet. This results in 30 identical labels.
   Jump to this section to learn how to continue with this option.
   
2. You create a few different label designs and distribute them across the sheet. For example, if you create three different label designs (Canva pages), you can print 10 of each on one sheet. You can of course use any other combination.
   Jump to this section to learn how to continue with this option.
   
3. You create one label design with varying content. The varying content comes from a spreadsheet. To select this option, you must have already generated all the Canva pages using a mail merge app such as Canva Bulk Create.
   Jump to this section to learn how to design your labels before using this option.
   

Create and Print one label design only

Once you select the Only one label design option, you can begin designing your label.

Follow these steps:

1. Design the label
   Add text, images, and formatting until it is complete.
   
2. Generate label sheet
   Once you have finished designing your label, click the Continue button.
   The app will take this label, repeat it across the label sheet template, and generate a print-ready layout.
   Jump to this section for more information on how to choose the label design you want to print.
   Alignment and positioning of the layout are set automatically, but you can adjust them when needed. See this section for details.
   
3. View and print
   Jump to this section for more information on how to view and print the generated label sheet.

Video walkthrough: Repeat the Same Label Design Across a Label Sheet Printout in Canva

Create and Print a few different label designs

Once you select the A few different label designs option, you can begin designing your labels. Each Canva page represents one label.

Follow these steps:

1. Design the label
   Add text, images, and formatting until it is complete.
2. Add and design more labels
   To create additional labels, simply add a new document page for each one. You can add as many pages (labels) as needed. Once you have finished designing your labels, click the ‘Continue’ button.
   
3. Confirm labels to include
   Jump to this section for more information on how to choose the label designs you want to print.
4. Adjust label quantities per sheet
   The app shows a preview of how each label design is distributed across the sheet and allows you to adjust the quantities.
   
5. Generate label sheet
   Click the 'Generate label sheet' button. The app will generate the print-ready layout and display a preview. If the printout spans multiple label sheet pages, only the first two pages are shown in the preview. The number of remaining pages are indicated below the preview image.
   Alignment and positioning are set automatically, but you can adjust them if needed — see this section for details.
   
6. View and print
   Jump to this section for more information on how to view and print the generated label sheets.

Video walkthrough: Place Different Label Designs on One Sheet in Canva

Create and Print designs from spreadsheet data (mail merge)

When you need to create label designs using data from a spreadsheet (also known as mail merge), Canva offers an app specifically designed for this purpose: the Bulk Create app. It allows you to merge spreadsheet data into your label designs, making it a useful companion to the Label Sheets app. This is ideal for designing and printing name tags, address labels, and other data-intensive labels.

Once you have finished generating all your label designs from the spreadsheet data, select the one label design with varying content option to print them on the label sheet of your choice.

Video walkthrough: Print Mail-Merged Canva Label Designs on Label Sheets

Choose the Label Designs you want to print

In the next step, you'll be asked to choose the Canva design page(s) that contain the label designs you want to print. In Canva, this selection process is called "Export". The export view lets you set the following options:

• File type
  Choose either JPG or PNG. For most home label printing, JPG works well. If you notice any print quality issues, you can switch to PNG, but first make sure the file size and quality settings below are appropriate, as they have a greater impact on print quality.
• File size
  Keep the dimensions of your labels in mind. Larger file sizes are only necessary when printing larger labels, such as labels that occupy a quarter or half of the entire label sheet.
• Quality
  Leave this at the recommended value. Increase it only when printing larger labels that require greater detail.
• Select pages
  This element lets you choose the Canva design pages you want to print.
  • If you are printing the same label design on all labels, select only one Canva page here.
  • If you are printing multiple copies of several label designs, select the Canva pages that contain those designs.
  • If you are printing label designs generated from spreadsheet data using mail merge, select all of them.
    When the number of pages exceeds the number of labels on a single label sheet, the app will generate multiple label sheet printouts.

Video walkthrough: Export Label Sheet Designs for Printing in Canva

View and print

Once the app generates the print preview and you click the “View and Print” button, Canva displays a notice informing you that you will be redirected to an Ecardify URL where the Hlabels printing process is initiated. Click Continue.

A new tab will open, displaying a larger preview of the generated PDF printout. If the printout contains multiple pages, only the first page will be displayed.
Note the two large buttons: ‘Save’ and ‘Print’.

Save for later printing

Click the ‘Save’ button to download the printout as a PDF file to your computer. You can print it at any time using any PDF reader.

Print right away

Click the ‘Print’ button to send the printout directly to your inkjet or laser printer. In the dialog that appears, make sure to click the ‘More settings’ link and review the following settings:

• Layout - set to Portrait
• Paper size - set to either Letter or A4
• Scale - set to Actual size

If you encounter print alignment issues, this document will help you identify the cause and apply a fix. Small misalignments caused by the printer can be compensated through the Alignment & Positioning settings. You can also contact us for assistance.

Print on Custom Label Sheets

Custom label sheets allow you to define your own label sheet layout when standard templates are not suitable or not available. Instead of using predefined sizes, spacing, and margins, you can set the exact label dimensions, gaps, and page margins to match your specific needs.

Use custom label sheets when:

• You are printing on plain adhesive sheets and plan to cut the labels yourself
• You want a more cost-effective alternative to pre-cut (die-cut) label sheets
• You cannot find a matching brand/template code for your label sheet product
• You have measured your labels and want to recreate the layout manually

To define a custom label sheet layout and print on it, select the Custom tab at the top of the Canva Label Sheets app panel.

Enter the following information:

• Page format
  The app supports the two standard paper sizes used worldwide: Letter (8.5 × 11 inches) and A4 (210 × 297 mm). Select the paper size that matches your label sheet.
• Orientation
  If you want your label images to be inserted vertically (i.e., rotated -90 degrees) into each label, just set this field to "Landscape", and the app will automatically rotate them and generate the label sheet printout accordingly.
  This setting works the same way for both custom and standard label layouts.
• Label width
  This is the width of a single label.
  
• Label height
  This is the height of a single label.
  Ensure that the label’s width-to-height ratio matches the Canva page’s width-to-height ratio; otherwise, unwanted empty space may appear around the printed labels. For this reason, based on the label width you enter first, the app automatically suggests a corresponding label height.
  
• Horizontal space
  This setting controls the horizontal space between labels.
  If you’re cutting the labels yourself, leave this value at zero. Otherwise, if you’re using an existing label sheet layout and have a sheet available, measure and enter this distance as accurately as possible. Even small inaccuracies can accumulate across the sheet and cause noticeable misalignment in the printout.
  For your convenience, changes to this value are instantly reflected in the layout preview at the top of the app panel.
  
• Vertical space
  This setting controls the vertical space between labels.
  If you’re cutting the labels yourself, leave this value at zero. Otherwise, if you’re using an existing label sheet layout and have a sheet available, measure and enter this distance as accurately as possible. Even small inaccuracies can accumulate across the sheet and cause noticeable misalignment in the printout.
  For your convenience, changes to this value are instantly reflected in the layout preview at the top of the app panel.
  

Video walkthrough: Create a Custom Label Sheet Template in Canva

Once all values are set and you have visually confirmed the layout in the preview, click the ‘Continue’ button. The next dialog provides several settings that affect how the labels are positioned, aligned, and displayed on the sheet:

• Horizontal offset
  This setting works the same way for both standard and custom label layouts.
  When the paper sheet sits slightly to the left or right in the printer tray, labels may print off-center. This setting lets you apply a horizontal offset of 1 to 3 mm to correct the alignment.
  This setting works the same way for both custom and standard label layouts.
  
• Vertical offset
  Inkjet and laser printers are not always completely precise when feeding paper vertically, which can cause labels to print slightly above or below their intended positions on the sheet. This setting allows you to apply a vertical offset of 1 to 3 mm to compensate for misalignment caused by imperfect vertical feed.
  This setting works the same way for both custom and standard label layouts.
  
• Bleed area
  When the background color of your label design does not match the color of the physical label, which is usually white, slight printing misalignments can cause a thin white edge to appear along one or more sides of the printed label.
  A simple and effective way to avoid this is to print the label slightly larger than the label area, so the background extends beyond the label's actual edge. This method is called applying a bleed.
  If you notice white edges, select a bleed area between 1% and 5%, depending on how much coverage you need.
  This setting works the same way for both custom and standard label layouts.
  
• Cutting marker
  If there are no spaces between the labels and you plan to print them on plain paper and cut them out yourself, set this option to Yes. The app will print cross-shaped guides at the corners of each label to make cutting easier and more precise.
  
• Labels to skip
  Set this field to the number of labels that have already been printed on and peeled off the sheet and should therefore be skipped in this printout. This setting lets you reuse a partially used label sheet and print only on the remaining labels, helping you avoid wasting the entire sheet.
  The maximum value of this field is one less than the number of labels per sheet.
  This setting works the same way for both custom and standard label layouts.
  
• Labels to print
  Set this field to the number of labels you want to print on the first label sheet of the printout.
  If the number of label designs (Canva pages) exceeds the number of available label positions on the first sheet, the remaining labels will be printed on additional sheets. This setting works the same way for both custom and standard label layouts.
  

For your convenience, changes to any of these settings are instantly reflected in the layout preview at the top of the app panel.
Once all values are set and you have visually confirmed the layout in the preview, click the ‘Continue’ button.

The remaining steps are the same as those for Standard Label Sheets. Follow the instructions provided there.

Video walkthrough: Manage the Layout of a Custom Label Sheet Printout in Canva

Manage Alignment & Positioning

As noted in the Print on Custom Label Sheets section, the app provides several settings that affect how labels are placed, aligned, and displayed on the sheet.

When printing on Standard Label Sheets, these same settings are grouped in a dedicated dialog, which you can access by clicking the Manage button.

The Alignment & Positioning dialog contain the following settings:

1. Horizontal offset
   This setting works the same way for both standard and custom label layouts.
   When the paper sheet sits slightly to the left or right in the printer tray, labels may print off-center. This setting lets you apply a horizontal offset of 1 to 3 mm to correct the alignment.
   This setting works the same way for both standard and custom label layouts.
   
2. Vertical offset
   Inkjet and laser printers are not always completely precise when feeding paper vertically, which can cause labels to print slightly above or below their intended positions on the sheet. This setting allows you to apply a vertical offset of 1 to 3 mm to compensate for misalignment caused by imperfect vertical feed.
   This setting works the same way for both standard and custom label layouts.
   
3. Bleed area
   When the background color of your label design does not match the color of the physical label, which is usually white, slight printing misalignments can cause a thin white edge to appear along one or more sides of the printed label.
   A simple and effective way to avoid this is to print the label slightly larger than the label area, so the background extends beyond the label's actual edge. This method is called applying a bleed.
   If you notice white edges, select a bleed area between 1% and 5%, depending on how much coverage you need.
   This setting works the same way for both standard and custom label layouts.
   
4. Orientation
   If you want your label images to be inserted vertically (i.e., rotated -90 degrees) into each label just set this field to "Landscape", and the app will automatically rotate them and generate the label sheet printout accordingly.
   This setting works the same way for both standard and custom label layouts.
5. Labels to skip
   Set this field to the number of labels that have already been printed on and peeled off the sheet and should therefore be skipped in this printout. This setting lets you reuse a partially used label sheet and print only on the remaining labels, helping you avoid wasting the entire sheet.
   The maximum value of this field is one less than the number of labels per sheet. For example, the Avery® 5260 template contains 30 labels, so the maximum possible value is 29. The screenshot below shows what happens when this value is set to 4. The preview updates automatically.
   This setting works the same way for both standard and custom label layouts.
   
6. Labels to print
   Set this field to the number of labels you want to print on the first label sheet of the printout.
   If the number of label designs (Canva pages) exceeds the number of available label positions on the first sheet, the remaining labels will be printed on additional sheets. This setting works the same way for both standard and custom label layouts.
   

When you print on a Standard Label Sheet and adjust any of these settings, the app remembers them and pre-fills their values the next time you use the same label sheet product.

Video walkthrough: Manage the Layout of a Label Sheet Printout

Still have questions?

If you didn’t find what you were looking for, or something isn’t clear, feel free to reach out. We’re happy to help.

Using another tool to design your labels?

We meet you where you are. Learn how to use our label printing service from within Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Adobe Express, or even directly from your browser.

If you already have one or more label designs saved as PNG or JPG image files, you can upload them to our website and generate a ready-to-print PDF.

• To print on a standard label sheet, such as Avery® 5260, go to our print page and search for that template. The search will take you to this page, where you can upload one or more label image files:
  https://hlabels.com/print/avery/Avery-5260
• To print on a custom label sheet, upload your label image files here:
  https://hlabels.com/print/custom-label-template
• To print on a plain adhesive sheet and cut out the labels yourself, upload your label image files here:
  https://hlabels.com/print/custom-label-size