Guide · Avery 5161

Avery 5161 Template: The Wide Address Label, Explained

Q: Should I pick the 5161 or the 5160 for address labels?

Same label height, different width. The 5160 (25/8 inches wide, 30 per sheet) is the economical default. The 5161 (4 inches wide, 20 per sheet) is the better choice when lines run long: hyphenated surnames, company or care-of lines, international formats. At 9 pt a line up to about 3.6 inches wide fits a 5161; a 5160 holds about 2.25 inches, and anything longer has to be shrunk or cut.

The 5161 is the 5160's wider sibling: the same one-inch height stretched to four inches, 20 to a sheet. This page has the exact layout, a side-by-side of a long address on both labels, the print settings that keep labels lined up, and a tool that makes the PDF for you. No download, no sign-up.

Exact 5161 dimensions

A 5161 sheet is US Letter (8½″ × 11″) with 20 labels in a 2 × 10 grid. Each label is 4″ wide and 1″ tall.

Measurement	Value
Sheet size	8½″ × 11″ (US Letter)
Label size	4″ wide × 1″ tall
Labels per sheet	20 (2 across, 10 down)
Top and bottom margin	½″
Left and right margin	5/32″ (0.15625″)
Gap between columns	3/16″
Gap between rows	none; labels touch
Column pitch (label plus gap)	4 3/16″

Check: 2 × 5/32″ + 2 × 4″ + 3/16″ = 8½″ across, and 2 × ½″ + 10 × 1″ = 11″ down. These are the values our PDF generator draws, verified against Avery's own 5161 template grid. If a template you are building by hand does not add up to the sheet size, one of its values is wrong.

Avery 5161 sheet layout, 8½″ × 11″, 2 columns × 10 rows. Not to scale. Rows touch with no gap; the columns are separated by a 3/16″ gap. The table above lists every dimension.

Make your 5161 sheet here

Paste your addresses below, name first, then the address lines, with a blank line between recipients. You get a print-ready 5161 PDF with the wide-label layout locked to the sheet. No sign-up, and we don't keep your addresses.

Your addresses

0 of 20 labels

Works with Avery 5161, 8161, and compatible sheets. Need a different size or the full tool? Open the free label maker.

The same long address on a 5160 and a 5161

Both labels are 1″ tall, so the difference is entirely in line width. With 0.18″ of padding on each side, a 5160 label has about 2.26″ of printable width and a 5161 about 3.64″. Here is a fictional four-line address measured at 9 pt Helvetica (name 9.5 pt bold), the sizes our generator starts from:

The same fictional address at 9 pt (name 9.5 pt bold) on both labels. Label proportions are exact; not to scale on screen. Line widths are measured with the same Helvetica metrics the PDF uses. Neither label wraps text: a line that is too wide is shrunk or cut, never broken onto a second line.

Line	Width at 9 pt	On a 5160	On a 5161
Dr. Margaret Whitcombe-Featherstonhaugh	2.72″	shrunk to 7.5 pt	fits at 9.5 pt
c/o Harborview Assisted Living Community	2.37″	shrunk to 8.5 pt	fits at 9 pt
1478 Northwest Lighthouse Point Boulevard, Apt 312	2.94″	shrunk to 6.5 pt	fits at 9 pt
Bedford Falls, NY 12920	1.36″	fits at 9 pt	fits at 9 pt

Label text does not wrap. A line that is too wide for the label is either shrunk (our generator steps the font down in half-point increments, to a floor of 6 pt) or cut off (Word templates clip or push the line out of the label). On the 5160 this address prints with three lines at three different sizes; on the 5161 every line prints at full size. That is the whole case for the wide label.

When the wide label is the right call

Long lines. Hyphenated surnames, care-of and company lines, apartment and suite numbers, and international formats. Anything over about 2.25″ at 9 pt has to shrink on a 5160.
Larger type. The extra width lets the font grow without cutting lines short. Useful for mail to people who read at arm's length.

The trade-off is count: 20 per sheet instead of 30. For an everyday mailing where nothing runs long, the 5160 stays the economical default.

How to print so the labels line up

Set the paper size to US Letter. The sheet is 8½″ × 11″. On A4 or another size the printer repositions or scales the page.
Set the scale to 100% ("Actual size"). Turn off "Fit to page" and "Shrink to printable area". The PDF already matches the sheet exactly.
Print page one on plain paper and hold it against a label sheet in front of a window or lamp. If every line sits inside its label outline, load the label sheets. If not, use the table below.
Load label sheets the way the tray marking shows, snug the paper guides against the sheet, and don't send a label sheet through the printer twice.

If the plain-paper test doesn't line up

The pattern of the error is a clue to where to look, not a guaranteed diagnosis. Check the matching items first, then re-test on plain paper.

What you see	What to check
Every label shifted by roughly the same amount	Page alignment, margins, and paper positioning
Error grows farther down or across the sheet	Scaling, paper size, template dimensions, or feed variation
First column aligns but later columns don't	Selected label format, horizontal spacing, and scaling
Alignment varies between print runs	Paper guides, loading, and printer feed consistency

If the test still fails with the settings right, measure the printed test page against the dimensions table above (a hand-built layout can be off by a fraction of an inch), confirm the box says 5161, 8161, or "compatible with 5161", and check the printer's own margin or offset adjustment if the driver has one. The 5160 guide walks through the same checks in more detail.

5161 vs 8161: same layout, different sheets

Avery 5161 and 8161 share the same grid and dimensions, so a PDF or template made for one lines up on the other. The sheets are not interchangeable. 5161 is made for laser printers and 8161 for inkjet printers. Laser stock is built to take the heat of a fuser without the adhesive softening; inkjet stock has a coating that absorbs liquid ink so it doesn't smear. Match the label stock to your printer, and use whichever template says 5161 or 8161. Store brands marked "compatible with 5161" or "8161" follow the same rule.

Common questions

Is Avery 5161 the same as Avery 8161?

The layout is the same: 20 labels per sheet, each 1 inch by 4 inches, so a PDF made for one lines up on the other. The sheets are not interchangeable. 5161 is label stock made for laser printers and 8161 for inkjet printers. Match the label stock to your printer, and use whichever template says 5161 or 8161.

Should I pick the 5161 or the 5160 for address labels?

Same label height, different width. The 5160 (2⅝ inches wide, 30 per sheet) is the economical default. The 5161 (4 inches wide, 20 per sheet) is the better choice when lines run long: hyphenated surnames, company or care-of lines, international formats. At 9 pt a line up to about 3.6 inches wide fits a 5161; a 5160 holds about 2.25 inches, and anything longer has to be shrunk or cut.

Will a 5160 template print correctly on 5161 sheets?

No. A 5160 sheet holds 30 labels in 3 columns by 10 rows, each 2⅝ inches wide on a 2¾ inch column pitch. A 5161 sheet holds 20 labels in 2 columns by 10 rows, each 4 inches wide on a 4 3/16 inch pitch. The rows line up, but the 5160 layout's second and third columns land across the 5161 die cuts. Choose the format that matches the sheet you are loading; a label tool rebuilds the grid when you pick it.