Microsoft Word has the ability to make labels. You can make a sheet of identical labels or merge a list of names into different labels. I explain it all in my Word For Dummies books. Even so, I don’t use Word to make labels. In fact, I just did my Christmas list using a program I’ve had for years. It’s great. It’s free. It’s from the Avery Label people.

The program was originally called Avery Label Pro. It was free from the Avery site on the web. The current version is called Avery DesignPro and you can get it here. It’s much better than the old Label Pro, but the price hasn’t changed.

You can use Label Pro to make simple labels. I use it to create a sheet full of address labels, which I apply to my bills and such. That’s because my handwriting is terrible and I’d rather peel-and-stick a label than scribble on an envelope. The true power of the program, however, comes from its ability to work with databases.

You can use Design Pro to read in a database created by Microsoft Access or Excel. The database’s values can then be placed into a label, mix in a few magic commands, and you have a sheet of mailing labels.

You can also use the program to build a database. That’s what I did for Christmas: I typed in my contact names, streets, and addresses. Then I printed off labels with everyone’s name right there in along with the Merry Christmas message. Peel. Stick. Mail. (Well, maybe not that simple, but you get the idea.)

Of all the questions I get about Word, making labels is perhaps the most common one. While Word can do the job, I generally recommend in my responses that someone get a good, specific, label-making program. Avery DesignPro fits the bill, and you can’t beat the price.