New to Open Office 4: Quick Question

[George Kimery]

In an attempt to produce a shipping label, I was able to come up with great looking labels, but I cannot figure out how to add text to the label. Here is my route: templates > labels > new document > text shapes > open desired shape > drag onto blank page. I can adjust the label to different sizes, change color, etc. but I can't get a cursor onto the created label so that I can type in text. Gotta be a way, otherwise, the label function is pretty useless.

HELP!!!!

[Dave Potter]

Not sure specifically what you're trying to achieve as an end product, so it's hard to give specific information. However....

Whenever I need to make a shipping label, I just open a new Text document, type in the data, edit for font, size, etc, and print it. I've actually never used the "Label" function before. Looking at it now, I see that it asks for specific brand info on the labels you're using - Avery + Type (ex.- Avery C2163 Inkjet label), etc and available print margins are tied to specific label brands/types. Your options are therefore limited that way using the "Labels" functionality. If you're just trying to make and print a shipping label to put on a box, I think the Text document route is much simpler.

If you still want to play with the Labels thing, I'd start from the top menu and select File>New>Labels, and it will open up a window where you can type in your data - the cursor should already be inside the text box. There's a tab for formatting margins, etc, and one for options. When you're done with all that, click "New Document", and you can see your label and edit it more. Note that you can't edit in Preview Mode, and your cursor won't be available. Cancel Preview Mode to do more editing. You can print from the document you've created. I found that I had to be careful setting margins in the label window or it would cut off the top line when I printed it, which gets back to the specific label margin limitations mentioned earlier.

I was unable to even quickly locate "Text Shapes" in the menus, so I don't know what that is. But just to make a simple text shipping label, you shouldn't need that or Templates to do it.

One last thought - Open Office is pretty danged complete, and it does about all of what any full-featured text processing application will do, and much more, IMO. YOU may not ever need everything it can do, but I don't think you'll find anything in it that can be described as "useless". You just need to be willing to spend a little time learning how to use it. As with any quality full-featured software, there's a bit of a learning curve to use it effectively.

[Tom Keller]

I have version 3.3 of Open Office. I simply click on the templates option. A drop down menu presents itself showing labels as an option. When I click on labels the label application presents itself with a text box to enter address. There are a couple of additional tabs featuring format and options to fine tune anything that you might require. What I described takes you to the same place that Dave's instructions provided just a different way of getting there.

Tom Keller

[Tom Keller]

The reason that I am on an old version is that a few years ago I took my computer to a shop for repair and the shop actually installed the program. I just never bothered to uninstall it. "Lazy" It is a fine program no doubt and I hope I didn't indicate otherwise. The reason I don't use it, 99% of my needs for such a program are work related and my employer provides Microsoft's suite of programs. Again, no disrespect intended toward the fine folks associated with the open office organization. I was just feebly trying to help George find an easier way to achieve his goal of creating a label.

Peace

Tom Keller

[Tom Keller]

It seems the post I just responded to no longer exists. My sentiments are still the same.


Tom

[Jeff Bollettino]

how-to-print-labels-in-word-pages-and-google-docs

http://computers.tutsplus.com/tutorials ... -cms-20289