Gmail contacts to mailing labels

October 5, 2010 7:52 PM

I need a dead simple and fast way to add 200 wedding guests' mailing addresses to GMail contacts then print mailing labels from my contact list.

I am time crunched and need to get these labels done yesterday. Please help! If you think outlook or yahoo will be able to do this, just tell me how and ill try it. THANKS!!

posted by my_thai to computers & internet (9 answers total)

What format are the mailing addresses in now? Is there any specific reason you need to go through your gmail contacts, or if there's a faster/easier way to do it without that would that be ok?
posted by brainmouse at 8:01 PM on October 5, 2010

Do you need them to go into Gmail because some guests are already in Gmail?

If that's not the reason, then I'd avoid it.

What format are the mailing addresses in now?
posted by ocherdraco at 8:02 PM on October 5, 2010

I'm guessing you're focusing on Gmail because many of your guests emailed you their addresses?

If so (or even if not), I, too, would like to know if there's a way to auto-add a person's address to your contacts list. It seems like something you should be able to do, since it auto-detects events to add to your calendar and locations to map.
posted by phunniemee at 8:08 PM on October 5, 2010

Gmail Contacts is notoriously worthless. Anything that you assume or hope that Gmail Contacts can do, it almost definitely can't.

If the addresses are in emails, like people emailed you their mailing addresses, then I think the easiest (there is no fast way to automate this if the addresses are all scattered) way would be to copy and paste them into Word in a mailing label template.

You buy the labels, and on the sheet it will have the size number, like if they're Avery it'll be "5164" or something vaguely like that. I'm not sure what version of Word you have, but there will be some permutation of Print Labels or Label Wizard or something. You want to get to a place where you can choose the size of the labels (Word has standard label sizes and label-sheet companies preset), so you'd choose "Avery 5164" and then it will spit out a blank document that's divided up into the labels, and they'll be the right size to match up with the sheet of labels that you'll put into the printer. You cut and paste the addresses into each label field, and then print and it will print the addresses in the right spots so that they will each be on a label.
posted by thebazilist at 8:25 PM on October 5, 2010

I agree with thebazilist. I see no advantage trying to use gmail for this. I'd do exactly what was suggested. Use Open Office if you don't have word.
posted by JayRwv at 8:33 PM on October 5, 2010

alternately you could enter them in a spread sheet and merge the labels from that. You could also use the sheet to track rsvps, gifts etc.
posted by oneear at 8:59 PM on October 5, 2010 [1 favorite]

Yup, sorry, it's copy and paste time. Well, if you find a way to do this using Gmail contacts effectively, please don't tell me, I will cry.

Also, seconding that having a spreadsheet with addresses and names is useful later on. You can track RSVPs and re-use the spreadsheet to send out thank you cards, and later on holiday-of-choice cards, etc.

Or, do you know someone with a significant overlap in their wedding guest list who got married recently? The address list is the nicest gift they could give you.
posted by copperbleu at 12:26 AM on October 6, 2010

Export the contacts in a CSV file (in GMail contacts, go to More Actions, Export Contacts, Outlook CSV file). Load CSV file into Excel or OpenOffice/LibreOffice Calc. Save as native file format. Open Word/Write, and do a Mail Merge.
posted by deezil at 4:34 AM on October 6, 2010

Yeah, whoops, early morning, no coffee, I only answered the back half of the question. For the front half, there's no great way to get the addresses IN to the contacts.
posted by deezil at 5:15 AM on October 6, 2010