Envelope address positions not retained between Word documents (212130)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Office Word 2003
  • Microsoft Word 2002
  • Microsoft Word 2000
This article was previously published under Q212130

SYMPTOMS

If you modify the envelope Delivery Address or Return Address position by changing the From Left or From Top settings in the Envelope Options dialog box, the change you make is not retained between documents.

To locate the From Left and From Top settings for Microsoft Word 2000, click Envelopes And Labels on the Tools menu, select the Envelopes tab, and then click Options.

To locate the From Left and From Top settings for Microsoft Word 2002 and for Microsoft Office Word 2003, point to Letters and Mailings on the Tools menu, click Envelopes and Labels, click the Envelopes tab, and then click Options

CAUSE

This functionality is by design. The From Left and From Top options are provided to allow a one-time change to the default envelope settings as defined by the built-in envelope attributes of Word and in the Envelope Address and Envelope Return styles.

MORE INFORMATION

In the Envelope Options dialog box, if you want to change to the current envelope's Return Address or Delivery Address position, you can change the setting of From Left and/or From Top.

NOTE: When the From Top or From Left setting is set to Auto, Word uses its built-in envelope attributes (these built-in attributes cannot be changed). If you change the setting of From Left or From Top to a specific value, Word overrides its built-in attributes and the default Envelope Return or Envelope Address styles and uses the settings that you specified for the current envelope only.

To make a permanent change to the Envelope Return or Envelope Address positions, you must modify the Envelope Return or Envelope Address style. To do this, follow the steps for your version of Word.

Word 2000
  1. On the Format menu, click Style.
  2. In the List box, select All Styles.
  3. In the Style box, select Envelope Address (or Envelope Return).
  4. Click Modify.
  5. To make the change permanent for all new documents, click to select the Add To Template check box.
  6. Click Format and then click Frame.
  7. Under Horizontal, change the Position setting to a numeric distance from the margin by typing a number.

    For example, if you want your delivery address to be positioned 1 inch to the right of the left margin, type 1.0" in the Horizontal Position box.
  8. Under Vertical, change the Position setting to a numeric distance from the top margin by typing in a number.

    For example, if you want the delivery position to be positioned 3 inches down from the top margin, type 3.0" in the Vertical Position box.
  9. Click OK twice, and then click Close to close the dialog boxes.
If you now click Envelopes And Labels on the Tools menu and click Options on the Envelope tab, the From Top and From Left settings will reflect the settings that you specified in the Envelope Return or Envelope Address styles.

Word 2002 and Word 2003
  1. On the Format menu, click Styles and Formatting.
  2. In the Styles and Formatting task pane, click All Styles in the Show box.
  3. Under Pick formatting to apply, click Envelope Address or Envelope Return.
  4. Click Modify.
  5. To make the change permanent for all new documents, click to select the Add to template check box.
  6. Click Format, and then click Frame.
  7. Under Horizontal, type a number in the Position box. Then, click Margin in the Relative to box.

    For example, if you want your delivery address to be positioned 1 inch to the right of the left margin, type 1.0" in the Position box under Horizontal.
  8. Under Vertical, type a number in the Position box. Then, click Margin in the Relative to box.

    For example, if you want the delivery position to be positioned 3 inches down from the top margin, type 3.0" in the Position box under Vertical.
  9. Click OK two times to close the dialog boxes.
If you now point to Letters and Mailings on the Tools menu, click Envelopes and Labels, and then click Options on the Envelope tab, the From Top and From Left settings will reflect the settings that you specified in the Envelope Return or Envelope Address styles.

NOTE: You can still change the setting of From Left or From Top to a different setting or change back to the Word default envelope position by selecting Auto for the current envelope only.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:3/23/2006
Keywords:kbenvelope kbprb KB212130
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