Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Placeholders for Stamps.

Placeholders for Stamps

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated August 8, 2020)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


If you are using Word to create envelopes or postcards for your business, you may have a need to include a "placeholder" for stamps. You've seen these before—generally they are in the upper-right corner of business reply envelopes. They are a small rectangle containing words to the effect "Place Stamp Here. The Post Office will not deliver mail without postage". The wording varies, but you get the idea.

To easily create such an object on your envelopes or postcards, follow these general steps:

  1. Open or create your envelope or postcard, as you normally would.
  2. Make sure the Drawing toolbar is visible.
  3. Click on the Text Box tool on the Drawing toolbar. Word changes to Print Layout view or Page Layout view (Word 97) and the mouse pointer changes to a crosshair.
  4. Click the mouse pointer where you want the upper-left corner of the placeholder.
  5. Drag the mouse to the lower-right corner of the placeholder. When you release the mouse, the text box is inserted.
  6. Choose Text Box from the Format menu. Word displays the Format Text Box dialog box.
  7. Make sure the Size tab is displayed. (See Figure 1.)
  8. Figure 1. The Size tab of the Format Text Box dialog box

  9. Set the Height value to .9 inches.
  10. Set the Width value to .7 inches.
  11. Click on OK.
  12. Place the insertion point within the text box.
  13. Type the text you want to appear within the placeholder.
  14. Format the text as desired. (You will probably need to make the font size smaller so the text is completely visible).

That's it! Your placeholder is on your envelope or postcard, and you are ready to print.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (475) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Placeholders for Stamps.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Increasing Space between Numbers and Text in a List

You can easily create numbered lists in your document. Most versions of Word even allow you to modify the distance ...

Discover More

Printing Odd or Even Pages

When you print a worksheet, Excel normally prints all the pages or a consecutive series of pages that you specify. If you ...

Discover More

Navigating Your Document Using Outline View

When you need to get around a long document, a really helpful method is to use the Outline view built into Word. This tip ...

Discover More

The First and Last Word on Word! Bestselling For Dummies author Dan Gookin puts his usual fun and friendly candor back to work to show you how to navigate Word 2013. Spend more time working and less time trying to figure it all out! Check out Word 2013 For Dummies today!

More WordTips (menu)

Changing the Default Font for Envelopes

When you create an envelope, Word assumes you want to use the font it has decided should be used for the envelope. If you ...

Discover More

Maintaining Delivery Address Information for Envelopes

Using the Envelopes and Labels dialog box to print envelopes is quick and easy. It can also be frustrating, however, ...

Discover More

Removing Return Addresses

Word allows you to print return addresses on your envelopes. You may run across a scenario where the return address is ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 5 + 1?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.