Addresses on Christmas card envelopes... handwritten or printed?

A card arrived today which DH opened while I was out. It was from an ex colleague of mine, who DH doesn't know. When I came in he said 'Who was that card from that came today?' I told him and he said 'Does she have a problem with writing?' I said 'No, why?' He said 'The name and address on the envelope were printed. I thought perhaps she couldn't write'. He was serious. Bless him.

Ha ha indinana

I've used a different font for every label

I always used to print labels - so much clearer than my handwriting (especially after writing out dozens of the things with my handwriting deteriorating by the minute. Then a couple of years ago I bought an iMac, and haven't so far got round to setting the labels up in Apple's 'Pages' app. So now I'm back to handwriting all the envelopes, and every year I promise myself that I'll sort the settings for the labels. Perhaps next year.....
Yes, it is fun trying to guess whose card it is by the handwriting, but don't mourn the loss of this bit of annual fun - before long we'll be playing the guessing game around which font people use

Wow! So many opinions. Labels are great. Together with an Excel table of addresses and a WORD table with columns showing all your friends and beloveds, who you sent to last year, who you got back from and who you are sending to this year. If you don't know how to do it get one of your children/grandchildren to set them up for you.
I have emailed myself the file of addresses so I can access it wherever I am.
I know this sounds immensely sad but it saves SO much hassle.

You're right of course, feetlebaum! Shows how long it is since I actually printed any labels myself...

But Leonora could still have turned the sheet over and reprinted.

@Ana - If the labels had been printed on the back - that would surelyu be on the backing sheet - not the 'sticky bit'!

General advice: I gad a problem with my label printing that went on and on... Finally I discovered that somewhere in the set-up the sheet was described as 'Letter', and not 'A4'! Letter size is an American standard, f course. Anyway, I made that one change and, Voila, Ladies and Mantlepieces, problem vanished - everything nicely lined up.

@Henetha - What make and model of printer do you have?

loopylou
I'd use labels if only I could work out how!
If you buy Avery labels you can download the correct template from their website.
www.avery.co.uk/avery/en_gb/Templates-%26-Software

I've been printing labels for quite some years now, and this was the first year that I managed to print them on the wrong side

ps It's what's inside that matters - a handwritten card and in some cases a handwritten letter

Is that what GOW means!
I didn't like to ask
Gone Off Winter?
Grans Only Website?
Getting On Wick?
Going Out Wednesday?
Good Old Gran/Grampy?
Gone Off Gransnet Never!

I've printed on the wrong side of labels before now and the wrong labels size. But I tend to learn from my mistakes.

I've always been an IT techie, so I started doing labels as soon as I could and always make them Christmassy (sp?) with pictures of things like Christmas trees or holly. I keep a spreadsheet with the names and addresses, plus all the names of the family members that need to be remembered and up date the list every year.

But this year I lent the printer I use for labels to a friend, so my cards were handwritten. My usual printer is useless for labels (wish I'd known this before I bought it), but otherwise it's a good printer so there's no excuse to change it.

I don't mind receiving cards with labels or handwritten and agree this falls under the category of Grumpy Old Women!

I'd use labels if only I could work out how!
I've lost a very old friend's address, she's not on the phone or email etc.
Try as I might I cannot get her address off the internet without paying. It's really annoying me!
I know she lives in Devon but that's as far as I get before demands for ££.

I can't believe this is such an issue.
Bottom line is a clear address with postcode so that the envelope can be automatically sorted, delivered to the correct address with minimum delay.
Some people's handwriting is far from clear (including my sister who for some reason chose to write both the card and address the envelope in orange pen (?) maybe it's a Canadian thing, but I could barely read my own address by artificial light)
Writing Christmas cards can also take its toll on arthritic hands and if you write something personal to each recipient, your hand can be aching by the end of it.
I think it is more important to write the message than hand address the envelope!
Lapwing and others have put their personal experience.
I'm just happy to get a "real" card instead of an e-card or none at all.

It's a grumpy person thing, definitely. Given the sheer numbers of cards many people send by post nowadays, it makes sense to print address labels if you can. Plus ther are multiple reasons why any individual might prefer not to hand write all the envelopes, arthritis in hands, for instance.

Seeing handwriting one recognises is nice but complaining if one doesn't see it is pure grump.

Or did you not save your label sheet...?

You could have turned the label sheets over and printed them on the right side, Leonora - they'd still have stuck even with print on the sticky bit!

I laboriously typed out 50 addresses onto the online label sheet, one at a time, and then idiot that I am, printed them onto the wrong side of the label sheets. So now I'm hand writing the whole lot again.
It'll be e-cards for all next year!

I'm tickled pink that I am not the only one who can't figure out how to print labels with my fancy new printer. So I handwrite them. But if the envelope is coloured then I write on a white label and stick it on with sellotape. And I do try to write clearly.

That must beat all anno

My grandmother, who lived in Fife, once received a letter that had been returned from Fiji.

feetlebaum we once addressed a card to an address in 'Stroat, Gloucs.' It arrived 3 weeks after Christmas having gone via John O' Groats.
Perhaps the PO thought it was rhyming code!

I print the labels and also print a Christmas card list and cross off because DH on receiving each card keeps saying have we sent one to XYZ and I can say check the list. I sometimes feel like getting all mumsnetty and telling him to do his own friends and rellies. But I think he would lose them all.my writing is not good at the moment. The oddest card was when someone had cards printed but didn't sign it . I thought a printed card should also have a signature.

We got a card last year with a printed label instead of any signature!