Avery’s divider product families
Avery splits its binder divider range across four families. Insertable dividers ship with clear plastic tabs and printable insert strips, so the tab text is replaceable. Big Tab dividers have larger tab faces with extended text capacity, also using insert strips. Ready Index dividers are pre-printed (typically 1-31 for monthly filing or A-Z for alphabetical reference), with no inserts required. The A-Z range covers alphabetical filing variants. The right family depends on whether you need replaceable text (Insertable / Big Tab) or a fixed reference set (Ready Index).
Divider products at a glance
The five codes below cover the bulk of Avery’s binder divider range. All sit on US Letter / A4 binder formats with three-hole punching as standard.
| SKU | Family | Tab count | Tab type | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11423 | Insertable | 5-tab | Clear plastic + printable inserts | General office filing; replaceable labels |
| 11428 | Insertable | 8-tab | Clear plastic + printable inserts | More granular sectioning |
| 11442 | Big Tab Insertable | 5-tab | Larger tab face, printable inserts | Bigger text; reading from a distance |
| 11820 | Ready Index | 1-31 (monthly) | Pre-printed numbered | Daily logs, training modules, dated filing |
| 11816 | Ready Index | A-Z | Pre-printed alphabetical | Reference filing, contact files, client A-Z |
The 11423 and 11428 are the workhorses — most office filing starts with one of these because the tab text is replaceable as the structure evolves. The 11442 Big Tab is worth choosing when the binder lives on a shelf at standing height: the larger tab face is readable across a room. Ready Index sets (11820, 11816) are faster to deploy because there’s no insert printing step, but they’re locked to the printed labels.
For tab counts beyond 8 — typical of legal exhibits or large reference binders — Avery offers 10-tab, 12-tab, 15-tab and 26-tab variants under similar Insertable and Big Tab codes. The full range and matching configurations live in the tab divider sizes and configurations article.
Finding Avery divider templates
Avery’s Insertable and Big Tab inserts use small printable strips — typically around 0.5 × 1.5 inches per tab — and Word ships with templates for the current SKUs. Reach them via:
- Mailings > Labels > Options. Set Label Vendors to “Avery US Letter” and scroll to the divider code (11423, 11428 etc.).
- File > New, search the Avery code. Templates that exist in the local library open pre-formatted with each tab strip as an editable cell.
If a code is missing from Word’s library, download the .docx template from avery.com — every product page has a Templates tab with files for Word and other formats. Edit the first strip’s text and font, then propagate the styling to remaining cells. For numbered or alphabetical custom runs, set up a mail merge from a spreadsheet — covered in the Word divider templates tutorial.
Print and assembly
Print one test sheet on plain paper before loading Avery insert sheets — tab strips are unforgiving of vertical drift because the printable area is narrow. After printing, separate the tab strips on the perforations and slide each into the clear plastic tab on the matching divider. Orientation matters — the printed face should sit forward.
A note on Avery codes: Avery occasionally renames or replaces SKUs as ranges get refreshed. If a code referenced here doesn’t appear in your Word template chooser, check avery.com for the current equivalent — the underlying tab dimensions are the durable detail.