What is the LAB file format?
Files with the .lab extension store label definitions created with WordPerfect, Corel's long-running word processor and office suite. .lab files encode the sheet geometry - page size, the number of rows and columns of label cells, individual cell width and height, and the margins and gaps between cells - that WordPerfect's Labels feature needs to lay out and print a label sheet correctly. The same file can be reused as a template across multiple WordPerfect documents.
.lab projects can be printed on dedicated label printers or conventional printing devices. Because the format is a proprietary Corel resource rather than a public standard, .lab files carry no fixed file-type signature and are identified primarily by their association with WordPerfect. File sizes are typically small - from about 1 KB to 20 KB - since the file holds only layout geometry, not document content.
Labeling is a complex and somewhat difficult process. Although some label-sheet standards exist, most label printing devices rely on custom layout definitions tailored to their specific paper stock. Different industries use different label definitions and label printing methods. Larger companies typically employ label designers who are responsible for designing labels based on predefined requirements; those geometry definitions are then saved as .lab files for consistent reuse.
Note that the .lab extension is shared by several unrelated applications, including MapInfo geographic label files and Derive symbolic-math files, so the source application should be verified before opening an unfamiliar .lab file.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWA WordPerfect label definition is a small layout file with no executable content, so it is safe to handle. The only real caution is ambiguity: a .lab from an unfamiliar source might be a different format entirely (a game resource archive, a MapInfo label file), so confirm what produced it before assuming it is a WordPerfect template.
Format details
in a nutshell- MapInfo Native Label file - MapInfo Professional/Pro stores saved map label text and placement in a .lab companion to a table.
- Derive Mathematics worksheet (legacy) - The old Derive computer-algebra program used .lab files for saved math sessions/labels.
- LucasArts game resource (db legacy name) - Some LucasArts/older games shipped .lab resource archives; the bare database name 'LucasArts game resource files' was attached to this entry but the described/dominant type is the Corel WordPerfect label.
Programs that open LAB files
Windows1 app
Corel WordPerfect (WordPerfect Office)
Paid Open WordPerfect, use Format > Labels to load/select the label definition; the .lab supplies the sheet layout. Technical details
deep spec| Developer | Corel Corporation (WordPerfect Office suite) |
| Primary purpose | Label-sheet geometry definition for WordPerfect's built-in Labels feature |
| Encoding | Binary, proprietary Corel resource; may contain embedded textual layout parameters |
| Byte order | Little-endian |
| Typical file size | 1-20 KB (geometry only, no document content) |
| Stored geometry | Page size, row and column count of label cells, individual cell width and height, margins and inter-cell gaps |
| File signature | No fixed magic bytes; identified by its association with WordPerfect rather than a file header |
| Supported platforms | Windows (current WordPerfect Office); MS-DOS (legacy WordPerfect releases) |
| MIME type | application/octet-stream |
| Version scheme | No public versioning; version is implicit in the WordPerfect Office release that wrote the file |
| Related formats | .wpd documents, .wpt templates, .lft label form files |
| Extension conflicts | The .lab extension is also used by MapInfo geographic label files, Derive symbolic-math software, and various game resource files |
| Released | Early 1990s (Corel/Novell WordPerfect labels feature) |
| Latest version | Bundled with WordPerfect Office (current line) |
LAB conversions
Community Q&A
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