hi erika; thanks for the reply.
i thought about that, however there isn't [that i can find] settings in the label dialog box for the length of the pointer line or relationship of pointer end to object, so saving a favourite seems to save the default value for these.
i've attached an image of what i'm trying to achieve. on the left is the label that's been manually moved and adjusted closer to the mid-point of the object; this label was then saved as a favourite, selected and then the object copy on the right labelled. the label reverted to default location. also tried alt. clicking (eyedropper tool) and alt.cntl. clicking (syringe tool) from the left label to the right one without change.