Forum Home
Press F1
 
Thread ID: 39771 2003-11-17 01:36:00 Word Mailmerge Robinmcg1 (4881) Press F1
Post ID Timestamp Content User
192584 2003-11-17 01:36:00 Can you please help with a Mailmerge problem using MS Word 2000 and Word XP?
As the editor of a club newsletter I have the job of mailmerging the master into about 200 issues each month for mailing. We have a new digital copier attached to a computer and which has a "document sorting" feature but, since mailmerge produces all 200 issues as one large document, of course there is no sorting done because there must be more than one document to sort. I have tried "merging to file" and "merge to printer" all with the same result. Word always carries out the merge by creating (or printing) them as one large document instead of 200 individual ones which the copier will recognise and sort satisfactorily. The merge is satisfactory in other respects (although very slow). Is there a solution? Can I insert some sort of code which will signal that each printed newsletter is a separate document and therefore suitable for sorting. Regards.
Robinmcg1 (4881)
192585 2003-11-17 02:16:00 Interesting problem.

Its all one document, and thats the issue.

I use mail merge, and am not aware of any ability to have the process automatically produce multiple documents (it would need to self generate a set of file names for these as well if that was the case)

There would be a resource issue to handle 200 documents concurrently I suspect.

I hope there is a solution, will monitor this thread.
godfather (25)
192586 2003-11-17 02:37:00 To successfully do a mail merge you really need two files. The first is a database of suitable field-labels (title, initials, firstnames, surname, street, etc.) and the second is a short Word file pointing to whichever database you want it to link to. When you mail merge on the Word file, it links to the identified database and produces yet another file - the merged - and includes in the Word file all or any of the field-labels you have directed. For example, I produce mailing labels for two clubs. I only use one Word file but point it at whichever club's database file I need at the time. Hope this does not confuse you. Scouse (83)
192587 2003-11-17 02:42:00 Forgot to say, the procedure for producing my labels is the same for sending each member a letter - just that the Word file is the letter, with suitable links to selected database field-labels. Resource-wise it is much cheaper and quicker to print and Xerox a standard letter and produce individual labels for addresses. I send about half of the newsletters out by email as .pdf files. Scouse (83)
192588 2003-11-17 03:36:00 Many thanks Scouse but it doesn't help much. I have no trouble with the data bases etc., but as Godfather (thanks to him too) says, Word does not produce individual files for each addressee (just one very large file covering all addressees) and so the copier won't do the "sort".
Making one newsletter, photocopying it multiple times, then generating and attaching labels would probably be a faster process overall but more labour intensive as well which might well be better than waiting more than an 1 1/2 hours for the 200 letter merge. Having bought this fancy copier, we want it to do the work! If I can only persuade the merge to produce each person's letter as an individual document though (challenge !!!!!!)............
Robinmcg1 (4881)
192589 2003-11-17 04:36:00 Hi,

I had the same problem in that I wanted to email students individual files, created by merging a document and password list.

I overcame this by creating a macro which went through the large merged document printing pages 1-2, 2-4, etc. to individual files. You should be able to do something similar with your problem.

I'll have a look to see if I can find my macro anc post the code

thanks,
Nic
nicnz (2273)
192590 2003-11-17 04:50:00 oh, and to make things more difficult you'll either have to print by current page, or selection. Since if you say print page 1 - it will print the first page for every person.

HTH,
N
nicnz (2273)
192591 2003-11-17 05:44:00 Im sure it can be done with VBA but there may be issues. I would have thought sorting had to be in the same print job? If it can sort by separate print jobs then some simple sode to find the number of pages in the doc, then print page 1 to x individually. There may also be a buffer issue in sending 200 individual jobs albeit its only one page each job.

The following code prints each page separately but I havent tested on a mail merge, only a normal doc so Ive included two pieces of code here. One to test and the next that you use if the test was OK.

Test printing 2 pages


Sub Test()
Dim i as Integer

For i = 1 To 2
Application.PrintOut Range:=wdPrintFromTo, From:=Str(i), To:=Str(i)
Next i

End Sub


Real print if test worked


Sub Test()
Dim NumPages, i As Integer
NumPages = ActiveDocument.Content.Information(wdActiveEndAdju stedPageNumber)

For i = 1 To NumPages
Application.PrintOut Range:=wdPrintFromTo, From:=Str(i), To:=Str(i)
Next i

End Sub


hth
parry (27)
192592 2003-11-18 04:14:00 Thanks to all who have replied and offered solutions. My apologies. Perhaps I should have added right at the start that I originate the newsletter as A4 pages with the merge fields on the back page. I then send it to the copier (which acts as a printer when required) and print it as a booklet. This entails both scaling each page down to fit A5 (folded A4 when in booklet form) and printing 4 pages per sheet (2 each side), plus page numbering ordered to conform to booklet format. The booklet (on A4 paper but in A5 pages has to be doubled so that the addressee's panel is visible (on the back) for the postman. Confusing ????
The copier does all this successfully and the booklet is fine but of course as far as Word is concerned, it is all one very large document when merged.
I have not had anything to do with VBA but will ask a friend to try the macro suggested to see if it works.
Further report later.
Robinmcg1 (4881)
192593 2003-11-18 04:52:00 Hi again, to insert the code do the following:-

1. Select ALT-F11. This opens up the Visual Basic Editor. It is split into two main windows with the window on the left listing different objects and the window on the right which houses the code for a particular object. You dont need to understand any of this its just for info.

2. Select Insert|Module from the menu

3. Copy the first piece of code from Sub Test to End Sub

4. In the right hand window pane (big white area) paste the code in.

5. Select File|Close (or ALT-Q) to get back to your Word document.

To use the macro select Tools|Macro|Macros and there should be a macro called Test in there. Select the macro and click the Run button.

This macro will print two pages only and is just a test to see it prints how you would like. I did this as you dont want to waste 200 pages on something that may not work :-)

If it worked OK you can open the VB Editor again (ALT-F11) and delete code and replace it with the second piece of code which does this for every page. The right hand window is just like word where you can select text and press the delete key to delete. Dont worry, you shouldnt be able to do too much damage ;-)

hth
parry (27)
1 2