Mac Word 2008 Envelope Tool

[MacMike]

I'm using an Epson RX680 printer (latest Epson drivers) and an Intel
iMac running OS X 10.5.2.

I've recently purchased Mac Office 2008, and am struggling with the
Envelopes tool. When I select the Envelopes Tool and input the address
(leaving the auto return address alone), then click Print, I see the
text is incorrectly oriented on the page. It's as if Word expects me
to insert the envelope horizontally, yet my printer's expecting it
vertically.

The only workaround I've found is to select both the return and
addresee text boxes and move them to their correct position and
orientation.

I'm I missing something painfully obvious here? Or is the Envelope
Tool of little use?

Thank you.

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

Try this: in the envelope dialog, under Printing Options, select the
button for "use custom settings". Then set them to match your envelope
size and printer feed. Click OK instead of Print so that you can preview
the envelope--set view>zoom to whole page.

That fixed it for me, and my quick test suggests it will remember the
settings (mostly--not if I invoke Tools | Envelopes from an existing
envelope document, but yes if I call it from a letter document).

I'm using a Brother HL2040 and PPC running 10.4.11, Office 12.0.1.
Oddly, although I'm almost positive I printed envelopes with this
configuration and without changing the settings while back, for some
reason I just saw the same problem you report with the envelope tool. I
think it's the same problem, anyhow--on my machine, it goes beyond just
incorrect orientation, when I check the page setup the size of the
envelope is all wrong--B6 (roughly 5x7) instead of the business Com-10
(~9x4.5) it ought to be. Is that the same for you?

 

[CyberTaz]

Hi Mike -

I'm not sure why it behaves that way but my R800 does the same thing. I
don't do enough envelopes to track it down as to whether it's a Leopard
issue or an Epson issue - I don't think I had the same behavior in Tiger.
However this works for me...

In the Envelopes dialog click the Page Setup button, make sure the envelope
size is correctly indicated & click the Landscape button. OK that, then
click Print & see if it doesn't preview correctly.

HTH |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[MHOsborn]

I would have replied sooner, but MS's web site for the Word forums is a bear to navigate! Also, when I searched for my question (because this seems to be the only way to look for something...definitely an unfriendly forum site) it showed no replies. Something about this web site and (a) my iMac, (b) Safari, or (c) my ability to navigate the site doesn't agree with MS.

Try this: in the envelope dialog, under Printing Options, select the
button for "use custom settings". Then set them to match your envelope
size and printer feed. Click OK instead of Print so that you can preview
the envelope--set view>zoom to whole page.

I just tested this, and it didn't change anything. The exact same problem exists. It didn't change the page setup settings you experienced. I noticed that, in the Tools -->Envelopes --> Custom Settings --> Page Setup there was a checkbox for Clockwise Rotation. I thought...that MUST be the problem. Testing it again with this box unchecked produced the same results. (This box may forever be a mystery known only to MS Word Mac software engineers!).

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

Off-topic, but at the bottom of each OfficeForMac page, there is a teeny
white link for Website Feedback. Please use it--the site is new and
specific information on what makes it difficult to navigate can help
improve it.

On my machine, your thread is the second hit for "envelope tool",
searching the Word forum, and the only hit for "MacMike" or "MHOsborn",
though.

There should also be a way to access your profile which shows all the
threads you have posted in, though I don't remember how because I never
sign into the site.

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

I just tested this, and it didn't change anything. The exact same problem exists. It didn't change the page setup settings you experienced. I noticed that, in the Tools -->Envelopes --> Custom Settings --> Page Setup there was a checkbox for Clockwise Rotation. I thought...that MUST be the problem. Testing it again with this box unchecked produced the same results. (This box may forever be a mystery known only to MS Word Mac software engineers!).

CyberTaz gave you different directions that you don't mention following
(click the Page Setup button under Printing Options, while I said use
the Custom bottom)--did those help?

If they don't, can you describe exactly what you see when you create an
envelope and click OK to preview it? What envelope size, where is the
text, etc?

 

[MacMike]

CyberTaz gave you different directions that you don't mention following
(click the Page Setup button under Printing Options, while I said use
the Custom bottom)--did those help?

If they don't, can you describe exactly what you see when you create an
envelope and click OK to preview it? What envelope size, where is the
text, etc?

OK....using CyberTaz's directions (sorry...overlooked those before), I
see the problem. I hadn't clicked on the Landscape button in Page
Setup. (Maybe some text under the Portrait/Landscape icons would have
helped here?).

The envelope is now oriented properly, and prints (almost) exactly what
I needed.

The leftmost portion of the return address is clipped off, though. I
suspect this is an Epson print driver issue, as the same thing happens
in my normal envelope app, Ambrosia Software's Easy Envelopes widget.
I emailed this problem to Epson Saturday night, but have not yet
received a reply from them. The workaround is, I guess, to move the
return address a bit more than an inch away from the edge of the
envelope (easy enough to grab this text and move it in Word).

And to think this all started (and, apparently, has ended up, as a
result of the text being clipped off in the return address in Easy
Envelopes!. I've not used the Word envelope tool in many, many years.

Thanks much for all your help!

Mike

 

[MacMike]

Off-topic, but at the bottom of each OfficeForMac page, there is a
teeny white link for Website Feedback. Please use it--the site is new
and specific information on what makes it difficult to navigate can
help improve it.

On my machine, your thread is the second hit for "envelope tool",
searching the Word forum, and the only hit for "MacMike" or "MHOsborn",
though.

There should also be a way to access your profile which shows all the
threads you have posted in, though I don't remember how because I never
sign into the site.

Good suggestion, Daiya...I'll offer some suggestions on the MS site for them.

When I accessed my profile, it didn't show any replies to my threads,
which is how I missed any replies.

For the time being, though, I'll stick to using my newsreader
(Unison)...I'd forgotten completely about the fact that the Word forums
are actually usenet newsgroups presented in a "web wrapper" on the
Microsoft site.

Thanks again,

Mike

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

For the time being, though, I'll stick to using my newsreader
(Unison)...I'd forgotten completely about the fact that the Word
forums are actually usenet newsgroups presented in a "web wrapper" on
the Microsoft site.

Lots of options! Infinite choices!

For the archives: some people prefer the google groups interface, also:
http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.mac.office.word/topics

Daiya

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

OK....using CyberTaz's directions (sorry...overlooked those before), I
see the problem. I hadn't clicked on the Landscape button in Page
Setup. (Maybe some text under the Portrait/Landscape icons would have
helped here?).

The envelope is now oriented properly, and prints (almost) exactly
what I needed.

The leftmost portion of the return address is clipped off, though. I
suspect this is an Epson print driver issue, as the same thing happens
in my normal envelope app, Ambrosia Software's Easy Envelopes widget.
I emailed this problem to Epson Saturday night, but have not yet
received a reply from them. The workaround is, I guess, to move the
return address a bit more than an inch away from the edge of the
envelope (easy enough to grab this text and move it in Word).

Okay. Glad you are mostly sorted. Do use Help | Send Feedback in Word,
anyhow, though, just to add to the data that envelopes are misbehaving.
They do test printer drivers.

 

[CyberTaz]

Hi Mike -

<snip>

The leftmost portion of the return address is clipped off, though. I
suspect this is an Epson print driver issue, as the same thing happens
in my normal envelope app, Ambrosia Software's Easy Envelopes widget.

<snip>

I wish it were that simple:-( The problem is that most Epson printers have
minimum bottom margin of .56" - You rarely have to contend with it because
typical docs usually have a bottom margin setting of .75" or more.

However, when you feed the envelope in, the end where the return address is
becomes the "bottom" edge. In my case, however, the driver provides *two*
Landscape icons in Page Setup and by selecting the 2nd I can feed the
envelope from the opposite direction... See if yours has the same.

HTH |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[MacMike]

Hi Mike -

<snip>

<snip>

I wish it were that simple:-( The problem is that most Epson printers have
minimum bottom margin of .56" - You rarely have to contend with it because
typical docs usually have a bottom margin setting of .75" or more.

However, when you feed the envelope in, the end where the return address is
becomes the "bottom" edge. In my case, however, the driver provides *two*
Landscape icons in Page Setup and by selecting the 2nd I can feed the
envelope from the opposite direction... See if yours has the same.

HTH |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

Bob,

No...the Page Setup shows only one Portrait and one Landscape icon.

Good thing I rarely need to print envelopes, eh? (About the only time
I do it is to mail in rebates. My spouse would rather not be bothered
with that, and I hate giving money away).

I just measured from the edge of the envelope to where the return
address text begins, and it's just a hair over .75".

I then clicked Format --> Document and checked the page margins. They
were set at:
Top = 0.25"
Bottom = 0.5"
Left = 0.4"
Right = 0.79"

Adjusting the Left margin to 1.0" produced a complete return address,
albeit a bit farther towards the middle than looks normal.

Maybe MS needs to provide an Epson RX680 version of the software? <g>

(As an aside, Word crashed soon after I quit the program...2nd time
that's happened. I went ahead and had it send the report to MS).

Thanks,

Mike