postcards, four per page mail merge

[jwb]

I've read all the threads on this, I've tried to solve it myself, but I have
the SAME problem lots of others are having.

When I merge my address label on the postcard, it prints with ALL four with
the SAME address on the page. I've read lots of MVP responses that say the
print preview is 'screwed up', and so I was optimisitic that my print would
work.

It didn't.

Is it possible there is someother setting I have 'screwed up'? I NEED to
print 800 of these address onto my sheet, 4 per page. I don't want to do
labels if I can help it.

Thanks for your help, I'm in a bind.

 

[GordonG]

I've read all the threads on this, I've tried to solve it myself, but I have
the SAME problem lots of others are having.

When I merge my address label on the postcard, it prints with ALL four with
the SAME address on the page. I've read lots of MVP responses that say the
print preview is 'screwed up', and so I was optimisitic that my print would
work.

It didn't.

Is it possible there is someother setting I have 'screwed up'? I NEED to
print 800 of these address onto my sheet, 4 per page. I don't want to do
labels if I can help it.

Thanks for your help, I'm in a bind.

Okay, this is how we do it and it ALWAYS works...

Set up the job as a quarter of a standard A4 or Letter page, whichever
you use.

Make up the card the way you want it.

Make up your merge file in Excel or Notepad or Word or anything you like.

In Publisher, go to your Mail Merge option and select your merge file.

Insert the field into the correct place in your document.

Print Merge.

We do this two to ten times a day - always works... There are
variations, of course, but I'm not going into those right now.

 

[Mary Sauer]

To add to Gordon's reply... You can only have one card on your screen for the
merge to work. There is a test selection in the print dialogue.

 

[jwb]

I'll try to the 'print merge' option.

That is not optimum as I like to be able to proof the results before I run
the entire job.... however if that is a limitation I 'll try it.

As a side note, I only had ONE card on the screen when I completed the merge
in earlier attempts, and still the resulting file and print ended up with
FOUR of the SAME cards per page.

 

[Ed Bennett]

I'll try to the 'print merge' option.

You do HAVE to use the print merge option; otherwise, you just get a
publication like any other which cannot print multiple different pages
per sheet (except in Publisher 2007).

You can merge to a PDF printer driver, and use the PDF as your proof.

 

[jwb]

Ed, thanks.
I am printing as we speak. I tried the .pdf option, but it too came out all
four postcards had the same address. I didn't mess with that option too
long, I probalby could have figured it out, but went to the merge to print
optoin instead.

I guess I'll have to get Office 2007

Jim

 

[Heetbrink]

I'm afraid this does NOT work for me. I've tried it every way possible, I
keep getting 4 of the same name on the sheet.

 

[Ed Bennett]

I'm afraid this does NOT work for me. I've tried it every way possible, I
keep getting 4 of the same name on the sheet.

Why don't you post the _exact_ steps you're taking, so we can work out
what's wrong with what you're doing?

 

[neald8]

After reading all the posts on this, I might have found our problem. I'm
merging from a Text Document and using Publisher 2007. Do I have to use MS
Excel? I would love to figure this out as NO ONE in the office can! Thank
you.

 

[Mary Sauer]

There are all sorts of data bases you can use as a merge. Word, Excel, Access
and so on. You can create a list in Publisher. I am not sure about a text
document however. Create a table in Word with your information, merge from it.

 

[Ed Bennett]

After reading all the posts on this, I might have found our problem. I'm
merging from a Text Document and using Publisher 2007. Do I have to use MS
Excel? I would love to figure this out as NO ONE in the office can! Thank
you.

Seeing as the solution to problems merging from Excel files is often to
export a CSV (plain text, comma-separated or tab-delimited) file and
merge from that, I don't see how that could be the issue. It may be a
problem with the way you've set your database up, however.

 

[CAT]

Hi Ed,
I keep having the same problem, it prints the same name on all cards, I use
te prnt merge option but what this does is that the first page(four cards per
page)asthe same name,the cond sheet, gets the second name on the list.
thnks for your help

Catalina Palma
Green Guys Landscaping Inc.

 

[Ed Bennett]

I keep having the same problem, it prints the same name on all cards, I use
te prnt merge option but what this does is that the first page(four cards per
page)asthe same name,the cond sheet, gets the second name on the list.
thnks for your help

Did you follow the other advice typically given in this sort of thread
(I can't check this thread as it's so ancient the articles have expired
from the server) - make sure that when you're designing, you only see
ONE card on the screen at a time, and you let Publisher do the imposition?

 

[CAT]

Hi Ed,
I only have one cardon the sceen, it got t form the postcard emplates,but
when it ptints out it has the same name on all four.
thanks

 

[CAT]

I Figured it ou, publishr defaults to print four copies as an initial
setting, i didn'tsee that option util just know, i just changed the
settingand it now works.
thanks

 

[Ed Bennett]

I Figured it ou, publishr defaults to print four copies as an initial
setting, i didn'tsee that option util just know, i just changed the
settingand it now works.

You're using Publisher 2007. Publisher 2007 behaves differently to all
other versions, and it slipped my mind (especially as you didn't mention
your version).

 

[Shelley]

I couldn't get it to print correctly either, but I finally figured it out.

Design your postcard. Do your merge. Your postcard should be two pages. One
page with the design and the other page the mailing information. The key is
in the print set-up, not the merge.

Select: "Print Merge."
Select: "print multiple pages per sheet"
Paper Size: "letter"
Orientation: "Landscape"
2-Sided Printing Options: "two-sided, flip short side"

The result is an 8 1/2 x 11 paper with two post card designs along the left
and two DIFFERENT addresses (a,b) along the right on paper side. If you flip
the paper over, like turning a page in a book, you have postcard designs
along the left again and two more different address (b,c) along the right.
When you cut them, you get 4 postcards with the same design on one side and 4
different address (a, b, c, d) on the other.

Finally success!

Shelley