2 pages per sheet (Page Setup)

[SteveW]

I have a mail merge into a table. I have the 2 pages per
sheet checked in the Page Setup dialoge.

The Shading settings in my cells do not stay in the table
on the second page when printed.
It looks like the margins (Left and Right) in the cells do
not get shaded. And the cells where I have the "Cell text
Alignment" set to Center/Center, the top and bottom of the
cell does not have its shading (only the line where there
is text). The cell margins are all set to 0 for the
Center aligned cells. The other cells are full justified
with left and right margins of 0.03.

I noticed that if I uncheck the 2 pages per sheet box and
print the table on two pieces of paper, the shading works
fine.

I noticed looking back over old messages, that someone
else asked about a similar problem, but no answer was
given.
Is there no solution?
Thanks
Steve

 

[garfield-n-odie]

Hi, SteveW.

What happened with the previous post was the OP emailed me his file, and
I had no problems printing it as 2 pages per sheet to an HP Laserjet
3150se, HP Color Laserjet 3700n, and Adobe Acrobat 5. But the OP could
not print successfully to an HP Laserjet 2200dt, Xerox Docucolor laser,
or Adobe Acrobat 4, although the file looked okay in print preview.

Since I could print using three different printer drivers, and the OP
could not print using three other printer drivers, it didn't appear to
be a problem with the Word file itself or printer drivers. Something in
the OP's computer couldn't handle the page setup... I thought it might
be a non-Pentium processor or something to do with RAM, but I never
heard back from the OP as to whether he got it to work.

On to you... Does your file look okay in print preview? Have you tried
printing at the lowest resolution your printer will do, just to see if
it works that way? Have you tried printing the file from another
computer or to another printer?

 

[Guest]

My document looks just fine in Print Preview.
I've tried printing, from the same PC, to two different
printers. One a QMS 2060, the other QMS2445; both with
the same results.
I've changed my mail merge from a "Form Letter" to
a "Cataloge" and I get the same result with the 2 per page
check box checked. If I uncheck that box, no matter how I
run the document, main document form letter, main document
cataloge, section start new page, or section start
continuous, it works fine. Only when that box is checked
do I have this problem.

What this document will be is printed on perforated paper
so that the two table areas can be separated. I could
create a copy of the table on the second half of the sheet
with a "Next Record" field between them, but the check box
seemed like a nice easy way to accomplish this especially
if changes have to be made to any of the wording or layout
in the table. It is kind of a complicated layout and is a
legal document for Tax Sale of delinquent taxes so it is
wordy in spots with complicated wording.

 

[garfield-n-odie]

I don't think it's a problem with mail merge. Definitely sounds like
the problem the previous poster had. Do you have access to another
computer that you can try to print from?

Here's another idea. How do you feel about printing in two passes onto
the same page (i.e., printing the left side on the first pass, then
putting the whole stack of paper back into the printer to print the
right side)? There's a method for booklet printing described at
http://www.word.mvps.org/faqs/formatting/BookletPrinting.htm, but you'll
have to modify it a bit to suit your purpose:
1. Set up the main document of the mail merge so that page 1 has the
wide margin at the right, and page 2 has the wide margin at left (i.e.,
swap the gutter and outside margins shown in the link).
2. In the main document, shrink your current two-page table to make it
fit into the two halves of one landscape page.
3. Run the mail merge.
4. Print all of the the left halves (odd-numbered pages).
5. Put the output stack back into the printer and print all of the
right halves (even-numbered pages). If your printer stacks output face
down, then print the even-numbered pages in normal order. If your
printer stacks output face up, then print the even numbered pages in
reverse order.

It's easier than it sounds. Just an idea though.

 

[SteveW]

I got to try it from another PC this morning and I get the
same results. I'll try your suggestion about the double
pass, but I can tell you right now my boss will not like a
solution where some office worker will be responsible for
running these through a printer twice, being sure that the
paper is in correctly and so forth. This mail merge will
ultimately be run through a macro from a user's desktop
icon.
In your last message you talk about the left right
printing of two pages. I'm not sure I made it clear that
my layout is top bottom printing of two pages. I don't
see where it should matter, but you never know. The table
in question fllls the entire page between the left and
right margins. Was this option designed for the type of
left right page printing you mentioned? Could the page
layout (8.5 x 11 portrait) be the problem?
Thanks

 

[garfield-n-odie]

Hi Steve.

The booklet printing I'm thinking about is designed to print in
landscape orientation, so forget that idea.

Printing in portrait would be much easier I think. I'm not sure if you
are using one table or two tables in the main document, but either way,
it should be possible to set up the main document so that it fits on one
page with a horizontal "gap" in the center to accommodate the perforation.

 

[Stevew]

Well, here's some more news on this.
I went out to the web site you suggested and looked
at the booket printing. Now, before I did test that
information I tested my document on a third PC.
To my suprise, everything worked fine and when I started
to investigate, I found that this PC has Word 2002, running
under Windows XP. The other two PC's are using Word 2000,
one with XP, the other NT4.0.
From your suggested web site I borrowed some macros for
booklet Printing in Word 2000, using the Print twice
method. But all the even pages still had the incomplete
shading.

My document has just the one table in the main document.
Currently situated at the top of the document.
So this now sounds like its a word 2000 problem.
Any more suggestions?
Thanks

 

[garfield-n-odie]

I guess it could be a Word 2000 thing. If it works like you want from
the third PC, you've found the solution! I don't have any other ideas
as to how to make it work on the first PC.

 

[SteveW]

thanks for all your help. The third computer really is
not an option because it is here inthe "development"
office and my clients are all over the state. I'll just
have to hope their running Word 2002 or will accept
the layout as is.
thanks again
Steve

 

[garfield-n-odie]

It *IS* a Word 2000 thing! I just found this on the Microsoft website:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;220221.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

That's one of the most succinct KB articles I've ever seen!

 

[SteveW]

Thanks for everything. I'm just leaving it as is and if
there are any complaints I'll just tell them that's what
they get until the upgrade!
Thanks again