How do I format a mail merge/directory book?

[mikepcc]

I'm trying to create a booklet of membership info for a club. I want to
format it for printing. I have 8 member entries per page, but cannot figure
out how to get 4 on one side and 4 on the other 1/2 ... nor get the page
numbering correct. (I have done the mail merge ... and am using Word 2003.)

Thanks,
Mike

 

[Doug Robbins - Word MVP]

Use a Directory type mail merge main document and set the page up with two
text columns, and in the first column, insert a one row one column table,
with the height of the row set so that IF there were four rows in the table,
they would just fit in that column and using Table Properties, set the row
so that it cannot break across a page. Then insert the mergefields that you
require into the one row one column table. Use Ctrl+Alt+U to remove the
borders from the table.

When you execute this merge to a new document, that document should then
have two columns on each page with the data from 4 records in the data
source in each column.

--
Hope this helps.

Please reply to the newsgroup unless you wish to avail yourself of my
services on a paid consulting basis.

Doug Robbins - Word MVP

 

[mikepcc]

Doug - I cannot thank you enough. Outstanding ... I never would have figured
this out!

Hopefully, 2 final questions: How do I bold text within an address block
(e.g., I simply want the name bolded)? And, page numbering/sort order still
has me baffled. The directory will be in last name sort order ... the booklet
will be folded in 1/2, stapled in the middle. So, if there are 40 pages, page
1 would be on one side and the last page on the other 1/2, then page 2/page
38, etc. Or, is this something I'll have to do manually with the results of
above?

Many thanks,
Mike

 

[Doug Robbins - Word MVP]

Mike,

To embolden the name, do not use the AddressBlock. Instead insert the
individual merge fields in the configuration that you want them so that you
can apply formatting individually to those fields. Usually just selecting
the mergefield that you want emboldened and applying that formatting to it
is all that will be required, but occasionally, it might be necessary to use
Alt+F9 to toggle the display of the actual fields { MERGEFIELD "fieldname" }
If the field ends in a \mergeformat, change that to \charformat and then
apply the desired formatting to the M of MERGEFIELD. If there is no
\mergeformat, just insert \charformat inside the closing } and apply the
formatting to the M.

For the booklet bit, See the article "Booklet printing" at:

http://www.word.mvps.org/FAQs/Formatting/BookletPrinting.htm


--
Hope this helps.

Please reply to the newsgroup unless you wish to avail yourself of my
services on a paid consulting basis.

Doug Robbins - Word MVP