Labels with incremental numbering

[Michelle]

I am making catalog labels for the books in my library. Currently I'm using
3/4" circle labels that come in the small sheets. I write the number at the
top and my initials at the bottom.

I would like to automate this process with labels that can be run through
the printer. Since I can't find the large size (8 1/2" sheets) of circle
labels, since my printer doesn't handle the small sheets well, I'm planning
to transition to the small return address labels--#8167. To make the size
more comparable to my previous system, I've split the cells vertically, so I
get 2 catalog labels per actual label--thus 160/sheet instead of 80/sheet.

Here's my question. How do I insert a field into the label so that it will
automatically increment the # and I don't have to manually enter them? And
I wouldn't want it starting with 1, since my catalog system is already in
the 1000 range.

I looked in fields and I'm not seeing anything like this. I'm sure that I
could create an Excel sheet with two columns (# and initials) and then merge
that into the Word doc label template--but that seems a little much. Is
that my only option?

Hope this makes sense.

 

[Michelle]

Sorry, forgot to add my MS Newsgroup signature. Which reminds me (although
this is an entourage question)--is there a way to have Entourage
automatically us a certain signature when sending to specific addresses?

 

[John McGhie]

Yes. Set up a new "Account" for your newsgroup activities. Specify the
signature in the Options for the Account. You can of course use the same
mail servers as you do for your other accounts.

As to your original question, see here:
http://word.mvps.org/faqs/MailMerge/NumberCopiesOfDocMMerge.htm

If you're in Safari, refresh until the text appears. Safari has a bug...

Sorry, forgot to add my MS Newsgroup signature. Which reminds me (although
this is an entourage question)--is there a way to have Entourage
automatically us a certain signature when sending to specific addresses?

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Sydney, Australia. S33°53'34.20 E151°14'54.50
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]

 

[Elliott Roper]

I am making catalog labels for the books in my library. Currently I'm using
3/4" circle labels that come in the small sheets. I write the number at the
top and my initials at the bottom.

I would like to automate this process with labels that can be run through
the printer. Since I can't find the large size (8 1/2" sheets) of circle
labels, since my printer doesn't handle the small sheets well, I'm planning
to transition to the small return address labels--#8167. To make the size
more comparable to my previous system, I've split the cells vertically, so I
get 2 catalog labels per actual label--thus 160/sheet instead of 80/sheet.

Here's my question. How do I insert a field into the label so that it will
automatically increment the # and I don't have to manually enter them? And
I wouldn't want it starting with 1, since my catalog system is already in
the 1000 range.

If I were given that task, I'd do the whole thing in Excel. It will be
so much easier to keep incrementing the label #'s. Just bang in the
first of the 160 at print time and since all the other cells will have
some kind of formula to nick the serial number from its neighbour, you
get the other 159 for no effort. If you need industrial quantities, it
is easy to extend that idea, even to remembering where you were up to
from last time.
You can lay out the worksheet ever so precisely by messing with row
heights and column widths so the printing lands accurately on the
labels. That will leave you in far more control than handing it off to
Word for formatting.

 

[Michelle]

Can you explain a little more? Do you set up a new "Mail" account or "News"
account? Both seem to be an option. However, when I went to the News
account, it was asking for NNTP information that I'm supposed to get from my
ISP provider. This makes me think that I'm supposed to do a new "Mail"
account, but I'm not really sure.

Whichever way, how do I specify which addresses that I send to should use
that "account". I already have multiple signatures within my regular
account--it's just a matter of remembering to choose the right one before
sending. If setting up a new account for MS newsgroups, will I then have to
remember to send from the new account--seems like I would be in the same fix
as before.

I'm sure I'm just misunderstanding something--or how it works. Please
clarify and thanks.

 

[Peter Jamieson]

The Excel route may be a good way to go.

Otherwise, if you are just producing labels with nothing but a number and
some initials, you can try the following:
a. Create and save a document with the layout you need for a sheet of
labels (or more than one sheet of labels if you are always going to produce,
say, 10 sheets at a time)
b. Put a field with { SEQ n } in each label cell at the poit wher eyou want
the number and your initials at the appropriate place in each label.
c. In the first label,
- change the { SEQ n } to { SEQ n \r{ start } }
- put the following additional fields before that { SEQ } field:

{ SET start { COMMENTS } }{ ASK start "Start number" \d { start } }

d. In the last label cell, after the { SEQ n } field, put the following
additional fields:

{ SET junk { COMMENTS { SEQ n } } }

e. Save and close the document,

Important: All the {} have to be the special field code braces that you
should be able to insert using ctrl-F9 on Windows Word and Command-F9 on
Mac.

Each time you want to print some labels,
1. open the document
2. select the whole document
3. update the fields. A "Start number" prompt should appear. Fill in the
number and press OK. Word should set all the numbers in the label sheet - if
necessary, toggle field view to see the results.
4. print the document
5. save the document.

The first time you do this, the Start number should be blank. However, each
time after that, the next sequential number should be presented in the
"Start number" dialog box, so you should be able to click OK to accept it.
But you can always overtype the existing number.

If you need the numbers to have leading zeroes, e.g. you want 1234 to appear
as 01234, put a numeric formatting switch in each { SEQ } field, e.g.

{ SEQ \n \#00000 }

(Sorry, I can't check this all works on Mac Word right now).

How it works:
a. The next seqeunce number is stored each time you save the document, in
the Comments Document property. The standard document properties are the
only place you can easily "persist" this kind of result reasonably reliably.
b. { SET start { COMMENTS } } sets the value of bookmark "start"to the
number stored in the Comments Document property.
c. The \d { start } parameter in the ASK field says "display the current
value of "start" in the ASK dialog box
d. { ASK start "Start number" } prompts for a new value for "start"
e. { SEQ n \r{ start } } restarts the SEQ number sequence called "n" to the
value of "start" and displays/prints the value
f. { SEQ n } displays/prints the next seqeuntial value
g. { COMMENTS { SEQ n } } sets the last-used value of { SEQ n } + 1 into
the COmments Document property. It is wrapped inside the field { SET junk }
simply to stop it printing/displaying.

Peter Jamieson

 

[Michelle]

If I copy/paste the { SEQ n } into each cell, is it normal for it to go
ahead and change the code to the actual number? Or should I populate the
cells in a different way--this is section a. of your directions. I'm
working on this portion before I go back to alter the first label cell.

I'm also assuming, that since my cells are so small, I'll have to compile
the code outside somewhere and then paste it into the small cell.

 

[Michelle]

Okay, I got the { SEQ n } into each cell without it changing it to the
number yet. Now I'm having a problem getting the larger string into the
first label cell. I've created it outside, but when I go to paste it into
the cell, it goes ahead and asks for the start number. Obviously, I'm not
quite ready for it to ask that yet, I'm just setting it up so that it WILL
ask.

How can I do this?

 

[John McGhie]

Hi Michelle:

Are you sure you're reading the Help on this feature?

You set up a News account. The only piece of NNTP information you will need
for any of the groups on this server is "msnews.microsoft.com" -- the name
of the server.

If you specify the correct signature as your default in the News account, it
will be used for any newsgroups you post to on that server.

Ensure that you have each newsgroup configured on only one server, and thus
to only one news account. (News servers form a world-wide spider-web. You
"could" configure any newsgroup on every server you can reach, but for these
purposes, DON'T!)

If you are in the habit of sending email drop-copies with your newsgroup
postings, you should also configure one of your email accounts as the
default email account for the news account.

Personally, I wouldn't waste a lot more time on this: nobody reads
signatures anyway

Cheers

Can you explain a little more? Do you set up a new "Mail" account or "News"
account? Both seem to be an option. However, when I went to the News
account, it was asking for NNTP information that I'm supposed to get from my
ISP provider. This makes me think that I'm supposed to do a new "Mail"
account, but I'm not really sure.

Whichever way, how do I specify which addresses that I send to should use
that "account". I already have multiple signatures within my regular
account--it's just a matter of remembering to choose the right one before
sending. If setting up a new account for MS newsgroups, will I then have to
remember to send from the new account--seems like I would be in the same fix
as before.

I'm sure I'm just misunderstanding something--or how it works. Please
clarify and thanks.

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Sydney, Australia. S33°53'34.20 E151°14'54.50
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]

 

[Michelle]

I think that I have it figured out. I'll check into it.

 

[Peter Jamieson]

I would let it ask, and answer the question once with a number. Next time,
insert the value you want. (i.e. my instructions don't /quite/ match what
you actually see).

Peter Jamieson