Mail-merge Booklet Layout

[peter]

Office XP 2003:
I am printing an 8-page document in booklet mode.
It contains mail merged data on several pages; ie. an account number.
It prints fine except that the reverse of each sheet contains the wrong data.
The front of the 1st Sheet has the 1st account number but the reverse
contains the last account number. the second copy of sheet 1 has the second
account on the front and the next-to-last account no. on the reverse.
I've tried changing the collation settings to no avail. I always get the
same results.
I have several hundred of these & a manual collation would probably get
messed up.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Does each booklet actually contain eight pages? Do you have 8 set as the
number of sheets per booklet?

 

[peter]

The document contains 8 pages.
When printed, it fits perfectly on 2 sheets of 11x17" paper.
If I print a single copy of the base document, it is fine; of course.
8&1, 2&7, 6&3, 4&5
front, back, front, back

The location of pages is only an issue when the merged data is on a page
that is on the 'back' of a sheet. the wrong back is matched to the front.
if I print directly to the printer, the last back of the sheet goes with on
first front, etc.

I stumbled onto a work-around; if I print to the device's 'document server'
(it is a Ricoh Aficio 2075 - heavy duty copier/printer/scanner/fax) & then
select 'booklet mode' then the pages are printed back-to-back properly. This
is a different mode than if I want the basic form printed out, then I have to
use 'magazine mode' on the doc. server.

So, the question is it MS Word, or the driver that is at fault?

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

I suspect that the idea of mail merging book fold documents was not
envisioned by Word's developers. In general, I find book fold an
unsatisfactory and frustrating feature, so if you have found a workaround
that you can live with, count yourself lucky.