Mail merge to continuous labels skips labels between pages

[Devon Stout]

I am using Word 2002 to create a mail merge to labels from data in an Excel
2002 spreadsheet. Specifically, I'm creating mailing labels using the
<<Address Block>> property and adding on a mailing bar code. Everything works
just fine as far as creating the merge; however, I'm experiencing a problem
with my print, and I'm not sure if it's an issue with Word or with the
printer driver or something else entirely.

I am using continuous feed labels, Avery 4013, on a Tally T6050 printer. I
have selected this label type in the merge process. After I complete the
merge, I select "Edit Individual Labels," and use that to preview them, and
everything seems fine (no empty labels). When the document prints, however,
every 12 labels (the number of labels between folds) the printer skips 2
labels. I have tried setting up custom labels, without success. Since I'm
printing upwards of 11,000 labels a week, that's nearly 1000 labels wasted
each week, so this is a pretty big issue.

Hope someone has some insight. Thanks in advance.

 

[Doug Robbins - Word MVP]

This is probably due to the printer skipping perforations. There is usually
a dip switch on the printer that can be used to control whether or not it
does that, though looking at the features of that printer at
http://www.twindata.com/Tally/T6050.htm#Specifications, it is probably
configurable through the Printer Control Panel.

--
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

 

[CMLCBigGuy]

In fact, this is the fault of Word2000, and 2003 as well. I have an Epson
850FX printer and also use the Avery 4013 under XP Pro. True, there is a
perf skip switch on the printer, clearly documented, and I have it set OFF.
By carefully setting the top and bottom margins and the header and footer all
to "0" (zero) and the printer driver to 8 by 12 and Print Direct, the extra
space can be reduced to only one line space (1/6 inch) on each page, but this
throws the second page out of register by one line, and succeeding pages are
then further out of register!
I proved to my satisfaction that the problem was in Word and not in the
printer driver I am using(it the one that installs from XP) I can print the
same labels (exported from Excel by CSV) with a ten dollar label
program(Proventure Label Maker)!!! It works perfectly on the same hardware.
Avery Labelpro also works fine.
Oddly enough, the FX850 driver in XP does not have a continuous paper
setting or fanfold setting(why not?). I note that Win98 did have such a
setting. I use the closest equiv. setting, which I think is 8 by 12 paper.
I know of several other people who have had the same problem, all have gone
to other label programs to do the work. Note that if the problem were due to
the printer skipping perfs, then it would also do the same thing on any label
program!
Please let me know, Thanks!!!

 

[Doug Robbins - Word MVP]

I would suggest that it is a printer driver problem. See if Epson has an
updated driver for the printer.

--
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

 

[CMLCBigGuy]

I would suggest that this is NOT a printer driver problem. I proved this to
my satisfaction by running labels successfully using another program and the
SAME printer driver! Epson does not have a printer driver for this printer
under XP--they do for Win98 and ME. I note many people on this forum
complaining of this, and while some may be due to printer settings, not all
are! Please investigate.
Thank you,
CMLCBigGuy

 

[Doug Robbins - Word MVP]

I do not have such a printer so I cannot investigate your problem.

--
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

I would suggest that this is NOT a printer driver problem. I proved this
to
my satisfaction by running labels successfully using another program and
the
SAME printer driver! Epson does not have a printer driver for this
printer
under XP--they do for Win98 and ME. I note many people on this forum
complaining of this, and while some may be due to printer settings, not
all
are! Please investigate.
Thank you,
CMLCBigGuy

 

[CMLCBigGuy]

At this point I am tempted to reply with stronger language, worthy of Eric S.
Raymond, but I will stay my hand in the interest of communication and of
helping others...
This problem is not printer-specific! It happens on any printer. You do
not need to have this specific printer to investigate this problem! Note
that I and others on this forum have seen this problem while using other
printers. This is NOT a problem with the printer. Please investigate!
Thank you,

I do not have such a printer so I cannot investigate your problem.

--
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

 

[Doug Robbins - Word MVP]

Hey, wait a minute. None of the people providing (or trying to provide)
help in these forums work for Microsoft. So don't tell me what to do.

If I had a printer capable of handling continuous feed labels I would try
and replicate the problem. However I do not have such a printer so I cannot
investigate your problem.

--
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

At this point I am tempted to reply with stronger language, worthy of Eric
S.
Raymond, but I will stay my hand in the interest of communication and of
helping others...
This problem is not printer-specific! It happens on any printer. You do
not need to have this specific printer to investigate this problem! Note
that I and others on this forum have seen this problem while using other
printers. This is NOT a problem with the printer. Please investigate!
Thank you,

 

[Peter Jamieson]

I am in the same situation as Doug, i.e. no suitable continuous-feed printer
(the ancient Canon BJ300 I just dragged from my cellar just fizzled out, but
I had
no suitable consumables either). So it's impossible to experiment with the
real thing. However, it is possible to examine what Word is outputting,
so...

I have an Epson 850FX printer and also use the Avery 4013 under XP Pro.

Oddly enough, the FX850 driver in XP does not have a continuous paper
setting or fanfold setting(why not?).

There are certainly no (obvious) settings to set up the /printer/ a certian
way, but you can select the "print tray" as tractor and the paper size as
8.5in by 12 in. on an FX850 as far as I can see.

By carefully setting the top and bottom margins and the header and footer
all to "0" (zero) and the printer driver to 8 by 12 and Print Direct, the
extra
space can be reduced to only one line space (1/6 inch) on each page, but
this throws the second page out of register by one line, and succeeding
pages
are then further out of register!

I had a look at the ESC/P sequences Word generates when you set up Word 2003
to produce Avery 4013 labels. First of all, the page setup Word creates
seems OK - it uses a 12in form length and generates the cells necessary for
labels 15/16in high each.

I set up the driver to use tracter feed 8.5 x 12in continuous feed paper and
sent Word's output to a file.

Word generates the following ESP/P commands:
Header:
- printer reset
- carriage return (notice that that should not normally affect vertical
position
- set PC437 character set
- set characters 128-159 to be printable
- set USA character set
- set NLQ mode
- set 10cpi font
- set line spacing to 1/6in
- set page length to 84 lines
- carriage return

It then essentially repeats the following for each page:
- carriage return
- move down a specified amount
- move right a specified amount
- send a line of 9-pin graphics
- form feed

At the very end, it outputs
- carriage return

Now the really weird thing about that is that 84 lines at 1/6in spacing
isn't 12in but 14in, so if I were printing that stuff on an LX850, I would
expect to see a 2in gap at the bottom of each page. That's not what you're
reporting, but it is almost precisely what Devon Stout reported in the
original post in this thread. However, at this point
a. there are too many variables to explore withut a real printer with which
to experiment
b. I've begun to doubt my own findings
so I wonder if anyone else is in a position to look at this stuff?

If you, "CMLCBigGuy", would like to do a similar experiment, all you really
need do is set up the FX850 driver to output to the FILE: device instead of
(say) LPT1: and generate 2 to 3 pages of labels. If you know how to examine
the ESC/P codes yourself, fine, but if you don't, by all means despam my
e-mail address and send me the output for 2-3 pages of labels and I'll
compare it with the above findings.

FWIW the circumstances in which I can imagine Word behaving the way /you/
(CMLCBigGuy) report are:
a. Word never outputs FF, and miscalculates the page length by one line per
page
b. Word sets page length to be one more line than it is
c. Word does FF, then outputs a line, then sets page length, (which, for
Epson printers, resets the top of page).

However, the ESC/P sequences I see do not seem to be doing that...

Peter Jamieson

At this point I am tempted to reply with stronger language, worthy of Eric
S.
Raymond, but I will stay my hand in the interest of communication and of
helping others...
This problem is not printer-specific! It happens on any printer. You do
not need to have this specific printer to investigate this problem! Note
that I and others on this forum have seen this problem while using other
printers. This is NOT a problem with the printer. Please investigate!
Thank you,