MailMerge problems between Mac and PC

[cxjohn]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Power PC

I have encountered numerous problems over the years with mailmerge files, but these two have me stumped.

1. An excel file that is a simple database of information on donors has no formulas, just data such as name, address, and amount given. If I try to merge it with a simple word file to send a thank you using the field codes I run into two problems:
On a PC, the formatting for the dollar amount given is lost (correctly set in the Excel file, to no avail). It cuts out the dollar sign and comma in the amount.
If I do the merge on a Mac, it seems to work fine. Yet the original Excel file comes from a PC.

2. In the same scenario, the return address is formatted with two spaces after the state (before the zip code). If the merge is done on the PC, it works fine, but if it is done on a Mac, it LOOKS fine. But when the file is sent to a PC (the boss or anyone else) to print, all of the spaces between the state and zip code are gone and they run together.

They are on the same typeface (Times New Roman).

What is going on with the two platforms? This has NOT occurred with previous versions of Word and Excel.

 

[CyberTaz]

Hi John -

See below...

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Power PC

I have encountered numerous problems over the years with mailmerge files,
but these two have me stumped.

1. An excel file that is a simple database of information on donors has no
formulas, just data such as name, address, and amount given. If I try to
merge it with a simple word file to send a thank you using the field codes
I run into two problems:
On a PC, the formatting for the dollar amount given is lost (correctly set
in the Excel file, to no avail). It cuts out the dollar sign and comma in
the amount.
If I do the merge on a Mac, it seems to work fine. Yet the original Excel
file comes from a PC.

One of the Mac Word "pluses" - it still uses DDE rather than ODBC, so it
picks up teh formatting from Excel data sources as well as most others. PC
Word doesn't. In order to have the data formatted you have to add the
formatting controls to the MERGEFIELD in the main document. Details are
here:

http://word.mvps.org/faqs/MailMerge/index.htm

I'd suggest that you use two separate versions of the main doc in order to
avoid formatting conflicts.

2. In the same scenario, the return address is formatted with two spaces
after the state (before the zip code). If the merge is done on the PC, it
works fine, but if it is done on a Mac, it LOOKS fine. But when the file
is sent to a PC (the boss or anyone else) to print, all of the spaces
between the state and zip code are gone and they run together.

They are on the same typeface (Times New Roman).

This one I'm not sure about. You don't indicate which version of PC Word &
that could make a difference. Further, just because the name of the font is
the same doesn't mean it's the same version of the font & it's conceivable
that differences in printers could contribute as well. However, a space is a
space on either system so any that are typed into the doc *should* be there.

 

[CyberTaz]

Here's some insight on the 2nd issue - nothing you can do other than use 2
separate files on Mac & PC until Apple gets it together. See this message in
this same group:

Re: Fonts in 2008 vs. older versions vs. Windows

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac