Word 2002 - erratic merge selections after changing label size

[Lionel Kremer via OfficeKB.com]

I have been operating an Access 2 customer database successfully for 11 years, initially with Word 2, then W95 and now W2002 under XP (SP2).

My 'standard letters' (with customised wording depending on if>then>else clauses) continue to work well when customers are selected by whatever criteria I specify.

My 'merge-selected-customers-to-sheeted-labels' document works *fine* with A4 size 14-label sheets but, after trying many times, via several routes, to replicate thie for 21-label sheets I get one of the following erratic outcomes, each consistent for a specific new merge document:

a) the 'set query options' step in the mailmerge helper does not take effect and loses its criteria after saving, so that *all* customers get labels

b) the *first* customer (even though not specified in query options) plus the *last* customer fulfilling the selection criteria

c) it displays a label for the *first* and *last* of the customers fulfilling the selection criteria but not the intervening ones

I repeat - the 14-label document (now saved as a current-version Word doc) *always* displays the *correct* customer selection (so please don't criticise my Access 2 database!) but whichever approach I use to replicate it for 21-label sheets results in erratic selection of customer records!

Is this a known bug and is there a fix or work-around, please?

 

[Lionel Kremer via OfficeKB.com]

Replying to my own cry for help! I've done it, tho' may not be able to explain to others who are having problem with printing selected labels from an (old) Access database. I'll try, if you contact me via this site.