Print individual mailing labels in Outlook

[Guest]

Why doesn't Outlook have the capability to print individual or multiple
mailing labels? I can do so from within Word using the Envelopes and Labels
Tool, but not from Outlook (unless you do a whole merge). This seems like a
ridiculous oversight on Microsofts part, unless I'm missing something...

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http://www.microsoft.com/office/com...0f12f938&dg=microsoft.public.outlook.contacts

 

[Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]]

You're still using a mail merge either way. You can start it from Word or
you can start it from Outlook.

 

[Guest]

Not exactly. I can open Word, and use the Envelopes and Labels option to
print one label without a whole mail merge. I can type the address in
manually, or look up a contact in Outlook. But why don't they just build the
function into Outlook; i.e. right-click on a contact, select "print label",
and specify the row/column for the label? That would be a lot easier than
opening Word and typing manually, or selecting a Contact that's in Outlook
anyway.

 

[Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]]

I don't understand your question. Why do they need to build it into Outlook
if it's already built into Word? Eliminating duplication is what Office
integration is all about. You obviously aren't going to be doing this unless
you're running both Outlook and Word.

 

[Guest]

The question is: why IS the mailing label function in Word, when all of the
mailing label data is in Outlook? Why have it in Outlook if it's already in
Word? Because you could accomplish this simple task with one program rather
than two, which seems like a tighter integration to me.
If Office is about eliminating duplication, why does it require me to open a
2nd program in order to print label data from the 1st program? The only
reason I obviously need both programs open is because MS designed it that
way, but I could easily just print from Outlook if it had that capability.

It's just a suggestion, which MS can take or leave.

 

[Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]]

Word can use more than one data source for a merge, not just Outlook. All
merge functions reside in Word. You really don't want to build those
functions into Outlook, Excel, Access, etc. as well. That is unnecessary
duplication. Outlook is bloated enough as it is.

 

[Guest]

I still would like the ability to print a single label directly from Outlook
without having to open Word.

All merge functions reside in Word only because MS designed it that way.

I agree, building the capability into every office component would be stupid
and unecessary. My suggestions was that they should build the capability into
Outlook INSTEAD of Word, since the data resides in Outlook.

Do you work for Microsoft? I mean, I'm just a customer sending in a
suggestion on how to improve a product. I'd like to simplify the process of
printing a single label. So far, the response seems to be """we already have
a process for doing that which involves 8-10 steps and two different
programs...why aren't you happy?"""

If you work for MS, either file the suggestion or throw it away. If not, let
MS worry about it. There's no point in trying to convince me that the current
way of doing it is the best and only possible way.

If you don't

 

[Brian Tillman]

My suggestions was that they should build the
capability into Outlook INSTEAD of Word, since the data resides in
Outlook.

Wouldn't that tend to make Outlook a word processor, then?

 

[Guest]

I don't think that the ability to print a mailing label directly from Outlook
would turn it into a word processor, any more than the ability to print a
label from Word turns it into a contact manager.

But what is the most efficient way to do it? The contact information is
already in Outlook, and Outlook can already print contact info; all I want to
do is print it on a label. I don't understand the argument that using two
programs to accomplish this task is better than one.

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

Once you add label printing, you have to add layout support for dozens of label types and custom label sizes. And users will want to format the first line different from the rest. Etc. etc. Pretty soon you need all the formatting and layout capabilities of a full fledged word processor.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

 

[Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]]

No, I don't work for Microsoft. Nor am I trying to convince you of anything.
I am simply explaining why the programs work the way they do and why the
feature you ask for is much more difficult to implement than it may seem to
you. It never hurts to realize that there may be a good reason things are
designed the way they are and that there may be some unintended consequences
to your request. Always be careful what you ask for.
Where did I ever say "why aren't you happy?" This is a forum for discussion.
When you post here, expect some.

 

[Malcolm Patterson]

As long as Microsoft sells Outlook as a standalone program, this argument is
utterly without merit.

It's a poor argument, anyway. I can print other things from Outlook (e.g.,
messages). Why provide this capability if I could export the text to Word and
print from there? Obviously, it would be stupid to make me do that. Oh,
wait--that's what Microsoft makes me do with mailing lists....

I don't understand your question. Why do they need to build it into Outlook
if it's already built into Word? Eliminating duplication is what Office
integration is all about. You obviously aren't going to be doing this unless
you're running both Outlook and Word.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]

Not exactly. I can open Word, and use the Envelopes and Labels option to
print one label without a whole mail merge. I can type the address in
manually, or look up a contact in Outlook. But why don't they just build
the
function into Outlook; i.e. right-click on a contact, select "print
label",
and specify the row/column for the label? That would be a lot easier than
opening Word and typing manually, or selecting a Contact that's in Outlook
anyway.

 

[Malcolm Patterson]

Bloat, alas, is not Outlook's main problem, though it is a real problem. The
main problem is its failure to accommodate the reality of personal
relationships. Normalize the data, PLEASE.

I don't think I'm the only person in the United States with acquaintances
who have adult children who are re-married to people who work at different
firms. A proper database would parse out shared addresses, phone numbers, and
children.

Word can use more than one data source for a merge, not just Outlook. All
merge functions reside in Word. You really don't want to build those
functions into Outlook, Excel, Access, etc. as well. That is unnecessary
duplication. Outlook is bloated enough as it is.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]

The question is: why IS the mailing label function in Word, when all of
the
mailing label data is in Outlook? Why have it in Outlook if it's already
in
Word? Because you could accomplish this simple task with one program
rather
than two, which seems like a tighter integration to me.
If Office is about eliminating duplication, why does it require me to open
a
2nd program in order to print label data from the 1st program? The only
reason I obviously need both programs open is because MS designed it that
way, but I could easily just print from Outlook if it had that capability.

It's just a suggestion, which MS can take or leave.

 

[Malcolm Patterson]

A personal information manager that can actually PRINT an address as well as
an e-mail? heaven forfend! That's almost a word processor???

Give me a break.

 

[Malcolm Patterson]

Yeah, to provide that capability, you would have to be able to program. Gee,
maybe we could re-use some code that might be lying around somewhere...

Dozens of formats? There are four digits in Avery's list, suppose it's ten
thousand different labels. So? Is the size of this table too much to bear?
Suppose the user has to input dimensions instead of an Avery code that MS is
too lazy to look up. Whoop-de-doo.

OK, helpful MVPs aren't to blame--but please stop making excuses for
Microsoft.

 

[Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]]

Did someone leave an unwelcome present in your cornflakes this morning?

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact.
ALWAYS post your Outlook version.
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/KB/555375


After furious head scratching, Malcolm Patterson asked:

| Yeah, to provide that capability, you would have to be able to
| program. Gee, maybe we could re-use some code that might be lying
| around somewhere...
|
| Dozens of formats? There are four digits in Avery's list, suppose
| it's ten thousand different labels. So? Is the size of this table too
| much to bear? Suppose the user has to input dimensions instead of an
| Avery code that MS is too lazy to look up. Whoop-de-doo.
|
| OK, helpful MVPs aren't to blame--but please stop making excuses for
| Microsoft.
|
| "Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]" wrote:
|
|| Once you add label printing, you have to add layout support for
|| dozens of label types and custom label sizes. And users will want to
|| format the first line different from the rest. Etc. etc. Pretty soon
|| you need all the formatting and layout capabilities of a full
|| fledged word processor.
||
|| --
|| Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
|| Author of
|| Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
|| Administrators, Power Users, and Developers
||
||
||
|| ||| I don't think that the ability to print a mailing label directly
||| from Outlook would turn it into a word processor, any more than the
||| ability to print a label from Word turns it into a contact manager.
|||
||| But what is the most efficient way to do it? The contact
||| information is already in Outlook, and Outlook can already print
||| contact info; all I want to do is print it on a label. I don't
||| understand the argument that using two programs to accomplish this
||| task is better than one.
|||
||| "Brian Tillman" wrote:
|||
||||
||||| My suggestions was that they should build the
||||| capability into Outlook INSTEAD of Word, since the data resides in
||||| Outlook.
||||
|||| Wouldn't that tend to make Outlook a word processor, then?
|||| --
|||| Brian Tillman