Creating Christmas Labels with Word 2002

[Vickie]

For years I've used Word Perfect 9 on an older system to make my
Christmas address labels. It was nice and easy...simply select Labels
and the type and start typing. I added a cute graphic. Great. I
couldn't figure out how to get this label document into Word for years,
or even manually create it in Word so I gave up and just used WP when I
needed to print Christmas labels.

I have the .wpd conversion installed, although it only says WP 5 as an
"open" option, not 9. I get a "file currupt" message when Word tried
to read it. (Some .wpd will open but others not.) I saved it as an
..rft file, which at least allowed Word to open it up, but it's not in
the label format it was as a .wpd. It's now a long list of addresses.


Is there any way to use a multi-page document of text address to make
labels? I tried Mail Merge, but it was looking for the names in a
format that I don't have them in. (They are not in Outlook, an Address
Book, Access, or any other thing like that.)

I tried to start from scratch and used the Tools--Letter and
Mailings--Envelopes and Labels, and copied my cute graphic to a label
and told it I wanted a full page of the same thing. That worked and I
would just retype the addresses, but I can not find a way to have more
than one page of these labels in a document. The only way I can get
another page is to make a whole new document again. There has to be a
better way. How can I have a document of labels with multiple pages?

Please help. I can't believe a program so popular could be so
difficult.

thank you-
Vickie

 

[Jay Freedman]

Hi Vickie,

Here's some reading that will help:

http://www.gmayor.com/convert_labels_into_mail_merge.htm

http://www.gmayor.com/graphics_on_labels.htm

 

[Anne Troy]

Hi, Vickie. Perhaps you can use Graham's article:
http://www.gmayor.com/convert_labels_into_mail_merge.htm
************
Anne Troy
www.OfficeArticles.com

 

[Graham Mayor]

Fellow correspondents have highlighted two of my web pages which would help
you recreate the labels, but there are some third party label conversion
tools for download from the downloads page of my web site. I don't know how
well they will work with labels that contain graphics, but it will not hurt
to try - on a copy of the file.

--
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Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com

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[Vickie]

Thank you for the responses. I had read through some of Graham's tips
earlier, but I couldn't find how they pertained to what I was trying to
do.

In the current format that my addresses are in that Word is simply a
page of text already, not starting out as a table, so I don't think I
need to convert from a table to text, since it's text from the start.
This option is grayed out.

In Word Perfect one can just choose Labels and then copy/paste copy a
whole page,(or multiple pages), of addresses and the text fills in to
as many labels as it takes to accomodate it. (you can play with
getting the formatting perfect afterwards.) In Word when I try to copy
a bunch of addresses at one I get one of two responses. 1) The
addresses try to paste themselves all into one label, or 2) I can paste
one full page of address correctly but can not get any more than one
page of lables per document.

The labels take up about 5 pages, so is this going to require me to
create separate documents??

I can't find a way that Mail Merge is my answer. When I try it I'm
asked to Open Data Source, (such as Address Book, Works database, Excel
Spreadsheet.) I direct it to a .txt file where I copied these
addresses, and Mail Merge Helper appears, but then I have no clue what
to do next. I select the 8162 Avery labels. After that I'm always
left with a page of empty labels and my "merged text" disappears.

I did see an "Edit Existing List" option on the right side which, when
clicked, brought up a table "Mail Merge Recipients." I see my data
there, all under one column broken up with some missing, but if I
select anything I get a page of <<Next Record>> instead of my label
addresses.

Oh how I hate Word. I'm ready to give up an see if WP 9 will work with
XP.

Thank you again for any help-
Vickie

 

[Graham Mayor]

If you are going to do labels with Word, you need to forget all about how
Word Perfect does it.
You need to format your address list so that it looks like the end result at
http://www.gmayor.com/convert_labels_into_mail_merge.htm Somewhere along
the way your list will probably look like one of the examples there. Jump in
at that point. If it doesn't look like that you will have to make it do so
or this isn't going work.

Once you have a usable address list, mail merge to labels is
straightforward - http://www.gmayor.com/mail_merge_labels_with_word_xp.htm

If using the mailomerge helper or the toolbar, you have to insert the fields
that make up the address in the first 'label' and then propagate the
finished result to fill the other labels with the fields. In order to add
the fields there must be a usable data file attached thatWord can recognise.
Word has a wide latitude of acceptability in this area, but conforming to
the standard shown at
http://www.gmayor.com/convert_labels_into_mail_merge.htm will make things
simpler.

At some future date you may want to transfer your addresses to Outlook which
will make things simpler still
http://www.gmayor.com/mailmerge_from_outlook.htm

--
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Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com

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