double sided mail merge Word '03 Sp3

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Seeing that I am in problem-solving mode today… might as well get this pet peeve solved…

I have a post card project in which I need to create a mail merge document in word that will produce the following:

A two page (front of post card/back of post card) merge template (4-up) where record #1 on page one has the same merge info as record #1 on page two. This is so when the print job is sent to the printer, the duplexer will double side the stock, creating postcards with the correct merge info on front and back.

It’s like needing a double template where page 2 is a repeat of the first page. The surrounding text and layout will change from front to back but the merge info will include different fields from the same record. I’m certain there is a way to do this by modifying the mergefield or creating a custom template. If anyone knows how please pass it along… If My logic is incorrect here or this project requires a different approach then please enlighten me. It seems like the answer should be simple and apparant but it escapes me (wouldn’t be the first time either!). Thanks much. Jenn

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Simply create a two-page main merge document. You can use the same merge field more than once without problems, so you can use the same set of merge fields on page 1 and on page 2.

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If the document was a letter that would be acceptable. Since the document is a 4-up post card template and has 4 records per page, any 2nd page would begin using data from the “next” record which is record #5.

I’ve attached a pdf of the layout I need but of course it’s a non working version. This is difficult to describe accurately so please take a look and hopefully I’ve illustrated what I need. Records 1-4 on page one need to be the same records 1-4 on page 2.

Simply create a two-page main merge document. You can use the same merge field more than once without problems, so you can use the same set of merge fields on page 1 and on page 2.

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Perhaps our field and merge expert macropod will have a suggestion.

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I’m not sure who macropod is but I sure hope he/she will have some insight. This is one of those projects that irk me to no end. I’ve tried every trick I know of and have had to compromise on the finished product because I can’t find a viable solution…

P.S. I’m also open to a suggestion that takes an entirely different approach… so long as it doesn’t include printer/paper tray manipulation.

Thanks again Hans… If you have any additional info on my recent Access data manipulation question, perhaps you can flex some muscle over in the Access forum. Thanks. Jenn

Perhaps our field and merge expert macropod will have a suggestion.

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I’m not sure who macropod is.

Macropod is Paul Edstein, a moderator for the Word forum here in the Lounge and a Microsoft MVP for Word.

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Jenn
This is a tricky request that is possible to solve with some lateral thinking.
If you use StyleRef fields to REPEAT information shown earlier then you can do this.
I would start by putting the second page of data onto the first page since this has more fields on it and you appear to only get one chance at each record in the database.
Now, for each of the first four records, create a paragraph style and apply each to an element that gets repeated on the second page. An example would be to create styles called Name1, Name2, Name3 and Name4. You will need to create a series of styles for each element that will be repeated. You may also want to hide the merge fields on the first page if they only appear on the second page.
Next, on the second page, put a styleref field which points back to information which appeared somewhere on the first page. You will need to reverse the left/right order for double sided printing since record 1 appears on the left of page one but has to be on the right of page two.

Another lateral thinking option would be to duplicate all the records in the database and sort them into an order where every set of four repeats itself. This is not as crazy as it sounds so you might want to consider this before embarking on the styleref solution.

Yet another option may be to create two separate mail merge files and interleave the resulting outputs together either in Word or as PDFs.

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Hmmm… I have limited experience with using styles beyond needing them to creat TOC’s. I think I need to read some more on the subject before I can implement your first solution but it’s something I’d like to explore even if only academically.

Option #2 – The datasource is excel so it’s conceivable to manipulate the records. My preference is to get the word doc set up properly so the merge can be run easily and by someone who isn’t me. However, for now, I’ll figure out how to manipulate the records.

Option 3 is viable too…

I’m still shocked that merging on the backside of a document isn’t a “feature” you’d think lots of people would do it. A moment such as this only reinforces that Microsoft logic and Jenn logic are two very different things…

Thank you. They are all good suggestions… gotta love lateral thinkers…

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