Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Printing Personalized Copies of a Document.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated March 16, 2024)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, and 2021
Mahmud asked for a way to print personalized copies of a document. He started with a list of names in a regular text file, one per line, and he wanted to print one copy of the current Word document for each of those names. Further, he wanted the person's name placed in the header of the document.
The process to perform such a task is fairly straightforward: open the text file, grab a name, put it in the header, and then print the document. Another name is grabbed, and the process is repeated until there are no more names in the file. The following macro implements such a process:
Sub PutNamesInHeader() Dim sName As String Open "c:/names.txt" For Input As #5 Do While Not EOF(5) ' get the name Line Input #5, sName ActiveWindow.ActivePane.View.SeekView = _ wdSeekCurrentPageHeader Selection.WholeStory Selection.Delete Selection.TypeText Text:=sName ActiveWindow.ActivePane.View.SeekView = _ wdSeekMainDocument ActiveDocument.PrintOut Loop Close #5 ActiveWindow.ActivePane.View.SeekView = _ wdSeekCurrentPageHeader Selection.WholeStory Selection.Delete ActiveWindow.ActivePane.View.SeekView = _ wdSeekMainDocument End Sub
The tricky part of the macro is using the .SeekView property to specify which story in the document you want to work with. As implemented here, the .SeekView property is used repeatedly to switch between the header area and the main document. After the loop (grabbing names and printing) is completed, the header area is cleared and the .SeekView is switched back to the main document.
Note:
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (4366) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Printing Personalized Copies of a Document.
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