Richard has multiple Word mail merge documents, each of which uses the exact same Excel workbook as a data source. He regularly has to perform the merge and print each of these documents individually. He wonders if there is a way to somehow start the merge with the first Word document and, when that one is completed and printed, have the program automatically merge and print the second Word document, then the third, etc. Such an ability would make Richard's life easier, as he wouldn't need to "babysit" his system as it performed this rote series of merge-and-print operations.
If the names of the documents don't change (they are the same the each time you need to go through this sequence), then it might be easiest to simply record a macro. Start the recorder, then go through the normal steps you follow to print the documents, in sequence. When you are done with the last one, turn off the recorder. While you'll need to "babysit" the system during the recording, when you later play back the macro, you won't need to stick around—the macro will take care of doing everything.
Of course, depending on the nature of the data you are merging (and what you actually want to see printed out), you might consider removing Word from the process entirely. This concept—of merging without using Word—is described in more detail by John Walkenbach at his site:
http://spreadsheetpage.com/index.php/tip/mail_merge_without_word/
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (13143) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, and 2013.
Do More in Less Time! Are you ready to harness the full power of Word 2013 to create professional documents? In this comprehensive guide you'll learn the skills and techniques for efficiently building the documents you need for your professional and your personal life. Check out Word 2013 In Depth today!
Need to group records in some manner when they are used in a mail merge? It can be frustrating when your records are not ...
Discover MoreOne of the data sources that Word allows you to use for your mail merges is an Excel worksheet. You may get unexpected ...
Discover MoreWhen you get ready to merge a document with a data source, you'll want to make sure that everything is "as expected" ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2018 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments