I work for a list management company. We print A LOT of mailing labels for our clients. The type of labels we use is perforated for easy tear, 3 across, 12 down, 36 to a page (where the perforations begin), and 15,000 to a box.
It is far more time efficient to print multiple “orders” at a time, using the entire box (15,000 labels), rather than printing one “order” at a time, per client. The issue is, how do we separate each batch of orders from 15,000 labels, that is going to X no. of different clients, once the entire print job is done. We could flip through the pages and look for order numbers, and go to work with a pair scissors.
Too much work.
So here’s what we are doing. All the labels are mail merged into a Word document, from an Excel spreadsheet. There is an order no. at the start of each “order”. We can flip through the pages and look for this order no. so that we know where to begin. On the end of the excel spreadsheet for each order, we insert a series of cells with the word “END”, until the total number of rows, per order, is divisible by 36.
For example, if we have an order calling for 1136 labels (each label constitutes one row of data on the spreadsheet), then we will add 16 additional cells with the word “END” so that the total equals 1152, which is divisible by 36. Recall that 36 is where each perforation begins. So once the print job is done, we look for the order no. (so that we know where to begin), and then a series of “END”s, and if done correctly, it will tear right at the perforation. Then we go on to the next order, so on a so forth.
It works, but a bit tedious.
After all the rambling above, here, finally, is my call for help. Could you good folks out there write a macro that automatically does the calculations and inserts the required no. “END”s, for each order? (The “END”s have to be inserted at the top of the spreadsheet). Then we can copy and paste the portion on to another spreadsheet, until we max out 15,000 rows, therefore allowing us to run several orders per box, all at once.
I hope I have explained things well enough. Thank you very, very much for your feedback. Any all thoughts welcome.
It is far more time efficient to print multiple “orders” at a time, using the entire box (15,000 labels), rather than printing one “order” at a time, per client. The issue is, how do we separate each batch of orders from 15,000 labels, that is going to X no. of different clients, once the entire print job is done. We could flip through the pages and look for order numbers, and go to work with a pair scissors.
Too much work.
So here’s what we are doing. All the labels are mail merged into a Word document, from an Excel spreadsheet. There is an order no. at the start of each “order”. We can flip through the pages and look for this order no. so that we know where to begin. On the end of the excel spreadsheet for each order, we insert a series of cells with the word “END”, until the total number of rows, per order, is divisible by 36.
For example, if we have an order calling for 1136 labels (each label constitutes one row of data on the spreadsheet), then we will add 16 additional cells with the word “END” so that the total equals 1152, which is divisible by 36. Recall that 36 is where each perforation begins. So once the print job is done, we look for the order no. (so that we know where to begin), and then a series of “END”s, and if done correctly, it will tear right at the perforation. Then we go on to the next order, so on a so forth.
It works, but a bit tedious.
After all the rambling above, here, finally, is my call for help. Could you good folks out there write a macro that automatically does the calculations and inserts the required no. “END”s, for each order? (The “END”s have to be inserted at the top of the spreadsheet). Then we can copy and paste the portion on to another spreadsheet, until we max out 15,000 rows, therefore allowing us to run several orders per box, all at once.
I hope I have explained things well enough. Thank you very, very much for your feedback. Any all thoughts welcome.