Printing Badges (1 Viewer)

[ajarrell]

I have a report that prints badges from a query of registrations for an event. Now I need to print bars across the bottom of the badge to denote Speaker, Sponsor, Exhibitor, etc. Some badges will have no bars, some as many as 4, varying in background color. Formerly, each badge was printed as a detail section of fixed size.. Now, each badge has the event, attendee name and company as the page header, with the bars in the detail section. Is there a way to print 0-4 detail lines but keep the "page" a fixed size? The badges print 2x2, so I have 4 badges in 2 columns on special Avery paper.

I appreciate any help you can give!
Anne

 

[theDBguy]

What does your paper size set to in the Page Layout Settings? Are you saying the badges are exceeding this setting?

 

[Pat Hartman]

Using a label layout will keep the length of the label a fixed size. To save paper, you can also add some code so that you start printing at 2, 3, or 4 so you don't have to throw away short pages.

 

[ajarrell]

No, the badges are not exceeding the size, but some with fewer bars or without bars cause the badge to be short and the next to start printing at the bottom of the first. I will look at paper size and label layout. Thanks for answering.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

1. Create four labels in the bottom of the page header that can be made visible or not. Whatever else you do, do NOT set the .CanShrink or .CanGrow properties to true. Then
2. Make the detail section have 0 height and with nothing in it, or fractional inch height and have a really thin horizontal line in it.
3. For each badge, in the header, turn on or off the appropriate labels.

Now, you can print a detail section but you won't care what is printed there.

Alternatively, make the Person, Company, and Event as detail entries, no header, but make a fixed-size FOOTER with the four possible labels present but perhaps not visible.

 

[Pat Hartman]

There is nothing difficult about this but you really need to use the label feature to make this easy on yourself. If you can't find a label that matches your paper size, then create your own label format. You define the paper size, you define the margins, you define the number of columns, you define the width of the gutter, etc. Once you get the correct label layout, NO code is required to make this work. Access will handle it completely on its own.

 

[DickyP]

My personal approach to this sort of problem, which you might consider, is not to use an Access report but to build a Word document in VBA so you have control item by item as you fill a label. You need a Word template for labels of the correct size but that's easily done in Word using the labels creation function and then saving as template.

I've attached a copy of the templates I use, which I created for my Address Book DB.

 

[Pat Hartman]

is not to use an Access report but to build a Word document in VBA

So, you really think that Access can't do this without any code at all?

 

[DickyP]

So, you really think that Access can't do this without any code at all?

No - it was just a possible idea. (And I don't like Access reports - purely personal opinion.)

 

[ajarrell]

There is nothing difficult about this but you really need to use the label feature to make this easy on yourself. If you can't find a label that matches your paper size, then create your own label format. You define the paper size, you define the margins, you define the number of columns, you define the width of the gutter, etc. Once you get the correct label layout, NO code is required to make this work. Access will handle it completely on its own.

I wasn't sure what "use the label feature" meant, so I used the label wizard. The problem persists - the labels are printing in different sizes based on the number of bars (the detail section). Even though the "label" is set to 6" long by 4" wide, it is printing 3x2 labels on the page. The page size is set to letter.

 

[Gasman]

Print on paper until you get it correct.
You can overlay the paper onto the labels page and see if they line up. Saves wasting labels.
As long as all the data will fit on one label it will work.

 

[Pat Hartman]

the labels are printing in different sizes based on the number of bars (the detail section)

#1 - a standard paper page is only 8.5" x 11" so you can't print two 6" tall labels on one standard paper size page. Are the labels a special format stock that has 3 wide and 2 tall or are they some other format? You can make whatever format you want, including non-standard paper sizes. You just need to allow for margins unless your printer is capable of printing edge-to-edge.

Start with a label format that is 3 wide. Then you can adjust the sizes as needed. You also need to change the paper from a standard to a non-standard size.

OR, if you're feeling brave, start from scratch and use the wizard. I don't have any non-standard paper so I can't test. You need to measure carefully and fill in the specs using the form below.

 

[ajarrell]

You're right about the paper size. I finally got a couple of pages of the badge paper. I will actually need to print 2 columns of 1 each. I think this would be really simple if I could add a Column break after each badge. Is there a column break? My searches only bring up page break.

 

[Gasman]

No, but you specify how many columns you want?