Staple page issue?

[travismp]

I am not good with reports, but is there a way to tell the printer where to staple ahead of time within your printed document?

I have a report that is 2500+ pages long. Each month I print a list for each of my clients to send to them. Page one will show their information and all active orders. This can be anywhere from one page to 20 pages depending on how much they use my service. Then there is 2 pages of generic text that is information only, not company specific. Then the next company & then 2 pages of text, then the next company & then 2 pages of text, then the next company... ect...

So I then end up with a massive stack of paper that I sort out and then mail.

I want to somehow tell the database/printer to staple the first page(s) with the generic two. Then staple the next company with the generic two, then staple the next company... ect.

Can this be done, if so HOW? thank you.




So to try to make my point more clear I have one massive report. The design view of the report I have a page header on all pages. In the "CompanyName Header" I have the client info and the matching details from my orders; this first page can be one page it can be 4 or 5. Then there is a "CompanyName Footer" with the 2 pages of generic text. This is done for all 900 of my clients. Is there a way to say staple from section "CompanyName Header" to "CompanyName Footer" ?

Thanks.

 

[Access_guy49]

someone might have a better answer for you, but from what i can see:

I assume the staple action is controlled via the print driver, (i'm not familure with that option inside of access) And i'm assuming that the option is typically that the printer will staple a print job once completed. (hopefully i'm correct on all this) if that is the case, I think you would need to send documents to the printer based on each of your clients. So you would need a button that creates a report based on a query.
you would have to populate an array with your client names. Then move through the array, each time opening a report for all records with given client name, then print it. Then do again with the next client name. Then set you printer to staple documents. That way each report is individual to the client and therefor stapled.
make sense?
i'm really interested to know if these is another way to do it though!

 

[travismp]

I see what you are saying and thought about something like that, but do not want to have to do that more than 900 times, once for each client.

I am thinking the same thing with the staple option is set at the printer level not within access, I was simply hoping there maybe something I did not know of.

I am also willing to change my system around some if need be. I am willing to have multiple reports that will print out and staple for the first company, then repeat the same task for the next company, then repeat, over and over AS long as it is all done by pushing one button.

Anyone else have anything? thanks.

 

[KenHigg]

Just my 2 cents: Printing a 2500 page report is seems insane. Can't you package this data in a database of some kind and give them all kinds of search/filter/find capabities?

 

[travismp]

fine how about this...

can I make a form with my 900 clients listed...
add a button to print that same report for that company only...
set my page setup in that report to staple all pages...
then have a macro that will open that form, print the report for client one, then go to the next record print that report, then go to the next record print that report, then go to the next record... ect...

make a form then somehow create a macro to print each company form as if someone was there clicking the next button and print button for each client? How about that.

 

[gemma-the-husky]

to produce 900 different reports doesnt mean you have to click a button 900 times

just do a loop to select each client in turn, and produce the report for that client

you could easily email it, rather than print it

 

[travismp]

Just my 2 cents: Printing a 2500 page report is seems insane. Can't you package this data in a database of some kind and give them all kinds of search/filter/find capabities?

I see what you are saying, but it is a Gov reg that I have to provide this and I have to know they get it. Stupid but part of the business. I do have a website where they can look up this info themselves, but I still have to manually give them a copy.

 

[travismp]

to produce 900 different reports doesnt mean you have to click a button 900 times

just do a loop to select each client in turn, and produce the report for that client

you could easily email it, rather than print it

OK this is nice to know. I do not know how to do this, but I can start looking. Are there any examples of 'loop' in Northwind maybe? I learn by looking at examples.

THANK YOU SO FAR THOU.

 

[KenHigg]

I see what you are saying, but it is a Gov reg that I have to provide this and I have to know they get it. Stupid but part of the business. I do have a website where they can look up this info themselves, but I still have to manually give them a copy.

The good old gov... I guess your hands are tied then.

 

[travismp]

I cannot find anything to help me. Does anyone have an example of a LOOP script or function?

 

[gemma-the-husky]

eg use a recordset - pseudocode below

sub process
dim dbs as database
dim rst as recordset

set dbs=currentdb
set rst=dbs.openrecordset("clienttable")
while not rst.eof
'current client is rst!clientid, or something similar
'save the current client in a variable to be used by your report (or use report openargs)
thisclient = rst!clientid 'where thisclient is an appropriately typed variable
docmd.openreport "myreport"
or docmd.openreport "myreport", selectedclient (ie an openargs parameter)
wend
end sub

 

[travismp]

thank you for this example. I will do my best to make it work, I am a little confused, but will ask if I get stuck. thanks.

 

[Access_guy49]

This solution is basically what I was getting at with my first post. lol i'll have to try and be more clear in the future. lol. I was thinking about it, If some kind of loop runs to open the report with the selected client, then there is an order to print the report, then close, then open the report with a new client and repeat... 900 times.. could this not send so many documents to the printer in such a short period of time that it crashes the system? Should there be some kind of pause function at the end of each loop? just wondering.