April 2 - 8, 2007
Merge only certain records by filtering the data source (Word 97/2000/2002/v. X/2003)
Usually when you perform a mail merge, all of the records in the data source file are merged with the main document. However, you might want to only merge the data for certain records, such as only those customers from Texas. Instead of creating a new data source file, let Word pick out those records using a filter and then perform the merge. First, open the merge document and display the Mail Merge toolbar. (On the Mac, if necessary, display the Data Merge Manager toolbar.)
In 2002 and 2003:
Click the Mail Merge Recipients button on the Mail Merge toolbar. When you do, Word displays the list of records in the data source. Click on the arrow in the column heading for the field you want to filter and select the item you want to filter on. For example, to see only the records of customers from Texas, click on the field that lists the state names and select Texas. When you do, only records that match that criterion are displayed. Then, click OK. Click the Merge To New Document button on the Mail Merge toolbar to preview your merge documents.
In 97, 2000, and v. X:
Click the Mail Merge button (Start Mail Merge button in 2000) and then click Query Options in the Merge dialog box. You can also access the Query Options dialog box from the Mail Merge Helper dialog box. (On the Mac, click the Query Options button on the Data Merge Manager toolbar.) You can specify multiple query criteria on the Filter Records tab. To set the criteria for the filter, click on the Filter Records tab if it isn't already active, and then choose the field name from the Field dropdown list. For instance, choose the State field to filter customers from a certain state. Then, select Equal To from the corresponding Comparison dropdown list. Next, in the Compare To text box, enter the criterion, such as the state name. Click OK to return to the Merge dialog box (Data Merge Manager toolbar on the Mac). To create the documents in 97 and 2000, click the Merge button. In v. X, click the Merge To New Document button.
When you merge the document with the filtered records, Word displays only those that match the criteria. The filter settings remain in effect for any future merges until you remove them. To clear the criteria you’ve set, open the Query Options dialog box, click Clear All, and then click OK.
Quickly set margins, bleeds, and slugs (InDesign CS)
The quickest way to create a new Adobe InDesign document is to use a preset, but before you can do that, you have to create the preset! To speed up this process, take advantage of a new feature in the New Document dialog box in InDesign CS. Prior to CS, while creating a new document with margin, bleed, or slug dimensions the same on all sides, you had to enter a value for each side. Now, you need only enter a dimension for one side (Top, Bottom, Inside, or Outside). Then, click the Make All The Settings The Same button. InDesign automatically enters the same value for the other sides of the margins, bleed, or slug.
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