ACC: How to Skip Used Mailing Labels and Print Duplicates

• Microsoft Access versions 1.0, 1.1, 2.0, 7.0, 97

SUMMARY

Moderate: Requires basic macro, coding, and interoperability skills.

This article describes how to print multiple copies of the same mailing label, and how to use a partially used page where only some of the labels are available.

This article assumes that you are familiar with Visual Basic for Applications and with creating Microsoft Access applications using the programming tools provided with Microsoft Access. For more information about Visual Basic for Applications, please refer to your version of the "Building Applications with Microsoft Access" manual.

NOTE: Visual Basic for Applications is called Access Basic in Microsoft Access versions 1.x and 2.0. For more information about Access Basic, please refer to the "Introduction to Programming" manual in Microsoft Access version 1.x or the "Building Applications" manual in Microsoft Access version 2.0

NOTE: This article explains a technique demonstrated in the sample files, RptSampl.exe (for Microsoft Access for Windows 95 version 7.0) and RptSmp97.exe (for Microsoft Access 97). For information about how to obtain these sample files, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q145777
   TITLE     : ACC95: Microsoft Access Sample Reports Available on MSL

   ARTICLE-ID: Q175072
   TITLE     : ACC97: Microsoft Access 97 Sample Reports Available on MSL

MORE INFORMATION

Printing Multiple Copies of the Same Label

When you click Print on the File menu, you can choose to print multiple copies of the same report. But when you try to print a single mailing label 20 times, Microsoft Access prints one label on each of 20 pages.

On a dot matrix printer, using single column labels, you can work around this behavior by defining each label as a separate page. However, you cannot use this method for laser printers or multiple-column labels. To work around this behavior, use the step-by-step procedure described below.

Using Labels That Would Otherwise Be Wasted

After printing labels, you usually end up with a partially used last page. There is no built-in mechanism in Microsoft Access to use the remaining labels on a partially used page. Microsoft Access always starts on a new page. On a dot matrix printer, you can adjust the top of form manually. But you cannot do that on laser printers. To solve this problem, use the step-by-step procedure described below.

Step-by-Step Procedure to Solve Both Problems

The Microsoft Access report generator provides powerful hooks that allow control over the finished product. By calling a function from the OnFormat property of the report's detail section, you can alter the MoveLayout, NextRecord, and PrintSection properties to leave blank spaces or print multiple copies on the same page.

The code listed below is generic. You can attach it to any Mailing Label report to print multiple copies and to skip used labels if needed. To use the example, you need to have a mailing label report called MyLabels.

1. Create a new module, and place the following lines in the Declarations section:

         '*********************************************************
            'Declarations section of the module.
         '**********************************************************
   
         Option Compare Database
         Option Explicit
   
         Dim LabelBlanks&
         Dim LabelCopies&
         Dim BlankCount&
         Dim CopyCount&
   
         '==========================================================
            ' The following function will cause an input box to
            ' display when the report is run that prompts the user
            ' for the number of used labels to skip and how many
            ' copies of each label should be printed.
         '===========================================================
   
         Function LabelSetup ()
         LabelBlanks& = Val(InputBox$("Enter Number of blank labels to skip"))
         LabelCopies& = Val(InputBox$("Enter Number of Copies to Print"))
         If LabelBlanks& < 0 Then LabelBlanks& = 0
         If LabelCopies& < 1 Then LabelCopies& = 1
         End Function
   
         '===========================================================
            ' The following function sets the variables to a zero
         '===========================================================
   
         Function LabelInitialize ()
            BlankCount& = 0
            CopyCount& = 0
         End Function
   
         '===========================================================
            ' The following function is the main part of this code
            ' that allows the labels to print as the user desires.
         '===========================================================
   
         Function LabelLayout (R As Report)
            If BlankCount& < LabelBlanks& Then
               R.NextRecord = False
               R.PrintSection = False
               BlankCount& = BlankCount& + 1
            Else
               If CopyCount& < (LabelCopies& - 1) Then
                  R.NextRecord = False
                  CopyCount& = CopyCount& + 1
               Else
                  CopyCount& = 0
               End If
            End If
         End Function
   
   

2. Open the report named MyLabels in Design view and add the following line to the OnPrint property of the Detail section:

         =LabelLayout(Reports![MyLabels])
   

3. Add the following line to the OnOpen property of the MyLabels Report:

         =LabelSetup()
   

4. Although typically labels do not have a report header, add a Report Header and Footer to the report by selecting Report Header/Footer from the View menu (or Format menu in version 2.0 or Layout menu in version 1.x). Then, add the following line to the OnFormat property of the report header:

         =LabelInitialize()
   

5. Set the Height property for both the report header and report footer to 0.

When the report header is formatted, it calls the LabelInitialize() function, so when you switch from preview to print, the BlankCount and CopyCount fields are set to zero. As each label is formatted, the LabelLayout() function adjusts the NextRecord and MoveLayout properties to skip used labels and print the desired duplicates.

Keywords          : kbusage
Version           : 1.0 1.1 2.0 7.0
Platform          : WINDOWS
Hardware          : x86
Issue type        : kbhowto