WD:Text Incorrectly Appears in Merged Headers and Footers

ID: Q135988

The information in this article applies to:

SYMPTOMS

When you mail merge to a new document, the first section of each record shows the wrong text in the header and footer. The first section in the new document is blank, but the first section of every record thereafter shows the text of the header or footer of the preceding section.

This does not happen when you merge directly to the printer.

CAUSE

When you merge to a new document, Word inserts a section break between records. In a document with more than one section, if a section has nothing typed in its header or footer, Word reprints the text of the header and footer of the preceding section. Because the first section of the second record (and all subsequent records) is blank, Word copies the header and footer of the last section.

When you merge directly to the printer, Word sends each section directly to the printer rather than adding them all to one document, and therefore does not copy the text of the last section into the first section.

WORKAROUND

Method 1

Insert a blank space in the header or footer:

1. While in the first section of the main document, click Header And Footer 

   on the View menu.
2. Enter a space or other nonprinting character in the blank header.

This allows the first section's header of every record to remain void of text.

Method 2

Change the section formatting:

1. While in the first section of the main document, click Page Setup on the 

   File menu.
2. Click the Layout tab, select Different First Page, and choose OK.

Method 3

Merge directly to the printer instead of merging to a new document.

MORE INFORMATION

For example, if the mail merge main document looks like this: 

|----------|   |----------|   |----------|
|  blank   |   |  header  |   |  header  |
| 1st page |   |          |   |          |
|  header  |   |          |   |          |
|          |   |          |   |          |
|          |   |          |   |          |
|          |   |          |   |          |
| footer   |   |  footer  |   |  footer  |
|----------|   |----------|   |----------|
   page 1         page 2         page 3
You would expect a two-record Merge To New Document to look like this: 

|----------|   |----------|   |----------|
|  blank   |   |  header  |   |  header  |
| 1st page |   |          |   |          |
|  header  |   |          |   |          |     Record 1
|          |   |          |   |          |
|          |   |          |   |          |
|          |   |          |   |          |
| footer   |   | footer   |   | footer   |
|----------|   |----------|   |----------|
   page 1         page 2         page 3

|----------|   |----------|   |----------|
|  blank   |   |  header  |   |  header  |
| 1st page |   |          |   |          |
|  header  |   |          |   |          |     Record 2
|          |   |          |   |          |
|          |   |          |   |          |
|          |   |          |   |          |
| footer   |   |  footer  |   | footer   |
|----------|   |----------|   |----------|
   page 4         page 5         page 6
Instead, here is what appears in the merged document: 

|----------|   |----------|   |----------|
|  blank   |   |  header  |   |  header  |
| 1st page |   |          |   |          |
|  header  |   |          |   |          |     Record 1
|          |   |          |   |          |
|          |   |          |   |          |
|          |   |          |   |          |
| footer   |   | footer   |   | footer   |
|----------|   |----------|   |----------|
   page 1         page 2         page 3

|----------|   |----------|   |----------|
|  header  |   |  header  |   |  header  |
|          |   |          |   |          |
|          |   |          |   |          |     Record 2
|          |   |          |   |          |
|          |   |          |   |          |
|          |   |          |   |          |
| footer   |   |  footer  |   | footer   |
|----------|   |----------|   |----------|
   page 4        page 5          page 6
Additional query words: merging mmh heading headers footers page numbers 
Keywords          : winword kbmerge macword word6 word7 word95 
Version           : WINDOWS:6.0,6.0a,6.0c,7.0,7.0a,97;MACINTOSH:6.0,6.0.1,6.0.1a
Platform          : MACINTOSH WINDOWS
Issue type        : kbprb

Last Reviewed: February 7, 1998