[Solved] Trouble with labels of uneven sizes

[OOLightUser]

I have been using Open Office for years now, but not for anything complicated. I am helping start a private lending library and have cataloged 1800+ books so far. I have labels donated/left over from a previous library, but they are not equal sizes. The first label is 1in for the spine of the book; the next two are 2 7/8in for the card system (can't afford a computer system yet); all are 1 1/4in tall.

The OO label wizard only does Avery labels or labels of equal size. I can get a Word template here https://www.demco.com/label-templates# but it imports as a table. When I try to enter data fields, OO does one record per page when I need 8 records per page. I need to be able to do a mail merge with a spreadsheet document because I am not typing 1800+ labels. How do I create these labels? (I did try to search the forum, but couldn't find what I needed, sorry)

[John_Ha]

1. Upload the 2007 - 2016 Word template so someone can test it - it may just work.

2. Use a spreadsheet and size the cells to match the labels. Fill the cells with the data. Print the spreadsheet.

3. Can you create three templates, one with the left column, one with the middle column, one with the right column and do three passes, printing each column? You may need to lie about the paper size so you can fit an integer number of each size of labels across the page or use very wide margins. Do your testing by printing to a PDF using a virtual PDF printer - google for one. You find it best to set things up with the narrow label on the right as you can pretend it extends beyond the page.

Edit: On thinking about it, this is the best way if you have access to a printer which can print paper wide enough. Or cut the label sheet vertically into two and print the left column, and the two right columns. Se up a template as below - the two left labels are close enough that you can make them the same size and adjust the text by adding spaces. You now a template with three equal width labels. Clipboard01.png (28.15 KiB) Viewed 2903 times

4. Set up a label template where all labels are as wide as the widest label. Print the labels to a virtual PDF printer. Copy the printed text and paste it into a table set up to match the proper labels. You can only copy one label at a time.

5. Labels just use fields. See the manual for creating a form letter with fields filled from a spreadsheet / database. Create a form letter with fields in the label positions. You may need eight form letters, one for each row of labels.

6. You can do it with a database report but the learning curve for that is steep.

As a new poster you will find much useful information in the Writer FAQ, the Writer Tutorials, the up to date AOO Writer for Students and the Writer User Guide. May I suggest you bookmark the pages.

See Chapter 11 - Using Mail Merge and Chapter 14 - Working with Fields in the User Guide. Search Help with labels and form letter for more help.

Remember, to use mail merge you need three things

• a spreadsheet with the data
• a registered database - this is essential - see Chapter 11
• a text document with fields to accept the data

[John_Ha]

Yet another way. I used an Avery 7 x 3 labels sheet with equal sized labels and I edited the frame sizes in content.xml to vary their width. I opened it and it works - I now have labels of unequal width.

Clipboard04.png (4.85 KiB) Viewed 2902 times

So, upload the Word template and I will check if it works - it should. There seem to be many on the web page - which is it?

Edit: It is, as you say, just tables. I will create template from it

Also, upload the exact sizes of the label sheet (a, b, c, ..., j, k) and I will create a bespoke label template if necessary.

[John_Ha]

Try this one. The AOO template does not allow gaps between columns so I had to expand the label widths into the column gap (and into the right margin by error).

I took the label and gap dimensions from the Word template but made the wide labels a nominal 3" (in error) compared with your nominal 2 7/8". Test it (File > Print > gets the labels dialogue ...) and if it needs small adjustments let me know. The left edges of the labels should be in approximately the correct place.

You will need to delete my fields and add your fields and register your database - I used my Christmas labels to test it.

Actual label sizes and locations shown in red

Showing that a problem has been solved helps others searching so, if your problem is now solved, please view your first post in this thread and click the Edit button (top right in the post) and add [Solved] in front of the subject.

[MrProgrammer]

I can get a Word template here https://www.demco.com/label-templates# but it imports as a table. … I need to be able to do a mail merge with a spreadsheet document because I am not typing 1800+ labels. How do I create these labels?

Mail Merge with tables and linked, protected sections
[Solved] How to create label frames manually

When I try to enter data fields, OO does one record per page when I need 8 records per page.

Use Insert → Fields → Other → Database → Next Record → «select database» → «select table» → Insert in your table at the point where want to access data from the next record.

Edit: 2024-02-29: The end of the page gets an automatic Next Record, so do not put Next Record in the section, since that would copy it to every label. Instead put the Next Record field after the section in every label but the last one.

If this solved your problem please go to your first post use the Edit button and add [Solved] to the start of the subject field. Select the green checkmark icon at the same time.

[OOLightUser]

1421800_word03_template.doc

(31.5 KiB) Downloaded 132 times

Use Insert → Fields → Other → Database → Next Record → «select database» → «select table» → Insert in your table at the point where want to access data from the next record.

This seems to be the vital piece of information that I was missing. Now that I know how to tell it to go to the next record, the template (attached) works great. I did have to not tell it to go to the next one at the bottom of the sheet or it would advance 2 records. There must be an auto advance at the bottom of a page.

Thanks for your help everyone!