Mail Merge creates blank document

Question

Mail Merge creates blank document

After choosing an envelope template, I create a merge text box filled with data from a Numbers document. When I select Mail merge from the Edit menu, I'm prompted to choose the mail merge source and then I choose to create a new document (in stead of printer). The new document is created and opens to reveal my, say 30 envelopes, are now 60 envelopes. There is a blank envelope in between each envelope I've created. Trying to delete every other envelope doesn't work as it appears to be linked, therefore, deleting the one I created as well as the blank one.

What is it I can do to prevent the creation of the blank envelope in between the actual document?

Thank you.

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.7)

Posted on May 3, 2011 10:26 AM

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Answer 1

May 3, 2011 10:43 AM in response to robinfromlexington

Robin,

Does your original document have two pages prior to merging? You will get a copy of your original document for every record in your source table. If you have 30 records in Numbers and a two page Pages document, you will have 60 pages at the conclusion.

Jerry

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Answer 2

May 3, 2011 10:51 AM in response to robinfromlexington

Thank you for your prompt reply.

From the template chooser, I choose an envelope template, "traditional envelope". There are two text boxes present. There are no other documents present. The document I see is the envelope.

I create merge fields in the address box and I adjust the text in the return address box to reflect my return address. Everything at this point looks fine. At the bottom of the document, it shows that this is page 1 of 1.

When I touch edit/ mail merge/ numbers document and new document, it creates a new document file with the 30 envelopes and an additional blank envelope in between. If I print it, it spits out a blank envelope every other time.

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Answer 3

May 3, 2011 10:55 AM in response to robinfromlexington

Let's take a look at your Numbers Table that you are merging from. Can you post a screen shot?

Jerry

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Answer 4

fruhulda

Level 6

15,161 points

May 3, 2011 11:44 AM in response to robinfromlexington

Also a screen shot of the two envelops with Show invisibles on. It could be that something is spilling over and creating a second blank envelope.

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Answer 5

May 3, 2011 11:53 AM in response to Jerrold Green1

Here is the screenshot of an additional table I created within this numbers document.

I must mention that the blank documents are also created if I mail merge in to an address book file. I am certain that it is a setting or an anomally in the Pages Mail Merge function. I just cannot figure out what it might be.

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Answer 6

May 3, 2011 12:00 PM in response to robinfromlexington

This is the image with Show Invisibles on

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Answer 7

May 3, 2011 1:08 PM in response to robinfromlexington

It's clear from the images that Fruhulda's intuition is correct. Something doesn't fit on one page after the merge and is forcing some of the content (invisible) to the second page.

Adjust the master Pages document to leave more room at the end of the page so it won't spill over during the merge. Also, with Show Invisibles turned on, make sure there are no extra Return characters, etc.

Jerry

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Answer 8

May 3, 2011 1:30 PM in response to Jerrold Green1

Thank you for all of your help so far.

I can see that in the screenie of the merge document, there is an invisible character of some sort on the second page of the document. It shows as some sort of line ended with some sort of character.

When I look at the document in its original form with "show invisibles" on, there is nothing there.

If I start the document from scratch, I can create it without the extra pages. I beleive it is in the creation of the envelope templates. It seems to happen to each of the envelope templates.

Again, thank you for your help and continued support.

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Answer 9

May 3, 2011 1:41 PM in response to robinfromlexington

Robin,

Look carefully at your screen shot that shows the invisible character that pushed to the following page. Note that the descenders of the characters in the merged content are cut off. They don't fit. Knock down the font size a notch in your master document and try again. I'll bet it won't take much to get everything to fit.

Jerry

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Answer 10

May 3, 2011 1:56 PM in response to Jerrold Green1

Thank you, Jerry. That, indeed, did the trick. When I decreased the font and reduced the size of the text box, the merge document was created without all the blank envelopes.

Thank you for all your help.

Robin

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Answer 11

fruhulda

Level 6

15,161 points

May 3, 2011 9:37 PM in response to robinfromlexington

The line with the small icon is the section break Pages alway adds between each merge. On page 21 in the Pages User Guide you have the information on the invisible characters in Pages.

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Answer 12

May 4, 2011 7:38 AM in response to fruhulda

Fruhulda,

The question is why the Section Break got a page of its own. It should have remained on the previous page. Making some additional space for the Section Break seems to have resolved the issue.

Jerry

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Answer 13

fruhulda

Level 6

15,161 points

May 4, 2011 7:46 AM in response to Jerrold Green1

You answered that after I had the instinct on what might go on. In my latest post here above I have just explained about the how the section breaks did appear. To me it is very obvious that if a section break is on the next page something is pushing it. I don't have to repeat your words.

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Answer 14

May 4, 2011 9:07 AM in response to fruhulda

Fruhulda,

I'm agreeing with you and expressing my lack of understanding of why it happened, beyond the obvious. There is a vertical bar on the second page that I don't recognize, but it's nothing that should be taking up space. Our suggestion to pull back the size of the first page content was, in my mind, a workaround to a problem that shouldn't occur.

Jerry

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Answer 15

fruhulda

Level 6

15,161 points

May 4, 2011 9:31 AM in response to Jerrold Green1

Well, it is always that way when something take up to much space invisibles and text will spill over. That is the nature of the word processing document. Envelopes are handled in the same way. One has "just" to know how to correct it. Many users are not curious enough or has not yet learnt enough to find out how features works in applications, merging for example.

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