how to merge spreadsheet data for labels

I know you are not Apple - I'm just venting....

but now I'm a little more confused....

I have it on invisible mode.....I see a return symbol after lines 1-3 but no symbols after the last field (zip code).

Right now I have a pages file, automatically called merged 1 to page, with 1 persons name and address fields in the top left of each page. 64 pages.

If you want to continue I appreciate it, if you're done then thanks for getting me this close.

I have the pages document with one text box and a new page for each entry. I don't see any section breaks after the zip code....I have it on invisible view.

I'm going to start again not using the avery template.

Pages

File - New - Blank document

Open Inspector

Document Set Up : left .19 right .19 bottom .5 top .5 uncheck header and footer

Now do I insert a table 3x10 or use inspector to create 3 columns 10 rows? I tried both ways and using Avery template. Which do you recommend?

Then do I insert a text box and make it fit into the table cell?

I have the merging and setting up fields and merging to create one entry per page. Then I am stuck - I don't see any section breaks to delete?

I'm sure the obstacle is I'm thinking Windows.....

I don't want to use address book because I have various spreadsheets that I use for labels and don't want them in my address book. If I save the spreadsheet as a Comma Delineated Text File will that affect my address/contact list?

The "insert" menu was not the top menu but in the inspector. Yes, that seemed like an odd place to find the character for delete page break....

specific questions below? please clarify my understanding so I don't assume something different.

Pages

File - New - Blank document

Open Inspector

Document Set Up : left .19 right .19 bottom .5 top .5 uncheck header and footer

Now do I insert a table 3x10 or use inspector to create 3 columns 10 rows? I tried both ways and using Avery template. Which do you recommend?

Then do I insert a text box and make it fit into the table cell?

Looking up the dimensions for the Avery 8160, we find that the layout is:

Margins: Top 0.5" Bottom 0.5" Left 0.1875" Right 0.1875"

We mock-up the label layout in a blank Pages Word Processing Template

Clarification Please: In your sample see an Avery template in blue and then the inspector, which appears you are showing me how to create my own template with the corresponding margins. Not using an actual Avery template.

I'm not clear how you are instructing me to create the 30 label layout, other than the outside margins.

QUESTION 1:

After setting the outside margins in "inspector document set up" I select "metrics" but I cannot type in the width and height boxes. What is the step in metrics?

QUESTION 2:

Am I inserting a text box in the blank Pages file? If I insert a Text Box and can use Metrics from inside that box and set the width 2.65 height .96. Is that the next step?

This is trial and error on the dimensions of the (Inline) text boxes, although I suppose a calculator could speed things up a bit.

We only need one text box, but we want to see what 30 per page will look like after a merge.

Next we delete all but the first box, and add your field designations for the merge...

QUESTION 3: Do I manually move the text box to the top left corner?

QUESTION 4: What steps between creating that free floating "text box" and setting up the merging fields?

I'm married to an engineer so I probably know how frustrated you are and what you are saying to your computer screen....but it's not that obvious what to do next. : )

Clarification Please: In your sample see an Avery template in blue and then the inspector, which appears you are showing me how to create my own template with the corresponding margins. Not using an actual Avery template.

I'm not clear how you are instructing me to create the 30 label layout, other than the outside margins.

QUESTION 1:

After setting the outside margins in "inspector document set up" I select "metrics" but I cannot type in the width and height boxes. What is the step in metrics?

QUESTION 2:

Am I inserting a text box in the blank Pages file? If I insert a Text Box and can use Metrics from inside that box and set the width 2.65 height .96. Is that the next step? I inserted a 2.65 x .96 "text box" and positioned it .5 from top and .19 from left.

This is trial and error on the dimensions of the (Inline) text boxes, although I suppose a calculator could speed things up a bit.

We only need one text box, but we want to see what 30 per page will look like after a merge.

Next we delete all but the first box, and add your field designations for the merge...

QUESTION 3: Do I manually move the text box to the top left corner? I positioned the box to the top left corner.

QUESTION 4: What steps between creating that free floating "text box" and setting up the merging fields?

Cursor in "text box" Used inspector, Merge to choose the numbers spreadsheet, selected and positioned the fields inside the one "text box".

Left inspector and used the top menu - Edit - Mail Merge to a new document. 64 pages, one per page

Now I see the breaks

Find section breaks Replace blank

Now I have one page with the original "text box" filled in with first merged data.

QUESTION 5: What step did I miss or misunderstand?

Peter - now I know what an "inline text box" means....it took me a long time to figure out I was supposed to create a text box. That wasn't clear. ( I was just using the term floating loosly - didn't realize it was an apple software term)

QUESTION 4: What steps between creating that free floating Inline "text box" and setting up the merging fields?

Cursor in "text box" Used inspector, Merge to choose the numbers spreadsheet, selected and positioned the fields inside the one Inline "text box".

Left inspector and used the top menu - Edit - Mail Merge to a new document. 64 pages, one per page

Now I see the breaks

Find section breaks Replace blank

Now I have one page with the original "text box" filled in with first merged data.

QUESTION 5: What step did I miss or misunderstand?

Thank you Jerrold and Peter for your patience and guidance. I took your information to the Apple store and the genius there figured it out for me. Jerrold and Peter were very specific about the instructions - I did not follow it exactly and couldn't get it to work. Hopefully this will help some of you who are not so familar with Apple products.

Here are the steps you outlined already for an Apple novice for customizing a label template:

• Have the Numbers file ready to use with clear headings - close the Numbers file.
• Have the information for the labels you want to print on.

  Margins, size of the label, etc...this piece takes time unless you can find it on the Avery website...another lesson.

• Using Pages open a new - wordprocessing - blank file.
• From the Pages View menu select Show Invisibles
• Insert a Text Box - click outside the box and then put your cursor back in the box.
  • On the top menu select "Inline" not "Floating" The text box should move up
  • Next to Inline/Floating option is the Wrap menu - click on it and select No wrap (bottom) The text box should be in the top left corner of the document now.
  • Cursor still inside the text box, so you see the box go up and open the Inspector - little blue circle with i inside. This will bring up the Inspector menu.
    • Set the margins for the entire label sheet
      • First icon on the left, that looks like the Pages icon, opens the Document set up.
      • Put in the margins for the label sheet (not the individual labels)
      • Uncheck Header and Footer
      • The text box should move up and over to correspond with the first label on the sheet.
    • Set the size of the individual label
      • In the Inspector, select the diagnonal ruler - Metrics
      • You will see space for the width and height of the label. If you can't type in the space got over and click inside the text box so that the Inspector knows you are working on this box only. Enter the width and height you found or figured out for each label.
      • Ignore the position spaces. Leave inspector open or closed - you'll go back there soon.
  • Layout of box field - It may be easier to set up the layout of the fields first.
    • Double Click inside the text box - "type to enter text" will be highlighted, erase it
    • Type the field titles that match the field titles in your number spread sheet.
      • You don't have to be exact. You can even put the first letter of the title
      • Add the spaces, commas, etc
      • i.e. First Last, Cred enter and on next line Organization enter on next line Add 1 enter on next line City, ST Zip
      • You can select your font style and size here, do you want it centered or left justified, etc..
      • You can tweak this later but it's easier if you arrange it first.
      • You now have 1 text box in the top left corner with the field names arranged how you want them.
• Open or go back to Inspector to begin merging field titles
  • There is an icon with a curved arrow in a blue circle - select it
  • You will see the choices hyperlink, bookmark, merge - select merge
    • Select the Choose button and a new box will pop up to Select a Mail Merge Source
    • Select Numbers Document and your files will appear in a new screen..Find the number document you want to use. Select it - you will see the name of the numbers file in the Select a Mail Merge Source pop up - select OK
    • Now you will match up the field titles from the Numbers document (column headings) with the field titles in the text box. You will be going back and forth between the text box and the inspector window.
      • Double click inside the text box and put cursor on first title - it might be First, F or First Name, etc...
      • Leave that title highlighted and go over to the inspector menu. Click on the + sign on the bottom, Add a merge field and a title will appear. If it's the field you want to use, click on it to select it. If not scroll up or down until you find the title you want to use.
      • Go back to the text box and double click on the next field title. Go back to inspector, click on the + sign, Add a merge field and the next field title will appear. Select the one you want from the list.
      • Continue until all the field titles in your text box have a corresponding entry in the inspector merge menu.
      • As you match up the field titles a box will appear around each title and all are within the 1 text box.
• Save as a Template
  • Now is a good time to Save your work as a template so you don't have to do this again.
  • With your cursor, click outside the text box.
  • In the Pages document go up to the File menu and select Save as a Template
  • Name it i.e. 1234 label It will be saved in the folder "My Template"
  • Return to the Pages document
• Mail merge time
  • Main menu - Edit - Mail Merge
  • The Select a Mail Merge Source pop up will appear again.
    • Select Number Document - the file name is probably already there, if not select the Number document
    • Merge to: New Document
    • Merge (you can close or move the inspector out of the way)
  • You will now have a new document with as many pages as you have entries. i.e. if you had 14 names and addresses you will have 14 pages with each person's information at the top of separate pages as well as a blue line going across each page. (this is a section break)
  • Jerrold has good visual examples for these steps on page 1 of this discussion.
  • Go up to the Edit menu again and select Find
    • select Find.....a new pop up window will appear called Find & Replace
    • Select Advanced
    • In the Find space you are going to look in the "Insert" pull down meny and select "section break" which puts a character for "section break" in the find space
    • In the Replace space - leave it empty (you are going to find all the section breaks and replace them with nothing.
    • Select Replace All
• Voila! The information should move up and fill in all the spaces on the page.
  • but it might not look like the label sheet layout you are going to print on.
  • so the dimensions entered were wrong and have to be modified.
  • yes, this is very tedious and time consuming but we wanted an Apple machine.
  • so I think it means deleting this new untitled document.
  • go back to the template and change the size of the 1 text box
  • do the merge again
• There has to be an easier way to match up the label sizes and this might all be easier with the Avery App.

Jerrold and Peter - please correct anything I wrote above.

Thank you again for your patience.

I think I figured out this process so I can now explore using Contact/Address book and Avery templates and Avery app.

After I get the right dimensions for these labels and print them out.

ps now that I understand all the little steps the instructions Jerrold gave make sense