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MS Office Forum / Outlook / Contacts / June 2005Print individual mailing labels in Outlook
Why doesn't Outlook have the capability to print individual or multiple mailing labels? I can do so from within Word using the Envelopes and Labels Tool, but not from Outlook (unless you do a whole merge). This seems like a ridiculous oversight on Microsofts part, unless I'm missing something... You're still using a mail merge either way. You can start it from Word or you can start it from Outlook.  SignatureRuss Valentine [MVP-Outlook] > Why doesn't Outlook have the capability to print individual or multiple > mailing labels? I can do so from within Word using the Envelopes and [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > http://www.microsoft.com/office/community/en-us/default.mspx?mid=95b766a8-dbd7-4 f14-ba27-6be00f12f938&dg=microsoft.public.outlook.contacts Not exactly. I can open Word, and use the Envelopes and Labels option to print one label without a whole mail merge. I can type the address in manually, or look up a contact in Outlook. But why don't they just build the function into Outlook; i.e. right-click on a contact, select "print label", and specify the row/column for the label? That would be a lot easier than opening Word and typing manually, or selecting a Contact that's in Outlook anyway. > Why doesn't Outlook have the capability to print individual or multiple > mailing labels? I can do so from within Word using the Envelopes and Labels [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > http://www.microsoft.com/office/community/en-us/default.mspx?mid=95b766a8-dbd7-4 f14-ba27-6be00f12f938&dg=microsoft.public.outlook.contacts I don't understand your question. Why do they need to build it into Outlook if it's already built into Word? Eliminating duplication is what Office integration is all about. You obviously aren't going to be doing this unless you're running both Outlook and Word. SignatureRuss Valentine [MVP-Outlook] > Not exactly. I can open Word, and use the Envelopes and Labels option to > print one label without a whole mail merge. I can type the address in [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] >> >> http://www.microsoft.com/office/community/en-us/default.mspx?mid=95b766a8-dbd7-4 f14-ba27-6be00f12f938&dg=microsoft.public.outlook.contacts The question is: why IS the mailing label function in Word, when all of the mailing label data is in Outlook? Why have it in Outlook if it's already in Word? Because you could accomplish this simple task with one program rather than two, which seems like a tighter integration to me. If Office is about eliminating duplication, why does it require me to open a 2nd program in order to print label data from the 1st program? The only reason I obviously need both programs open is because MS designed it that way, but I could easily just print from Outlook if it had that capability. It's just a suggestion, which MS can take or leave. > I don't understand your question. Why do they need to build it into Outlook > if it's already built into Word? Eliminating duplication is what Office > integration is all about. You obviously aren't going to be doing this unless > you're running both Outlook and Word. Word can use more than one data source for a merge, not just Outlook. All merge functions reside in Word. You really don't want to build those functions into Outlook, Excel, Access, etc. as well. That is unnecessary duplication. Outlook is bloated enough as it is. SignatureRuss Valentine [MVP-Outlook] > The question is: why IS the mailing label function in Word, when all of > the [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] >> unless >> you're running both Outlook and Word. I still would like the ability to print a single label directly from Outlook without having to open Word. All merge functions reside in Word only because MS designed it that way. I agree, building the capability into every office component would be stupid and unecessary. My suggestions was that they should build the capability into Outlook INSTEAD of Word, since the data resides in Outlook. Do you work for Microsoft? I mean, I'm just a customer sending in a suggestion on how to improve a product. I'd like to simplify the process of printing a single label. So far, the response seems to be """we already have a process for doing that which involves 8-10 steps and two different programs...why aren't you happy?""" If you work for MS, either file the suggestion or throw it away. If not, let MS worry about it. There's no point in trying to convince me that the current way of doing it is the best and only possible way. If you don't > Word can use more than one data source for a merge, not just Outlook. All > merge functions reside in Word. You really don't want to build those > functions into Outlook, Excel, Access, etc. as well. That is unnecessary > duplication. Outlook is bloated enough as it is. > My suggestions was that they should build the > capability into Outlook INSTEAD of Word, since the data resides in > Outlook. Wouldn't that tend to make Outlook a word processor, then? SignatureBrian Tillman I don't think that the ability to print a mailing label directly from Outlook would turn it into a word processor, any more than the ability to print a label from Word turns it into a contact manager. But what is the most efficient way to do it? The contact information is already in Outlook, and Outlook can already print contact info; all I want to do is print it on a label. I don't understand the argument that using two programs to accomplish this task is better than one. > > My suggestions was that they should build the > > capability into Outlook INSTEAD of Word, since the data resides in > > Outlook. > > Wouldn't that tend to make Outlook a word processor, then? Once you add label printing, you have to add layout support for dozens of label types and custom label sizes. And users will want to format the first line different from the rest. Etc. etc. Pretty soon you need all the formatting and layout capabilities of a full fledged word processor. SignatureSue Mosher, Outlook MVP Author of Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for Administrators, Power Users, and Developers http://www.outlookcode.com/jumpstart.aspx >I don't think that the ability to print a mailing label directly from Outlook > would turn it into a word processor, any more than the ability to print a [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] >> >> Wouldn't that tend to make Outlook a word processor, then? No, I don't work for Microsoft. Nor am I trying to convince you of anything. I am simply explaining why the programs work the way they do and why the feature you ask for is much more difficult to implement than it may seem to you. It never hurts to realize that there may be a good reason things are designed the way they are and that there may be some unintended consequences to your request. Always be careful what you ask for. Where did I ever say "why aren't you happy?" This is a forum for discussion. When you post here, expect some. SignatureRuss Valentine [MVP-Outlook] >I still would like the ability to print a single label directly from >Outlook [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] >> functions into Outlook, Excel, Access, etc. as well. That is unnecessary >> duplication. Outlook is bloated enough as it is. |
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