Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Printing Personalized Copies of a Document.

Printing Personalized Copies of a Document

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated October 5, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


1

Mahmud asked for a way to print personalized copies of a document. He started with a list of names in a regular text file, one per line, and he wanted to print one copy of the current Word document for each of those names. Further, he wanted the person's name placed in the header of the document.

The process to perform such a task is fairly straightforward: open the text file, grab a name, put it in the header, and then print the document. Another name is grabbed, and the process is repeated until there are no more names in the file. The following macro implements such a process:

Sub PutNamesInHeader()
    Dim sName As String

    Open "c:/names.txt" For Input As #5
    Do While Not EOF(5)
        ' get the name
        Line Input #5, sName

        ActiveWindow.ActivePane.View.SeekView = _
          wdSeekCurrentPageHeader
        Selection.WholeStory
        Selection.Delete
        Selection.TypeText Text:=sName

        ActiveWindow.ActivePane.View.SeekView = _
          wdSeekMainDocument
        ActiveDocument.PrintOut
    Loop

    Close #5

    ActiveWindow.ActivePane.View.SeekView = _
      wdSeekCurrentPageHeader
    Selection.WholeStory
    Selection.Delete
    ActiveWindow.ActivePane.View.SeekView = _
      wdSeekMainDocument
End Sub

The tricky part of the macro is using the .SeekView property to specify which story in the document you want to work with. As implemented here, the .SeekView property is used repeatedly to switch between the header area and the main document. After the loop (grabbing names and printing) is completed, the header area is cleared and the .SeekView is switched back to the main document.

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the WordTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (152) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Printing Personalized Copies of a Document.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Special Differences when Searching

Word includes two different search engines. Which search engine you choose to use will dictate what Word shows as ...

Discover More

Saving Custom Formats

While the implementation of custom formats in Excel is not terribly robust, you can still achieve some amazing results ...

Discover More

Changing Spacing Between Table Cells

Need to adjust the space between individual cells in a table? Word gives you a good deal of control over this spacing, as ...

Discover More

The First and Last Word on Word! Bestselling For Dummies author Dan Gookin puts his usual fun and friendly candor back to work to show you how to navigate Word 2013. Spend more time working and less time trying to figure it all out! Check out Word 2013 For Dummies today!

More WordTips (menu)

Printing Custom Properties

Do you use custom document properties? They can be very helpful, but sometimes hard to get at. This tip shows a way you ...

Discover More

Printing Only Selected Pages

I often need to print only select pages of a document, rather than the whole thing. Word makes it easy to be judicious in ...

Discover More

Printing AutoText Entries

If you want to print a list of the AutoText entries on your system, you can do so quickly by making one change on the ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is five more than 0?

2015-04-25 09:42:34

Craig

Would the mail merge feature (Tools > Letters and Mailings > Mail Merge) also do the same thing?


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.