Tech Mysteries

Rolodex Headaches

Denver lawyer Daniel Levin asks:

In Microsoft Office 2000, how is it possible to format and print contacts from Outlook to Rolodex cards (or Avery 5364 Rotary cards)?

1 ARITA SIMS: Open a blank document in Word and select "Tools," "Mail Merge." The next window displays the three steps for performing the merge.

Select as follows: 1) "Create, Mailing Labels." 2). "Get Data, Use Address Book."

Now setup the main document. A "Label Options" window will appear. Select "5364 - Rotary Card." Use the "Insert Field" button on the next screen to insert the desired fields for your cards.

You're now ready for step three: Merge! This will create cards for everyone in your Outlook contacts. Use the Query Options to limit the merge to certain contacts.

--A.B. Consulting

2 ROBERTA GELB: Put the contacts to be printed in their own folder (unless you want to print all of them),and open Word. Select "Tools," "Mail Merge."

Click on "Create from Main Document" and choose "Mailing Labels" (follow prompts for selecting label #5364). Choose "Active Window."

Click on "Get Data from Data Source" and choose "Use Address Book." Choose "Outlook Address Book" and click O.K.

Click on the "Contact" folder you want to use. Click O.K.

Click on "Edit Main Document." Proceed in Word using the "Insert Merge Field" button and selecting fields to be printed on the label.

Click on "Merge" on the "Mail Merge" toolbar. Select "Merge to New Document."

Click on "Merge."

--Kraft, Kennedy & Lesser

3 DANIEL COOLIDGE: You go into your contacts, select the contact you want, put the card stock in your printer, and then execute "print" and do a page setup.

If the cardstock you are using isn't listed, you can do a custom size easily, just reading the dimensions off the package.

--Fish & Richardson

4 JIM CALLOWAY: Get sheets of clear plastic Avery labels. Print on the labels. Peel them off and stick them to the Rolodex cards.

--Oklahoma Bar Association

Next ...

The editor confesses: For the life of me, I can't figure out how to control the size of fonts in my replies in e-mail. Running: Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional, XP Office Suite.

1 DONNA PAYNE: For Outlook 2000 or Outlook 2002: From the "Tools" menu, choose "Options." Select the "Mail Format" tab. Click "Stationery & Fonts." Click "Font," and you'll see three options with a "choose font" box to click: 1) When Composing New Message. 2) When Replying and Formatting a Message. 3) When Composing and Reading Plain Text. Pick your fonts and sizes!

Tips: You may want to disable Word as your e-mail editor, which will also help minimize Word's annoying "helpful" auto-edit functions. To do this, from the Tools menu, choose "Options" and select the "Mail Format "tab. Uncheck the option "Use Microsoft Word to Edit e-Mail Messages." Also, the "Options" command only appears when you don't have a message open. Go back to the Inbox with no message displayed (just the standard interface) and then click "Tools," "Options." If you don't see options on the list still, double-click the "Tools" menu and you should see it.

--Payne Consulting Group

While I'm at it:

My Outlook messages insist on opening up in a tiny box. What am I doing wrong? Running W2000 Pro, XP Office.

1 JOE WALKER: The boxes will default to the last position you used. To return it to full display, simply open a message, and drag the corner until you get the field as you like it, and then close it.

The next time you open a message it will open to this size.

--American Lawyer Media I.T. Wiz