Dymo label margins

  • Thread starter Thread starter Christopher Glaeser
  • Start date Start date
C

Christopher Glaeser

A google search indicates there is a long-standing bug with Page Setup label
margins reverting to strange numbers, but I have not found a post with a
solution. Any pointers will be be greatly appreciated.

Best,
Christopher
 
Do your symptoms match all these?
- You opened your report in *design* view.
- You set the margins through:
File | Page Setup
- You have not changed to a differerent printer.
- You are using Access 2000 and later.

If so, and Access is still not keeping the margin settings, the problem is
caused by Name AutoCorrect. Details in this article:
Lost Printer Settings When Name AutoCorrect Is Enabled
at:
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=240826
 
Thanks for responding.
Do your symptoms match all these?
- You opened your report in *design* view.
- You set the margins through:
File | Page Setup
- You have not changed to a differerent printer.
- You are using Access 2000 and later.
Click to expand...

Yes, I am using Access 2003. File | Page Setup keeps chaning the printer
and/or mangling the margins.
If so, and Access is still not keeping the margin settings, the problem is
caused by Name AutoCorrect. Details in this article:
Lost Printer Settings When Name AutoCorrect Is Enabled
at:
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=240826
Click to expand...

I have disabled Name AutoCorrect, Repaired the database, and restarted
Access. The problem persists. I keep going back and forth, back and forth,
back and forth, in design/preview/page setup, and finally, one of my label
designs is correct. The other three are not. I've been struggling with
this for several hours but have not determined why it finally worked in one
report but won't work in attempted duplicates of the same report. It's a
very tedious defect. According to the KB article, the defect was fixed in
Office 2000 SR-1. Apparently, the defect remains in Access 2003.

Another KB article suggests using a command dialog box to set printer
options at run-time.

Best,
Christopher
 
There are at least 16 bugs with Name AutoCorrect.
Although some are supposed to be fixed, I'm guessing it is still the cause.

Try this sequence:

1. Decompile a copy of the database by entering something like this at the
command prompt while Access is not running. It is all one line, and include
the quotes:
"c:\Program Files\Microsoft office\office\msaccess.exe" /decompile
"c:\MyPath\MyDatabase.mdb"

2. Compact: Tools | Database Utilities.

3. Create a new (blank) database: File | New.

4. Immediately turn off the Name AutoCorrect boxes in the new database.

5. Import everything from the problem database: File | Get External.

6. Open a code window, and set minimal references. More on references:
http://members.iinet.net.au/~allenbrowne/ser-38.html
Then check that the code compiles: Debug | Compile.
 
Thanks for your continued support, this is a rather frustrating defect. I
performed the steps you outlined, and the problem remains.

I have discovered something noteworthy. After hours of fiddling with this,
I do have one instance of a working label. I thought perhaps I could use
this one instance to make other labels (a kludgy workaround). In design
mode, I deleted ALL the text fields on the report. Then, in the report
property window, I changed the Record Source to another table. Bang! The
little green triangle appeared with an error message that the width was too
wide. Note that I did not add a single field. All I did was change the
record source of an empty report to recreate the defect. Does this give any
insight?

Best,
Christopher
 
Allen,

It's the Label Wizard!!!! When I tried to modify the instance of the
working label by deleting all the fields, change the record source, and then
add a new field, a dialog box opened asking for input for the old record
set. Huh? Somewhere, behind the scenes, Access thinks the deleted text
field is still attached to this report.

So, I created a new report from scratch, bypassing the apparently defective
Label Wizard. It works fine. Based on your comments, I'm guessing the
Label Wizard uses AutoCorrection, even when AutoCorrection is disabled.
Thanks again for your assistance.

Best,
Christopher
 
Bravo, Christopher! Good for you for fighting through to a solution...
doesn't it feel goooood when you find a solution? Kinda like the feeling
after you stop hitting yourself on the head with a brick! ;)

Cheers!
Fred Boer
 
Kinda like the feeling after you stop hitting yourself on the head with a
brick! ;)
Click to expand...

Amen to that. As an aside, I can actually create label designs faster using
a blank report vs the Label Wizard, because some of my fields use table
look-ups and I don't think the Label Wizard can handle those. I was holding
off on the fix-up of the look-ups until I fixed the the page setup issue,
and both of these issues are easier to do with a blank report. Perhaps the
Label Wizard can save time with the Avery full-sheet design, but I'm wary of
using it. Certainly, I would avoid using it for continuous single labels
like Dymo.

To those who stumble across this thread in the future, I suggest the
following for a Dymo Address label ....

- Do not use the Label Wizard
- Open a blank report in design mode
- Delete the Header and Footer
- Size the Detail to 3" wide and 0.9" high
- File | Page Setup
set printer to Dymo
set orientation to landscape
set margins to 0.05, 0.056, 0.25, 0.13
set columns to 1

Now, before adding any fields, preview the report. It should be exactly one
page. If it is multiple pages, then the Detail size and margins are not
fitting. Try making some adjustments (reduce detail size slightly in design
mode) until it fits on one page in preview mode. Your Dymo driver may
affect the margins slightly, but they should be relative small numbers like
mine above (left and right margins need more room for alignment than top and
bottom). Once the report preview fits on one page, set the record source,
query, etc, in the report property and begin adding fields to the report
design.

Best,
Christopher
 
Well done.

The bad field names may also have been in other places in the report, such
as the Sorting'n'Grouping dialog, or in the Filter or OrderBy properties.

In general, you will outgrow most of the wizards quite quickly.
Occassionally I still use the Label Wizard though, when a client gives me an
Avery number.
 
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