🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <111900076@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu> dbdg0480@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu writes:
#>
#>I am wondering if anyone out there knows of an application, public domain,
#>comercial, or otherwise that produces name tags on a LaserWriter or
#>on an ImaeWriter.  Thanks in advance for any help.
#>
#>Please respond to the net or via E-mail as you see fit.
#>
#>Dave Dunlap
#>E-mail:  dbdg0480@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu

First of all, I've found it much easier to generate large
numbers of nametags in Unix with a troff macro. But
sometimes it's easier to make them on a Mac.

I use PageMaker with various nametag templates I've set up
in which the constant information is on the L/R page. Then
I have two text blocks each for the names and title/company
information. If I have a relatively small number of nametags,
I just type over the information that's there. Another approach
is to have the constant information printed when you get your
card stock perforated. The advantage is that you can get this
done in color. The disadvantage is that I've found that simple
perforated cardstock feeds through a laserprinter with a Canon
engine (Imagen, Apple LaserWriter). But when you have it printed,
the curl in the stock introduced when it goes through the press
is apparently too much for the laserprinter to handle and it
constantly jams. So I usually print on plain paper and photocopy
onto the cardstock.

If you have a larger number, you can set up the fields to
flow into each other. The problem is that PageMaker is incapable
of doing this from page to page and retaining formats unless
you set up these flows manually. What I usually do is to set
the name in larger letters in its own text block and then
allow four lines for other information below it. Let's say
I have 500 nametags to print. I usually print 8 per page,
so I need 63 pages. What you would have to do is to position
16 text blocks on each page (you could copy them as a group,
but that's still 63 operations) and then flow in text and
laboriously click in the flow 1,000 times (actually 998,
499 each for name and other information). Then you could
flow in names and other information easily; my database
produces the necessary files to do so. That's why I do
this in Unix. I set up a macro once and then merge it
with various files of names and other information.

I suppose you could do such a job in TeX, if you have it,
much more easily. The trick in such programs is to properly set
traps. For instance, I have a trap which springs after one
line of text, reduces point size, and changes from bold to
regular.

Steve Goldfield