Printing help : auto numbered 'tickets'...?

[radhak]

My wife volunteered at the PTA to print 'tickets' for an upcoming magic show at the school. The tickets have a standard format, to be printed in a large number (maybe 1000+).

Everything else is fine - but they want the tickets to have a running serial number at the top, like 1,2,3,... Actually, that number is the only thing changing from one ticket to another.

So how would you do this? I am assuming MS Word, but any other suggestions are welcome.

I thought printing 'Labels' might help, but it needs a data-source. Of course, the brute-force method might be to create an excel sheet as the data-source with 1000+ lines, each line having nothing but a running serial number that the Label would pick up. But isn't there anything more elegant?

There is another 'field' called ListNum. how does that work?

[Tom Slick]

Do you have excel? You can link the two together to generate lists, in your case the list would be numbers.
If someone else doesn't come up with an easier way I'll dig up my office book and figure it out.

[tuttlejr]

You could create a macro to do this. I use and prefer WordPerfect and have a macro to do that.

[Scottydont]

You may want to check out something like this template from Office Depot

http://www.officedepot.com/guides/pa...kets_instr.pdf

[crokett]

This is a one-off. What is wrong with brute force and using an Excel/Word mail-merge?

[JSUPreston]

No, no, no. You've got to create a SQL database with the event, date, time, ticket number, row & seat, cost, etc. in related tables. Then...you've got to create a VB front end that calls the data from said database and creates a printable pdf with unique bar codes as well as the ticket number to make sure no one has a counterfit ticket. After that, you've got to make sure that the ticket is printed on paper with ink (or laser) that can not be modified, preferably with a holographic image on it.

Then again, you could tell me to shut up. Seriously, because I deal more with hardware and networks than software, I'd probably create a data source with all the info in Excel, and then link it in Word or Publisher to actually handle the print. Even that is probably too much work for what you need, but it's the only way I can think of at the moment...still drinking the coffee, so brain isn't warmed up yet.

[DaveS]

preferably with a holographic image on it.

For this application, an HMAC mixed into the bar code should suffice (assuming a an appropriately strong random key is used, of course).

[Dale In Corona]

Calm down people, put your coffee down and your wallets away! There is no neeed for excel word merges or fancy templates from office depot.

If you are using word:

Place your cursor where you want the numbers to appear on the ticket(s)

Go to INSERT (On the menu bar at top)

Choose FIELD

Choose AutoNum

This will insert a field into your word document that will automatically generate a number, with each instance of the field causing a new number (ascending) in sequence for every one of them in the same document.

See attached example if interested.

Dale

[Lonnie in Orlando]

Click on "Help" in Microsoft Word
Choose "Microsoft Word Help"
Enter "Raffle Tickets" in the input box

A numer of raffle ticket formats can be downloaded. Some with sequencial numbers. May require mail-merge.

- Lonnie

[Grandpasteve]

Listnum

The LISTNUM fiield will allow you to specify a starting number if you had to do subsequent printings.

[Lonnie in Orlando]

Whoa ... Dale:

How'd you do that?! Neat.

(I was writing my post to click on "Help" while you were posting your "Autonum" reply.)

Did you start with a MSWord table? Walk me through the process.

Thanks,

- Lonnie

[radhak]

nothing against brute-force, just was looking for an easier/shorter/more elegant way.

did not think of writing macros - should work too.

for whatever reason, the template from OfficeDepot does not work - there's no autonumbering happening even though it says it should... But nice templates there, Scott!

The AutoNum / ListNum only works if you copy-and-paste the original - in this context, it'd mean copy-pasting 1000 times - not ideal. Mail-merge would be better, as my word document would be only one label long, while creating the data-file in excel just needs seconds (btw, the data file could be in another word document too).

so for now looks like mail-merge from an excel data-file might be my best option, unless the macro comes about easily.

[gabedad]

Click on "Help" in Microsoft Word
Choose "Microsoft Word Help"
Enter "Raffle Tickets" in the input box

A numer of raffle ticket formats can be downloaded. Some with sequencial numbers. May require mail-merge.

- Lonnie

I second this one - It would seem to be the easiest way

[Dale In Corona]

Did you start with a MSWord table? Walk me through the process...

IIRC, I put an outside border around the text "Ticket Number 1" (where the one was actually the AutoNum Macro).

• Format
• Borders and Shading
• Borders, Select outside border
• OR you can use the tool bar

Then I insterted a word table with three columns and one row below that.

Then I typed in the rest of the text you see, and added the background shading.

Not ideal, and I would definately come up with something alot more elegant if I were actually going to produce tickets, but for the purposes of the example, it got my point accross.

Dale