I need to make a data base for 27 years worth of customers. I'm figuring on using Access to do it, and have that part figured out, mostly. My problem is that because not everyone in the office is computer friendly, they want a hard copy. When playing around with Access, I couldn't ever get the list print how I wanted it. I could only get about 3 entries per page, and that would just be a waste of paper, because again we are talking 27 years worth of names, addresses, and other information.

I know that you can import/export information from one program to another, in the MS Office Programs, but it has been so long since I have done any of that stuff, so I'm not sure it will work for what I want.

Can I take some of the information from the Access Database and import it into Word or Excel and print out what I need, with out all the extra stuff that Access thinks it needs to list print?

When looking at the design view of your report, make sure there is no space between the end of your detail and the "Page Footer" row. If you have "dead" space between the end of your detail info and that "line", Access also counts that space as an entry. Does that make sense? lol

Not really.

My issue with it is that it wants to print it all in boxes with all kinds of empty space between each catergory. All I need is a row with the information so they can easily look it up.

It's really hard to explain I guess, unless I can see it. Have you moved the stuff around like you want it to look like on the report? I'll help you the best I can. Send me an email at [email protected]

I've got to make some adjustments to it. Someone else made the database for me and I have to make some changes to what I need and don't need on it. I didn't know if I wanted to go through all the work of making changes and starting to type in all the information if I wouldn't be able to realisticly print it out. I'm perfectly happy looking things up in the data base on the computer, but others around me, think they have to have a print out. And of course they don't understand that I can't always just tell the program to do what I want it too.

Guess I just need to play some more.

LOL I understand!

If I can't get it to do what I need I'll be sending you a message.

I'm really rusty on Access, but way back when I used it a lot and it seems to me that you could do a 'query' where you would hand select the fields that you want printed (as well as date ranges etc) and then print it out. I don't have access on my machine, so I'm not sure where to look, but I do know that the word was 'query' and it's probably up in the main menu under File or Tools or something along that line. See if that helps.

Oh I can get it to print out things, they just want to dress up what I am printing by putting things in neat little boxes and I don't want 6 different boxes with in the big box when I print this stuff out. Sigh.

I have the 2006 version, I'm betting the older ones probably would do it, but this one, nope.

Maybe there is a place to select formatting features you do and don't want like an "options" or "properties" or something like that you can click on before printing it? Or even in the printer properties? Sorry the query thing didn't help. I was thinking when you set up the parameters for the query you might be able to designate formatting options as well.

Can you export the report to excel and then print from there?

You have a lot of options for this. I would think that the best thing to do would be to export your data to something that is more printer friendly. It's hard to help without seeing everything but keep trying different things.

if you have 2007 version export to Excel is under the External Data Tab -- simply labeled Excel.

once in Excel can do a database merge with Word to pretty it up.

Hmm, not sure which version of Excel I have, but I will definetly look tomorrow.

Thanks!!