[aklug] Re: Printing Return Address Labels the unix Way

You should post, even if it's only for posterity! :)

Mike B.

Quoting Mike Bishop <mbishop@mtaonline.net>:

> On Sun, Dec 16, 2007 at 11:14:03PM -0900, Fielder George Dowding wrote:
>> Greetings all, earlier today Doug presented me with the problem of
>> getting a Word document to print correctly in OO Writer. It turned out
>> the document simply prints out return addresses labels. The Avery labels
>> are four across and twenty down. Well, there is an easier way.
>>
>> I am reminded not to be too hard on Windows and Word users because they
>> don't have much to work with. We in the unix world are spoiled because
>> we expect to have all the tools that one might need to do little tasks
>> such as this. Each of us probably have a preferred technique, and in
>> this case, my preferred technique is to whip up a quick little
>> PostScript program with the help of vim and gv.
>>
>> This is a first cut. I don't have the dimensions and the exact layout of
>> the labels which will affect the point size of the font, the leading,
>> and other dimensions needed to get the graphite in the right places on
>> the cellulose. Further, I have not yet added the Document Structuring
>> Conventions which make life easy when using the program on different
>> platforms and printing utilities. Finally, like Arthur's comments, I
>> probably have missed a point or two in good programming technique.
>> Nevertheless, here it is for everyone to try. Just copy the text between
>> the START and END to a plain text file with the extension of ps, i.e.:
>> returnAddressLabels.ps
>>
> <snip>
>
> I have an awk script that takes a label definition file and a list
> of addresses and generates postscript labels via groff if anyone is
> interested. Definitely the unix way, but perhaps a bit geeky these
> days ...
>
> The definition files (avery.5160, avery.5351, folders etc) are pure
> roff but easy enough to modify. Address lists are simply adresses
> separated by a blank line.
>
> Let me know if you would like me to post ...
>
> Rgds,
> --
> Mike Bishop
> Willow, Alaska
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Received on Mon Dec 17 16:37:19 2007