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import addresses

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import addresses - 12/24/2014 5:52:11 PM   
retired44

 

Posts: 6
Joined: 12/24/2014
Status: offline 		I just purchased Printshop deluxe 3.5 as my printmaster is not compatible with a forced upgrade to Windows 8.1. Am having difficulty importing addresses that are in the txt format. I selected

1. sharing
2. address book
3. Entered one address into book manually
4. Then selected Flat file as none of the other options are available
5. Browsed for my addresses and a screen shows up where I can see my addresses on the left.

Above the address is boxes that include Delimited or fixed....the row & column...header rows....column name etc

I have no clue what these mean or where to go. I was told I could import txt addresses....what do I do!

retired44

_____________________________

Miriam hatlevig
Post #: 1
RE: import addresses - 12/25/2014 11:14:09 AM   
ellengard


Posts: 3253
Joined: 10/2/2006
Status: offline 		Hi, Merry Christmas! I'm not at my home computer with access to my Print Shop 3.5 program, but I'll try to help from memory until I return home.

In order for the program to know how to enter the text file data into the Address Book, you need to edit the text file to include matching headers. For example, the Address Book has a field called, "city". So in your text file, the header row must have the word, "city". Make sure each header word is in the same order as the field data. Spell each header word exactly the same as in the Address Book.

Hope that helps. Post back if you need further instructions.

(in reply to retired44)
Post #: 2
RE: import addresses - 12/25/2014 2:56:48 PM   
retired44

 

Posts: 6
Joined: 12/24/2014
Status: offline 		Thanks for replying....his did not work for me but I'm probably not doing it correctly. I tried putting the header First name only. Do I need all the headers like first name, last name, address etc? Wish I could send you a picture of what I am looking at...think I may be missing steps I don't understand.

_____________________________

Miriam hatlevig

(in reply to ellengard)
Post #: 3
RE: import addresses - 12/25/2014 5:38:54 PM   
ellengard


Posts: 3253
Joined: 10/2/2006
Status: offline 		Yes, you need a matching header for each mail merge field.

(in reply to retired44)
Post #: 4
RE: import addresses - 12/25/2014 6:53:49 PM   
retired44

 

Posts: 6
Joined: 12/24/2014
Status: offline 		The txt file I have that I believe I'm supposed to put headers on is over 400 addreses that look like this:
Pat Branchaud PO Box 146 LyleMN55953.

When I open the address book, click on Flat file under import contacts this is what shows up on the screen:
Pat Branchaud
PO Box 146
LyleMN55953

Am I working in the right place? Do I put the headers on the original txt file? Do the headers have to be on every single name or over the entire list? Do the headers need to be divided somehow.
I apologise for asking what for you are stupid questions (I am not a computer expert). Just trying to NOT have to type in every single one of those 400 addresses. Maybe Print Shop is not the way to go.

_____________________________

Miriam hatlevig

(in reply to ellengard)
Post #: 5
RE: import addresses - 12/26/2014 8:28:11 AM   
ellengard


Posts: 3253
Joined: 10/2/2006
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: retired44

The txt file I have that I believe I'm supposed to put headers on is over 400 addreses that look like this:
Pat Branchaud PO Box 146 LyleMN55953.

This could be problematic. You have no spaces between the city, state and zip code. It's all ONE word.

quote:

Do I put the headers on the original txt file?

Yes.

quote:

Do the headers have to be on every single name or over the entire list? Do the headers need to be divided somehow.

You need only ONE header line. It must match up exactly the way your data is arranged. I am on holiday, without my Print Shop program, so I can't see what the field names in the Address Book are called, but if I had to guess, I'd say:

firstname lastname primaryaddress1 city state zipcode

quote:

Maybe Print Shop is not the way to go.

You have to have a proper header in your text file no matter what program you chose.

(in reply to retired44)
Post #: 6
RE: import addresses - 12/26/2014 8:42:19 AM   
ellengard


Posts: 3253
Joined: 10/2/2006
Status: offline 		Before you go any further, I am concerned that you did not create a "tab delimited" or a "comma delimited" text file. When you properly export an Address Book as a "tab delimited" or a "comma delimited" text file, the headers are usually created automatically.

Then all you need to do is edit the headers to match up with the spelling of the headers in the New Address Book. For example, if your old header is "surname", but the new Address Book uses "lastname", you would simply change "surname" to "lastname" in NotePad.

(in reply to retired44)
Post #: 7
RE: import addresses - 12/26/2014 1:27:13 PM   
retired44

 

Posts: 6
Joined: 12/24/2014
Status: offline 		I did not do the conversion from a scanned paper copy of the addresses....a friend has a program that does this. I sent him your comments and will see what he can do. Thanks again for all your help. Will let you know what happens.

_____________________________

Miriam hatlevig

(in reply to ellengard)
Post #: 8
RE: import addresses - 12/26/2014 2:34:21 PM   
ellengard


Posts: 3253
Joined: 10/2/2006
Status: offline 		If your text file was created from scanned papers, unfortunately, there is no easy way to import this properly into an Address Book for mail merge purposes.

You will have to type all your addresses into the Print Shop Address Book or whichever electronic Address Book program you choose to use.

If you have Microsoft Excel, you can import the text file, but then you would have a lot of editing to do, cutting and pasting sections of the text file into separate data cells.

(in reply to retired44)
Post #: 9
RE: import addresses - 12/26/2014 2:51:05 PM   
ellengard


Posts: 3253
Joined: 10/2/2006
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: retired44
I just purchased Printshop deluxe 3.5 as my printmaster is not compatible with a forced upgrade to Windows 8.1.

PrintMaster? of an older version of Print Shop? If the latter, good news, you can import the old Print Shop Address Book directly into the new one.

(in reply to retired44)
Post #: 10
RE: import addresses - 12/26/2014 2:55:37 PM   
retired44

 

Posts: 6
Joined: 12/24/2014
Status: offline 		I think you are totally correct! And thus I have already started typing in my addresses to Printshop. Excel is a pain in the butt....and Printshop is able to create the labels I want. Excel/word doesn't have the graphics prinshop has. What would have been nice would be to find the old printmaster address book (it's on here somewhere but I can not find it!). So type addresses I will....

One other question.....I am used to using Avery labels 5167 (8167) which prints 80 receiver labels...printshop does not have this template. (their's is 5195 which only prints 60 labels.0 I tried to make my own custom label and it didn't work. Can the Avery 5167 template be imported?

Thanks again for your help...you are so prompt!

_____________________________

Miriam hatlevig

(in reply to ellengard)
Post #: 11
RE: import addresses - 12/26/2014 3:35:44 PM   
ellengard


Posts: 3253
Joined: 10/2/2006
Status: offline 		Sorry you have to type it all again! The old PrintMaster address book isn't compatible with this program (and there's no address book export function with PrintMaster), so even if you found it, it wouldn't save you from retyping.

Re: Avery 5167... I used the Custom Paper Stock Wizard to create it, without any difficulties. Try it again, but be very careful filling in the information because the data it asks for is NOT THE SAME AS PRINTMASTER.

I have a tutorial half-way down the page here:
http://ellengard.weebly.com/printmaster-60-and-print-shop-35.html

(in reply to retired44)
Post #: 12
RE: import addresses - 12/26/2014 4:47:27 PM   
retired44

 

Posts: 6
Joined: 12/24/2014
Status: offline 		I watched the tutorial before (found it) but tried it again after your message and THIS TIME IT WORKED!!! Thank you.

Think that's all the questions I have for now. Luckily I'm going on vacation.....to AZ....for 3 months, so I will have plenty of time to work on typing all those addresses. Have done a few trying out labels etc and find most of the rest of the instructions pretty easy to understand. Think I will like Printshop when I get used to it. I did lots of other things besides labels on Printmaster, but every time I upgraded there was an adjustment period with that program too. Wouldn't have spend so much time on importing addresses except the salesman talked to 2 techs while talking me in to the purchase and said IT COULD BE DONE! Live and learn......

Thanks again for all your attempts to help me. Happy New Year!

_____________________________

Miriam hatlevig

(in reply to ellengard)
Post #: 13
RE: import addresses - 12/26/2014 6:56:18 PM   
ellengard


Posts: 3253
Joined: 10/2/2006
Status: offline 		Happy New Year to you, too! Glad you have the labels working now.

The techs should have been told that the data would come from scanned papers. Had this info come out at the beginning, you'd have been told that you'd need a tab or comma delimited file, which is not possible from scans.

(in reply to retired44)
Post #: 14
RE: import addresses - 12/26/2014 9:16:02 PM   
DEJenc3


Posts: 533
Joined: 6/22/2005
Status: offline
quote:

The techs should have been told that the data would come from scanned papers

If the adderesses on pages are in confined columns, some scanning software like Omnipage can convert them into spreadsheet files (no doubt with lots of cleanup needed).

Is it possible that Printmaster stores its addresses in file formats (like .dbf, .mdb) that can be opened by Excel?

_____________________________

David

(in reply to ellengard)
Post #: 15
RE: import addresses - 12/26/2014 10:02:53 PM   
ellengard


Posts: 3253
Joined: 10/2/2006
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: DEJenc3
If the adderesses on pages are in confined columns, some scanning software like Omnipage can convert them into spreadsheet files (no doubt with lots of cleanup needed).

In this particular case, there does not appear to be columns. Post #5 indicates that city, state, and zip code are one item rather than three.

quote:

Is it possible that Printmaster stores its addresses in file formats (like .dbf, .mdb) that can be opened by Excel?

The extension is ABK - incompatible with Excel. There is no export function in the PrintMaster Address Book so no option to create a text file of any kind.

Perhaps if a mail merge were to be done where all the addresses were printed in distinct columns, new scanning with OCR may provide a useful flat file with mail merge fields identified by fixed widths. However, post #1 suggests that Miriam doesn't have a computer that can run her old PrintMaster program anymore, to print those addresses.

(in reply to DEJenc3)
Post #: 16
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