How to Align Mail Merge Records for Double-Sided Name Badges in Word

Neither the AI answer nor Lin's answer recognizes that when you print on the backs of the badges, each row of data in the source of page 2 needs to be reversed from those on the first page. For example, if the first row of page 1 contained items 1, 2, and 3, then the first row of page 2 must be items 3, 2, and 1.

There is nothing in Word's mail merge that can automate this. Instead, you need to split your data source file into two files. The first file should contain only the data for the fronts of the badges, in the original order. The second file should contain only the data for the backs of the badges, with the data for each row of badges in reverse order compared to the first file.

Print the fronts of all the badges from the first data source, using only the merge fields for the data on the badge fronts.

Then put the badges into the input tray again, oriented so the next print run will print on the backs of the badges. If your printer will start the run by loading the last-printed sheet first, you need to re-sort the sheets so the first-printed sheet will be loaded first (alternatively, you could change the order of records in the second data file to print the pages in reverse order, but that process is error-prone).

Finally, run the mail merge with the second data file,. It should contain the <Next Record> fields in the same places as for the first run, and only the merge fields for the data on the badge backs.

The other side of the badges will be a second page printed on the other side of the stock. I would deal with this on the data side by having the information from the first page of data duplicated in for the second page, keeping in mind how data is arranged in a label mail merge.

In a label mail merge the data is displayed:

A B

C D

E F

G H

You would want the second page data to be in the order: BADCFEHG

Another way to handle this would be to print the badges:

A A

B B

C C

D D

You would only print on one side of the badge and fold vertically.

Doug Robbins' Merge Tools may have something to deal with this directly but there is nothing in Word itself to handle it.

https://mergetoolsaddin.com/

Hi Jennifer,

Based on my research, there appears to be no built-in Mail Merge field or Mail Merge rule in Microsoft Word that can automatically reset the merge back to the first six records on a second page for double-sided badges. Word label merges are designed to process records sequentially through the data source, and the Next Record rule advances to the next record rather than returning to previously merged records. Use mail merge for bulk email, letters, labels, and envelopes.

As a workaround, you may consider the following approaches to see whether it meets your requirements:

• Create separate front and back layouts in Word. Use Mail Merge for the front side, then create a matching table layout for the back side. Ensure the table dimensions match the badge positions on the front page so the badges align correctly when printed double-sided.

I understand this may not be the outcome you were hoping for, and I realize that the available workarounds can be quite time-consuming, especially when working with a large number of attendees. If this capability would be valuable for your workflow, I encourage you to submit feedback through Word feedback portal so that the Word product team can review the request for a future release.

I hope this information is helpful.