Hardcopy mailing lists and labels - Outlook or Dymo?

[MacUser_Since_1986]

Datng back through the mid-1990s, I've been using MacEnvelope Professional from Synex to maintain mailing lists for small local volunteer organizations and events that send out direct-mail hardcopy announcements and newsletters via snail mail. I still use this software (on a G4 iMac running MacOS 9.2 in MacOS 10.4.11's "Classic Mode") to this day. I would like to retire the old iMac. (Synex is history.)

I need to be able to print out mailing lists (sometimes filtered by input criteria) to sheet labels. I use Avery sheet labels (self-adhesive peel-off sheets with 30 labels per sheet). This is an ideal arrangement for small organizations and event announcements. MacEnvelope Professional would even give me the option of which label on the page I wanted to start printing labels on so I could conserve on labels.

Now that I have Office 2011: Mac, I was wondering if Outlook offers any similar capabilities, and, if so, are there any online tutorials to show me the procedures for setting up mailing lists and printing them out.

Can anyone here tell me if Outlook can be set up to do this?

The alternative might be to use Dymo software, but it doesn't fliter address lists as intelligently as MacEnvelope Professional does. I have a couple of LabelWriter 320 printers sitting around, but I don't know how practical that would be compared to Avery sheet labels.

The only other question I would have if Avery-style sheet labels are the way to go would be this: is there a current MacOS 10.6-or-higher address book app that can effectively replace MacEnvelope Professional?

Thanks in advance.

[Y-Guy]

My first thought would be to get a database program like FiileMaker, but first see if Bento will fit your needs, http://solutions.filemaker.com/database-templates/index_home.jsp

Try checking out Macupdate too, http://www.macupdate.com/find/mac/label/

I've used Outlook on my Mac, and stopped. But I don't think you'll find Outlook well suited for what are you wanting to do.
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[ez061111]

I know you asked about this in another thread, but it just dawned on me that perhaps you should give the Contacts app a try. I just took a look at mine and it does do Avery labels, envelopes, etc.

Other than that, the only other item I can think of if you have it is to maintain the list in Excel and do a print merge with word to print to labels/envelopes, etc.
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[MacUser_Since_1986]

[ez061111]

It's built into OS X, found in the Applications folder. What version OSX do you have? It may be called Address Book in older versions of OS X, don't remember though
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2.0 GHz i7 Mini 8 GB RAM, OWC Merc Extreme SSD & Samsung Spinpoint
2.6 GHz i7 Mini 16 GB RAM, Samsung 830 & Hitachi
15" 2.3 GHz i7 MBP 16 GB RAM, OWC Extreme Pro 6G SSD & WD Black

[MacUser_Since_1986]

Here's what I have access to:

MacBook Pro 2,2 (2.33 GHz) running MacOS 10.6.8

MacBook (white, first-generation) running MacOS 10.6.8

G4 iMac (1.25 GHz Igloo) running MacOS 10.4.11 / 9.2 "classic mode"

[ez061111]

Take a look in your applications folder for:

Contacts, or
Address Book
_________________
2.0 GHz i7 Mini 8 GB RAM, OWC Merc Extreme SSD & Samsung Spinpoint
2.6 GHz i7 Mini 16 GB RAM, Samsung 830 & Hitachi
15" 2.3 GHz i7 MBP 16 GB RAM, OWC Extreme Pro 6G SSD & WD Black

[MacUser_Since_1986]

I did some inquiring at the chat section of Dymo's web-site.

Some things I learned.

Dymo's label-making software works, and may be of help in my situation if I want to go that route. BUT...

Dymo's position is that (1: the older LabelWriter 320 printers won't work with MacOS beyond 10.6. So 10.6.8 is presumably the end of the line for these older printers. The older ones are considered "obsolete". (2: The newest Dymo software version 8.4.0 works with the older printers... under MacOS 10.6. (3: Dymo doesn't want to talk about connecting a LabelWriter (new or old) to an Airport wifi device to make it a "network printer"; they sell their own LabelWriter Print Server product... http://sites.dymo.com/Solutions/Pages/Product_Details.aspx?cat=Others&prod=1750630%28DYMO%29

One question I didn't bother to touch on was whether the older printers would work with the Dymo network solution or an Airport.

Does anyone have experience using a Dymo printer with either the Dymo network device or a Dymo LabelWriter printer connected to an Airport base station? If so, how did it work?

[MacUser_Since_1986]

On the non-Dymo track, one place that shows promises is the BeLight software company, makers of Labels & Addresses. They also make interesting business card software. I'm already inquiring.

http://www.belightsoft.com/

[DYMOsupport]

Just to clarify:

1. not all LabelWriter 320 models are incompatible with OS X 10.8. I do not know your model number but let us assume that it is indeed incompatible. In this case you simply contact DYMO help desk and arrange an exchange. It is free of charge and we would be glad to help you out;

2. other print servers work nicely with LabelWriters (I can give you a list of the ones we have tested), and one of those is the Apple Airport Express / Apple Airport Extreme Base Station.

You are welcome to contact DYMO help desk in case of further questions.

[MacUser_Since_1986]

The model number for the Dymo I have in this room with me is 93036. I assume the other one is the same.

[MacUser_Since_1986]

MAJOR UPDATE:

My Macbook Pro suddenly died on me several days ago. It was diagnosed a terminal; a logic board failure. I had the hard disk extracted and put in a USB case. I bought a refurbished Fall-2012 Core i5 iMac. Tonight is the first night I've been up and running on this new machine. It's fast, and with a HUGE screen.

Some of my software works, some of it doesn't. While I still have access to my old G4 iMac, it's days as a workhorse are obviously numbered. (It will be 10 years old this coming Fall!)

To date, I never received a reply from BeLight. I am not happy with that. I inquired with some technical questions at the same time I posted in this tread about BeLight, but never received a response.