Monday 4 May 2015

Free source files - make your own large cahier diary

When I launched my new large cahier size diary, I promised to make source files available should there be any interest. Well, there was some, so here we are.

This is the layout we're talking about:


By downloading the source files, you get to make a diary for any period you like, including academic years, odd months, extended holidays and other trips. You can also change the fonts, the colours and any other aspect of the layout just for one week's spread and then through the magic of mail merge have these changes carry through to as many weeks as you like.

I'll show some basic instructions for getting the mail merge done, but if you have some basic Word and Excel skills you should be fine. You can always go to the web to find many detailed tutorials on mail merge for your specific versions if you need more help, and on the Free Diary Pages link at the top of this blog you'll find some YouTube tutorials.

Here are the steps you need to take.


  1. Download the source Word file and the source Excel file. You need them both. Save them somewhere accessible.
  2. Open the Excel file. Change the very first date in column A and watch as all the other details change automatically.
  3. If you want a shorter period, delete the lower rows. If you want a longer period, stretch the data range (Google for tutorials if you need to.)
  4. Save the Excel file.
  5. Open the Word file. You will probably be prompted to link to the data source. Navigate to the Excel file and select it. If you get a dialog asking which sheet to link to select Sheet1. If you're not prompted, start the Mail Merge helper in Word.
  6. From the Mailing ribbon or toolbar, find and select the command to start the mail merge. You need to choose the option to merge to a new document.
  7. When the new document has been created. save but don't close it. 
  8. Perform a find an replace in the new document (CTRL + H in Windows). In the Find field, type ^b, leave the replace filed blank and then replace all.
  9. Insert a blank page at the very start of the file. Starting with a blank page will mean that as you flip through the finished booklet you will see a week per full spread. You can decorate this blank page if you like.
  10. Save the file again.
  11. Print the file in booklet mode. If you don't know how to do that, read the detailed instructions in my post on the subject.
My ability to provide detailed support on this is very limited, so by all means have a go, but beyond these notes and the collective resources of the web you're on your own.

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