 |
| |
|
|
| |
| |
Is BLINK AMAS approved?
YES.
BLINK uses the Multinet PAFlink engine that is AMAS approved. Mail
produced using BLINK is therefore eligible for the full barcoded
mail discounts. |
 |
| |
| |
Do I need to take out an annual subscription
fee?
YES. When you purchase BLINK, you are entitled to the
current version of the BLINK Postal Address File (PAF), plus the
next version, which is always due out before the end of the current
quarter. After that, new versions of the PAF, which are released
every quarter, will only be sent to annual subscribers. And
according to Australia Post, to be eligible for the barcoded mail
discounts, you must always be using the latest PAF. |
|
| |
| |
Can BLINK be run on a network?
YES. When installing
BLINK you can specify the directory for loading the BLINK PAF files.
This directory could be on a network drive. The files would then be
loaded once on to this drive and every subsequent install using the
same drive will check that the files exist and use them. This will
save on disk space requirements for each local copy as well as
minimise the effort required to update the PAF. But be aware that
BLINK is a single user licence product and you will need to purchase
a licence for every installed copy. A discount pricing structure is
in place for this situation. |
|
| |
| |
Will BLINK interface to products other than Microsoft®
Word?
YES. BLINK has been designed to interface directly to
Microsoft® Word. This does not mean that it
could not be used with other Windows applications. For example, it
would be feasible to take a formatted address block with the barcode
from a Microsoft® Word document and place it in
a Microsoft® Excel document. Similarly the file
of entries created by BLINK, or output from the mail merge process,
could be interfaced into any Windows application capable of
importing a file.
The Paste Special Function makes it possible to insert individual address data, including barcode, into any open Windows application. |
|
| |
| |
How do I export my records as a text file?
In many databases and spreadsheets there is the ability to export the records in different formats. The command for this function is often found by clicking on "File" in the toolbar and looking for an option such as "Export", "Data Exchange" or "Save As".
If this option is selected then the process often has a wizard to guide the user through the necessary steps. If possible choose a tab delimited ASCII file as the format, as this will be easiest for BLINK to manage and provide the optimum output.
For ACT! 2000 click here
In Microsoft® Excel, for example, the steps are as follows:
Select File, then Save As
In the "Save as type" drop down menu at the bottom of the dialogue box select Text (Tab delimited) (*.txt)
Select the file name and location you wish to save the file as
Click on Save.
The following message may appear - The selected file type does not support workbooks that contain multiple sheets - Click on OK
Your records are now exported as a text file in a format suitable for importing into the BLINK Data Pre-processor, as part of a mail merge.
For Goldmine:
Select Tools then Export Records
This will start the export wizard
Choose the options "Export to a new file" and "ASCII file"
The rest of the process is similar to that described for ACT! 2000 in the next section.
For Outlook:
Select File then Import and Export
Choose "Export to a file"
Choose "Contacts" as the name of the folder to export
Choose "Tab Separated Values (Windows)"
Select or type the name of the file you will export your addresses to and then click Finish
For Outlook Express:
Click on File then Export then Address Book
Select Text File
Select the name of the file you will export to, then the fields you want to export and finally click on Finish
The next section provides step-by-step instructions for one database which will act as an example for a number of database types. |
|
| |
| |
How do I perform a mail merge with a database such as ACT! 2000?
The following instructions are specifically for ACT! 2000 but the process will be similar for many databases:
Select File, then Data Exchange, then Export
To which file type do you want to export your data? Select Text - delimited
Type in filename and location, or click on browse button to locate file and/or location and click on Next
Select contact records only
Click on Options
Select tab as the character to use to separate each field of a record
Select Yes to export field names
Click on OK then click on Next
Select which contact records you want to export: Current record, Current lookup or All records and click on Next
Remove all fields apart from the relevant fields for your mail merge (e.g. Company, Contact, Address1, Address2, Address3, City, State, Postcode, Salutation etc). If you are going to repeat mail merges then it may be worthwhile saving this step as a map: Click on Save Map, type in a name and click on Save
Next click on Finish
This will export the file to the specified location
Open the BLINK Data Pre-processor (Click on Start, Programs, PrintSoft BLINK and then Data Pre-processor)
Select ASCII and Browse
Locate the text file you just created and click on Open
Select Tab as the separator and Fieldnames in First Line (if this is the case) and then Next
Map the source address fields in the left hand box with the address fields in the right hand box and click on Next
When the conversion process has completed click on Start Word
In Word, click on the BLINK mail merge button
Select the document type
Select Yes if you wish to sort by BSPKey
Select Setup
Select the mail merge fields that will be placed into the document, labels or envelopes
Click on the Close button (NOT on the Merge button)
Click on the Merge to New Document icon on the Mail Merge Toolbar
Print or Save the document
Please refer to the User Manual for more details. |
|
| |
| |
Does BLINK correct addresses?
NO. When matching
addresses, BLINK is only concerned with finding the Delivery Point
Identifier (DPID) for the address. If there are errors with the
address, such as the suburb does not match the postcode, BLINK may
still find a DPID but the field in error will not be corrected.
|
|
Troubleshooting |
For technical support please email us at support@blink.com.au
| |
 |
 |
