I want to print my personal bank checks, instead of hand-writing them. So I want to develop a Word 2007 form in which I want data to be entered in fields created by Content Controls. Then the Word form is to be printed onto a bank check that is pre-fed into the printer's envelope feeder, with only the Word form data, and nothing else from the Word form (like field name, etc.). See the sample attached document that I created with text boxes that prints onto checks fine, but with boxes around the data. Can I print text boxes without the boxes –data only? I think I might use Content Controls and have the Word doc show field names, but not print them. Is this possible? Does Word have this printing capability? Thanks in advance for any comments on how I can do this better!
Later addition:


I am attaching a copy of the two checks that I've already printed using text boxes that were precisely positioned on a Word page, so that their data prints properly onto checks that were taped on a blank copy page and fed into a printer. Problem is, as you can see, the text box lines get printed also, not just the data. Does anyone know of a way to stop the text box lines from printing, but not disappearing from the data entry page, so that only the text box data is printed –not the lines?

Attached Images

two sample printed checks with data-3.jpg (137.7 KB, 15 views)

Attached Files

PersonalCheck printing - data feed -test.pdf (7.0 KB, 9 views)

Word prints whatever is in the document, so your document needs to only include what you want to print, and nothing else. Aside from formatting text as “Hidden” there is no way of making Word not print what is in the document.

Text boxes don’t need to have borders, but that makes a white text box on a white background rather hard to find.

If you use Content Controls you can set the title property if you really need to know what to enter where, and the titles don’t print.

Thank you so much! I had a feeling that you might offer some helpful comments after a review. I'll try your suggestions this week and get back to you about how they worked. :-)

You have options on how you might set up and print the content.
1. Colour the field names and borders in white before printing - printers don't have white ink so anything white doesn't get printed (they assume you are printing on white paper so a printer treats white as 'don't put ink here'). This could be done as a macro to toggle the colours of the field names and borders between black and white.
2. Make use of the 'Placeholder text' feature (and/or Title) of the Content Controls so you put the field name there instead. CC Titles don't print and placeholder text disappears as soon as you start your data entry on that CC.
3. You can use XML mapped content controls to have two versions of the same data in one file. So for example you could have page 1 set up for data entry in a layout where it is easy to see what data gets typed in, then on page 2 you have only the twinned content controls laid out in positions that match the check layout. Do your data entry on page 1 and only print page 2

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Andrew Lockton
Chrysalis Design, Melbourne Australia

Hello Andrew, I think that might work for me. Can we talk about this over the phone this week? I need to confirm certain things that I don't want to put online here. Email me to let me know how I can reach you, including best day/time in your Melbournezone to call you. :-) Thanks! Rusty rustycpsr at gmail . com

See also the part of my page Making Forms with Microsoft Word about printing on pre-printed forms (which is one of the more difficult things to do in Word, IMO).

Creating a Form in Word Starting With a Paper Form

Word has the ability to use content controls to enter data that can be printed without displaying margin borders. You can add these elements to a Word form and then set their properties so that they do not display borders when printed. This will allow you to print only the data, without unnecessary form elements.

Thank you Tessa,
The problem with using Content Controls is that, when data is entered, its data field expands, thereby pushing on the next data field in the same line. I can't have this movement. How do I get this movement to stop? I'd like to use a set field length for data to be entered into a specific field, which might solve this problem, but I don't know how to do this. Do you?
Rusty

Hi Rusty,

Look at my webpage on Forms. The link I gave you gives specifics on using Forms in Word with preprinted forms, which would be a type of pre-printed form.
You can place your Content Controls in a table with cells of fixed size or in Fixed-Size text boxes. Table is better.


You can also get software and blank check stock that works with Word where you print the entire check including the numbers.


If you contact the printer of your checks, they may have templates available that work with their printed checks.


Otherwise, there is software designed for this like Quickbooks.

Charles, Thank you for your response. I will look into your suggestions shortly. Much appreciated! Rusty