Print Batch Letters In Scheduler

Collect!'s Scheduler can be used to print your letter batches during off hours. When you configure a Print Batch Letters task, the Scheduler shows you the same screens you would see when setting the options manually for your Scheduled Batch Letters. There are a few restrictions when setting these options for the Scheduler. We will cover the details in this topic.

If you are also scheduling your Letter Service batch in the Scheduler, you should make sure the "Letter service" task is scheduled to be completed before the "Print batch letters" task starts. Please refer to Help topic, Letter Service in Scheduler for details.

Configure Letter Batch

When you select the CONFIGURE button for a Print Batch Letters task, you will be prompted to answer a few questions and select options.

1. First you are asked whether you want to print Letters or Labels.

Letter Batch Selections - Labels or Letters

2. Next, the Batch Letter Options form is displayed, with slight variations. When setting the options in this form as part of a Scheduler Task, you must set your options in advance. This is because the Scheduler does not send prompts to the screen while it is running a given task.

Batch Letter Options

3. Then, the Report Options form is displayed for configuring the batch letters destination. You can select Printer, Email or File when setting this option in your Print Batch Letters task.

Report Destination Options

You can print batch letters to different destinations in the same letter batch. If you have letters that print to Email and some that print to Printer, they will go to the right destinations when you print your letter batch. Just set the Destination to "Printer" in your task, and Collect! will read the Destination set in the Report Options for each letter in the batch.

If you want to schedule a batch to Email, please refer to Help topic, Print Batch Email in Scheduler.

Repeat Scheduler Letter Batch Task

When scheduling your Letter Batch through the Scheduler, you can create one repeating Scheduler Task and Collect! will automatically increment the Start and End dates as expected.

1. When the Batch Letter Options form is displayed during your configuration, leave the Start and End dates blank.

Configure Repeat Task

When there is no "Start date" specified, Collect! will use today minus 1 month by default. OR, you can specify a Start Date, if desired.

When there is no "End date" specified, Collect! will use today for the End date. You should NOT put in an End date in the future, or Collect! will print letters before they are due to go out!

2. Configure your Repeat and Date/Time values.

Configure Repeat Task

Now Collect! will automatically increment the Start and End date each time the task is run.

Summary

Collect!'s Scheduler can be used to print your letter batches. There are a few restrictions when printing scheduled batch letters as a Scheduler task. You can print only to printer, Email or to file and you must set Batch Letter Options in advance.