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If you ever find yourself wanting for an auto-numbering capability in Quark, like to do tickets for example, here is a quick and easy way to do it.

Platform: Mac and PC
Applications:: Quark XPress, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel
XTensions: none

Here's my 12 step program:

In Quark XPress:
1. Prepare your master page with the layout of your tickets mounted 10 ups.
2. Set a text box that will hold the unique number on every tickets.
3. Chain link those text boxes to your master chain (the chain icon at the top of the master page).
4. Set your document for auto page insertion (in Preferences->Document)

In Microsoft Excel:
5. Type 1 in cell A1
6. Type 2 in cell A2
7. Select those two cell and extend your selection downward by dragging the little square dot at the bottom right of your selection. (you should see a little text box next to your pointer showing the value of the adjacent cell, drag downward until it reaches 600.)
8. Save your document as Tab Delimited Text.

In Microsoft Word:
9. Open your Tab Delimited text file and replace all Paragraph Marks with "<\b>" (without the quotes).
10. Save your document as Text Only.

Back to Quark XPress:
11. Select the first text box on page 1 that will receive the number.
12. Get text (Your Text Only file) with "Include style sheets" selected.

Voilà!