One way to take advantage of the processing power of Word is to use the Mail Merge features to create personalized form letters. You can also create mailing labels and put together documents, brochures and other items that must be sent to a large number of recipients.
Mail merges allow you to print multiple copies of a document in which certain information (such as name and address) changes for each document. The form letters that you receive from businesses are examples of mail merges at work.
Mail merges combine two kinds of documents:
- A Main document which contains the text that is identical for each printed copy; and
- A Data source which contains the text that is specific to each copy printed.
The main document also contains fields that tell Word where to find the information that is stored in the data source. These fields are referred to as merge fields. As you type the main document, you can insert the fields at any desired location.
Word's Mail Merge Wizard makes it easy to produce form letters, mass e-mails, envelopes, or labels. Just follow the easy steps below:
- If you want to create a new document and enter text in the body of that document to serve as your main document, open a blank document now. If you have an existing document that you're using as your main document, then open that document.
- Choose Tools | Letters and Mailings | Mail Merge. The first of several Mail Merge panes appears within the task pane area.
- In the task pane under Select Document Type, choose the type of output document that you wish to create.
- Click Next: Starting Document at the bottom of the task pane to continue.
The Second Mail Merge task pane appears.
- In the Task Pane under Select Starting Document, choose whether you want to use the current document, start from another existing document, or start from a document based on a template.
- Make your desired selection and then click Next: Select Recipients at the bottom of the tax pane to continue.
The third Mail Merge task pane appears.
- In the Task Pane under Select Recipients, choose what you want to use as the source of your mail merge data. Your options are:
- Use an Existing List: This option allows you to choose an existing database file containing the names and addresses that you want to merge. After making this selection, you can click the Browse button that appears to locate and open the database file of your choice.
- Select from Outlook Contacts: This option lets you use an Outlook Contacts folder as the source of the names and addresses. When you choose this option, you can then select the Choose Contacts Folder option that appears in the task pane to view and select the Outlooks Contact folder.
- Type a New List: This option allows you to type a list of names and addresses. When you select this option and then click Create in the task pane, a New Address List dialog box appears, as show in Figure 4.
You can enter the names and addresses using this dialog box, clicking New Entry after completing each entry to add another. When done, click the Close button (the X in the upper right corner) in the dialog box and the wizard will ask for a name and location to store the list. Your list will be stored in a Microsoft Access database file, with the .MDB file extension.
Note: If you use the Mail Merge Wizard to produce a set of envelopes or labels rather than form letters, the Step 2 of 6 Mail Merge task pane provides these options:
- Change Document Layout and Start your envelopes or your labels. You can then click the Envelope Options button or the Label Options button that appears and choose the layout options you desire in the dialog box.
- Alternatively, choose Start from Existing Document if you want to use an existing document designed for your envelope or label format. You can then choose the document in the list or click the More Files link to display an Open dialog box, so that you can navigate to the file of your choosing.
Bearing this in mind, you should select the data source that you want to use for your letters. In this example I chose Type a New List and entered the address to which I wanted the letters sent. If you don't already have data existing in an Excel Workbook or an Access database, this is probably the best choice to go with.
When you are finished typing your list, Word returns to the third step in the Mail Merge Wizard. The only difference is that the Use an Existing List Option is now chosen and the task pane indicated the name of the Access database you used when saving the names you previously typed.
When you have finished specifying your data source, click Next: Write Your Letter at the bottom of the task pane to continue.
The Fourth Mail Merge task pane appears.
- Now is the time to enter or edit the document that will serve as your main document. You can type the text that will remain static for each form letter, using the normal Word editing methods.
To enter the appropriate merge fields (the data that will change for each form letter) such as name, address, city, state and zip code, you use the commands shown in the Step 4 of 6 Mail Merge task pane. The options available in the task pane vary, depending on the type of document you are creating.
The table below explains the commands available if you are creating a letter.
| To insert These Merge Fields | Use this Task Pane Command |
| A grouping of name and address fields, such as first and last names, address, city, state and zip code | Address Block |
| A salutation block, such as Dear Mr. Doppleganger | Greeting Line |
| E-postage field, to print electronic postage | Electronic Postage |
| Postal Bar Code Field | Postal Bar Code |
| Other unique merge fields from your data list, such as a company name | More Items |
When you're finished designing your main document, save your work thusly:
- File | Save
- Click Next
- Preview Your letters at the bottom of the task pane
The next Mail Merge task pane appears and a completed letter based on the first name and address in your list appears in the document window.
Once this task pane appears, you can preview your form letters using the forward (>>) and reverse (<<) buttons shown in the task pane. You can also search for a particular recipient in the list of names and addresses by clicking the Find a Recipient link in the task pane and entering the search text into the Find Entry dialog box that appears. And you can modify the recipient list that's based on your chosen data source, if you wish, by clicking the Edit Recipient List link in the task pain. When you are finished previewing the results of the mail merge, click Next: Complete the Merge at the bottom of the task pane to continue.
The last Mail Merge task Pane appears.
In the Merge area of the task pane, you can print your form letters immediately by clicking the Print command. Alternatively, you can choose to store all the completed letters in a single Word document by clicking the Edit individual Letters link and using the File | Save or File | Save As command.
Carol Bratt is the Office Applications Editor at Daves Computer Tips. She has authored several informative Microsoft Office books and writes the monthly Word Bytes Newsletter with more tips and tricks in each issue. Visit Carol's website for more great Microsoft Office tips and tricks! Click here to see her latest books! You can read more about Carol here.