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Mail Merge

Data Source

The Data Source of a mail merge is especially important for this process. Generally, the mail merge tends to go more smoothly when your data is contained in an Excel Spreadsheet or Word table.


The header row in Word is the first row of the table. It contains the data fields that will be used in your mail merge. The subsequent rows contain the record information to be merged. How do I create a table in Word?


In Excel, the data is typically taken from the first sheet of the Excel workbook. The first row of this worksheet contains the data fields that will be used in your mail merge. The first row of data will be used as the data fields.

Main Document

The Main Document is a document such as a letter, that contains the text of the document and placeholder text called merge fields. It is acceptable to create the document that you will use as the form letter prior to inserting the merge fields. It is suggested that you insert some placeholder text to indicate where the merge fields will later be placed. View a sample of a main document.

 
 

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Form Letters

Mailing Labels

1. Open the main document that contains the form letter. Click Tools on the menu bar, and then click Mail merge.

2. Click Create on the main document section of the dialog box, and then Form Letters

3.Click the Active Window button to us the active, open document as the main document.

4.In the Data Source section of the Mail Merge Helper dialog box, click the Get Data button, then Open Data Source.

5. Select the file you are using as your Data Source then click open. (You may need to change the "Files of Type" dropdown menu to select the appropriate file type.)

Note: If you are using Excel as your data source, select Entire Spreadsheet in the dialog box that appears, then click OK.

6. Click the Edit Main Document button.

7. Select the placeholder text and click Insert Merge Field. Then select the data field name for that placeholder. Repeat this step for the entire document.

8. Word will insert the merge fields into the document. Make sure you have appropriate spacing before and after merge fields.

9. View the merged data by pressing the View Merged Data button. Make modifications as necessary, then save the form letter.

 

10. Click the Merge to New Document button on the Mail Merge toolbar. Review the merged data and save the merged document.

Note: The merged document will be divided into sections with one section being a record of the original document. (i.e. if the main document had three pages and you merged five records, the merged document will have 15 pages...five sections with three pages each.)

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Create Mailing Labels from Mail Merge

1. Open a blank document.

2. Click Tools on the menu bar, and then click Mail merge.

3. Click Create on the main document section of the dialog box, and then Mailing Labels.

4. Click the Active Window button to us the active, open document as the main document.

5. In the Data Source section of the Mail Merge Helper dialog box, click the Get Data button, then Open Data Source.

6. Select the file you are using as your Data Source then click open. (You may need to change the "Files of Type" dropdown menu to select the appropriate file type.)

Note: If you are using Excel as your data source, select Entire Spreadsheet in the dialog box that appears, then click OK.

7. Click the Set Up Main Document button.

8. Select the product number from the list of available options. Then press OK.

9. Click Insert Merge Field button and insert the fields you want on the label. Be sure to enter spaces and returns where appropriate. Then press OK and then press Merge. When the Merge dialog box opens, press Merge again.

10. If you want to see the labels before merging, press Cancel on the Mail Merge Helper dialog box.

11. View the merged data by pressing the View Merged Data button. Make modifications as necessary, then save the form letter.

12. Click the Merge to New Document button on the Mail Merge toolbar.

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