EDT321 Mail Merge Directions

MAIL MERGE USING MICROSOFT WORDDIRECTIONS

Why use Mail Merge?

Mail merge is a Microsoft Word feature that makes it easy to personalize a standard document for individuals by creating one main document with fields marking the place for individual information to be inserted. You only create one document and one list of personalized information, then the merge feature of Microsoft Word creates as many documents as you desire – you don’t need to make individual documents.. The most common uses are form letters, mailing labels, and envelopes.

How does Mail Merge Happen?

Two files are required: 1) the main document file that will be personalized and 2) a data source file with individual information for each document that will be personalized. These two files are combined or ‘merged’ into a merged document that is a third file made up of a series of main documents with the individual information inserted into each document.

For example, to send personalized invitations to ten people one invitation is created (the main document file) and a table is created (the data source file) listing the names and addresses of the ten people who will receive the invitation. The merged document file would contain ten invitations, each invitation being personalized with the information for one of the people who is receiving an invitation.

Data Source File + Main Document File = Merged Document

Which is All the Addresses + Invitation Letter = All Personalized Invitation Letters

Or: 10 people’s addresses + 1-page invitation = A 10-page file consisting of 10 invitations

Terms Used for Mail Merge

Field is the name of the individual items of information that Microsoft Word will take from the data source document into the main document file in order to create personalized documents. These Fields will be put in an angle bracket when you edit the main document: <<first name>>, <<last name>>, etc.

Data source is the file that contains individual information. For example, an address book or a name list can both be used as data source. Each record of individual information (each address, each name) will be used to duplicate the content in the main document.

Main document contains the information that you want to duplicate with individualized information. An invitation is an example. It is during the process of duplication that individual information is obtained from the data source and added to the content of the main document.

Merged document this is the file created by merging the data source and the main document files. It cannot exist unless it has been merged.

Plan a Mail Merge

It is important to plan ahead for a mail merge activity. Microsoft Word will substitute the information from the data source document into the main document file; therefore the data source file must contain an entry for each of the types of information that will be personalized on the main document file. The main document must be created with ‘fields’ or spaces that will accept the merged information from the data source file.

For example, personalized invitations would include the name and address of the person being invited. Fields would be needed in the main document file for ‘first name’, ‘last name’, ‘street address’, ‘city’, ‘state’, and ‘zip code’. The data source file would be a table made up of columns labeled ‘first name’, ‘last name’, ‘street address’, ‘city’, ‘state’, and ‘zip code’.

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EDT321 Mail Merge Directions

Create a Data Source File

Steps to make a data source file in a Word table

1. Open a new document.

On the standard toolbar click the “New Blank Document” icon.

(Note: if a dialog box opens instead of a new document, select ‘New Blank Document’ to open a new document.)

2. (Don’t press the enter key!) Insert a table to hold the data.

On the Menu toolbar click Table,

then, from the drop down menu choose Insert, then Table for the Insert Table drop down box. Create a custom table the size you need by entering the desired number of columns and rows for the table. Create one column for each of the fields of data you will need. You must know in advance how many columns (or fields) you will need. Click OK to put the table in the document.

3. Enter headings in the first row of the table. Column headings are the names of the data fields used to individualize the main document. For example:

First Last Street City State Zip

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EDT321 Mail Merge Directions

4. Enter individual data in the table cells. For example:

First Last Street City State Zip

Ronald McDonald 123 Easy St. Tempe AZ 85289

Mary Sunshine 99 Sloan Ave.

Phoenix AZ 85001

George Knight 7843 N. 12th Place

Mesa AZ 85779

5. Save and close the data file. Choose a name that describes the file.

Create a Main Document File

1. Open a new document and create the main document, or open an existing file that will become the main document.

2. Save the document. Choose a name that describes the file.

Note: Save a new copy of an existing document for use as a main document in a mail merge activity.

3. Have this document open to begin the Mail Merge function.

Use Mail Merge Wizard

The Mail Merge Wizard guides you through merging the main document and the data source document into the new merged document and printing or saving the resulting personalized documents.

Note: The Mail Merge Wizard can also be used to create main documents and data source documents if the files do not already exist.

Steps to use Mail Merge Helper

1. Open the Main Document file.

2. Click Tools on the menu bar and select Letters and Mailings, and click Mail Merge Wizard. …

3. under Select Document Type, choose Letters, then click on the blue Next: Starting document

4. under Select starting document, choose Use the current document, then click on the blue Next: Select recipients

5. under Select recipients, choose Use an existing list, click on the blue Browse…

6. in the new dialogue box, under Look in locate your data source file (follow the path of the file) and click Open

7. in the new dialogue box, check all data records you want to use, and click OK.

8. click on the blue Next: Write your letter

9. under Write your letter, choose the blue More items…

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EDT321 Mail Merge Directions

10. in the main document put your cursor where the first field will be, click on the appropriate field in the Insert Merge Field window and click Insert to add the field to the main document. Do this for each field. Then click on the blue Next: Preview your letters

11. click on the blue Next: Complete the merge

12. under Merge, click on the blue Edit individual letters

13. in the new dialogue box choose All and Ok.

14. save the merged new document under a new name and you are done!

Advanced Mail Merge Features

Explore the Microsoft Word Help files for advanced Mail Merge functions and features.

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