Rutledge

Mail Merge

Word 2003

1.  Create your Data Source, most often an Excel spreadsheet. 

2.  In Microsoft Word, go to the Tools menu, Letters and Mailings, Show Mail Merge toolbar

I have marked the buttons you will use most often in the image below. You usually use them in the order they appear.

Button

                      Purpose
Main Doc Setup Choose Letter (or Envelopes or Labels)
Open Data Source Navigate to the location of your data, click it, and Open
Mail Merge Recipients (optional) Use this only if you do not wish to use the entire data set. When you click this button, a window will open showing your data. Leave the checkmark next to the items you wish to use.
Insert Merge Fields Type your letter or document. In the locations you need merge information, click the Insert Merge Fields button and choose the name for the field you need.
Preview Results (optional) The ABC button will show you what your data looks like in the document. You can use the arrows to go to the next records to also preview them. If you print from here you will only get the one record you are looking at.
Merge to New Document When you click this button you will get all the results of data inserted into letters. Usually you just need to print this information, but not save it. If you need to recreate it, you can always go back to your original merge document and click this button again.

 

Word 2010


Mailings Tab



  
Start Mail Merge and choose type

(usually Letters)

 

 

Select Recipients
I chose Use Existing List to get an Excel spreadsheet from my Documents.

Edit Recipient List
 You can remove checkmarks from specific names, sort, and filter the list.

I do not usually use the GreetingLine and AddressBlock buttons.

I do use Insert Merge Field.

Example of mergefields in a document:  

Dear   «StsSt_Nickname»

            «StsSt_Primaryaddressee»
            «StsRlns_1_01_RlAdrs_1_01_Address»
            «StsRlns_1_01_RlAdrs_1_01_NZcity», «StsRlns_1_01_RlAdrs_1_01_State_Province»   
               «StsRlns_1_01_RlAdrs_1_01_ZIP_Postcode»

The postal code will actually appear on the same line as the city and the state. The name of the filed makes it appear that it is too large, but it is not.

Preview Results – Instead of the ABC button, you have a Preview Results button.
Finish & Merge – you will usually pick Edit Individual Documents

The first button is for printing an Envelope if you have typed a letter and just need to print one envelope to the recipient.

 
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