Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Unit 3: Word Processing Skills
Lesson 4: Mail Merge and Label Generation
Contents
Engage 1
Introduction 1
Objectives 2
Explore 2
Extend 13
Activity 1 13
Activity 2 14
Evaluate 15
Wrap Up 18
Bibliography 18
Unit 3: Word Processing Skills
Engage
Introduction
Fig 1. A visual representation of mail merge
Imagine having an important party. You are very excited to tell your family and friends
about it until you realize how exhausting it can be to give each one of them a customized
invitation letter. Making one letter for one person is easy, but making a hundred copies with
the recipient's name on each letter can be a real challenge for people especially for those in
previous decades. People nowadays do not have to worry about that.
Helping us save time is undeniably one of the many great ways technology has benefited us.
Most tasks are assisted by advanced programs incorporated in machinery. Work loads can
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easily be done effectively and efficiently. Thus, people can devote more time to the things
and people most important to them.
Objectives
DepEd Competency
Use common productivity tools effectively by maximizing advanced application techniques.
(CS_ICT11/12-ICTPT-Ic-d-4)
Explore
15 minutes
Thank someone special to your heart by making a simple certificate of appreciation. It may
be awarded to a family member, a closest friend, or person/s you look up to like community
workers. Design it well to show your gratitude. You are free to use any word processor you
like.
Guide Questions
1. Who is the recipient of your certificate of appreciation? Why did you choose the person?
2. Would like to give out more certificates to your family and friends? What do you think is
the easiest way to do such a task?
3. How did you apply the knowledge you gained from the previous lessons? What are the
features you used in the activity?
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Mail Merge
Mail merge, sometimes referred to as data merger, is a feature available in most data
processing programs. It is a popular tool for mass-producing personalized items. It allows
users to easily modify one part of a document having unique sets of information.
This feature enables users to send a similar document to multiple recipients. It enables
connecting a single form template with a data source that contains information about the
recipient’s information like their name, address, and other supported data.
Using mail merge can save time while boosting the effectiveness of the documents that the
users are creating. This feature can help with address labeling, name tag creation,
Can you think of other tasks that can use mail
merge?
Mail Merge has two parts: the main document and the recipient list.
● Main document - It is like a template that contains the text to be used in all of the
output documents. It usually consists of a letterhead, text, and an empty space for
the recipient’s information.
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● Recipient List - It is a database or data source that contains the data to be merged
into the output documents. It usually contains a list of names, addresses, phone
numbers, and other personal information.
When you use mail merge, the program combines these two parts to generate a set of
output documents or the results of the action.
Create first your recipient list. Go to the Mailings ribbon and choose Select Recipients.
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Word usually uses Excel for this purpose. The first row should contain field names for
each column that is unique, like Salutation, First Name, Middle Name, Last Name,
Address, and Mobile Number. Each row should provide information about a field
name. After you create your list, save it, and then close the document.
Click the Step by Step Mail Merge Wizard found in the Start Mail Merge options. This
feature will guide you through the process from start to finish. The following are the steps
displayed at the right part of the document:
1. Select document type. The following are the types and their uses:
● Letters - It is used for personalized greeting.
● Email - It is used when you will be sending the email directly from MS Word.
● Envelopes or Labels - It is used for names and addresses coming from your
recipient list.
● Directory - It is used to list down sets of information for each item in your
recipient list.
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For this example, we will be using the Letter.
2. Select starting document. If the current document is what you intend to use, then
click next. You can also open a template or an existing document prepared
beforehand.
3. Select recipients. Since your recipient list is already prepared, click next. You can edit
it or select another list if you wish.
4. Write your letter. If you have not written it yet, you can insert the recipient
information in your desired locations as you work. If you have already written it,
insert the recipient information in its intended location. Below is a sample document.
5. Preview your letters. All merged letters will be displayed. Double check each one to
make sure there are no errors. You can exclude a recipient if you decide not to
include it.
6. Complete the merge. After finalizing the letters, they are now ready to be
reproduced. You can also add more information and personalize each letter as you
wish.
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Step 3: Print your mail merged document.
Once your output document is set up, formatted, and saved, it is now ready to be printed.
You can click the print option in the wizard. A dialog box will appear and will give you
options to select the pages to print. Then it will redirect you to another dialog box that will
give you more options you commonly see when printing documents.
Labels
Creating Labels
To create envelopes or labels, users follow the same process as with mail merge. This
means that this is the second part of a mail merge. The following are the steps for creating
labels:
Go to the M
ailings ribbon and choose which type you would like to create.
For this lesson, we will choose Label. A dialog box will appear after you have chosen. This
will show you basic options for creating a label.
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Go to Options. A new dialog box will appear that will show more options to format the
template you will be using for the label. There are two ways to do this.
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● Page Size - It is the size of your template.
● Page Width - It is the width of your template.
● Label Height - It is the height of the label.
● Label Width - It is the width of the label.
● Number Across - It is the number of label columns.
● Number Down - It is the number of label rows.
● Page Height - It is the height of your template.
Once you are finished creating the template, hit OK until the dialog box disappears
and your actions are applied.
To show you a more detailed process of creating a template from scratch, watch the video
given below.
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Unit 3: Word Processing Skills
Youtube
Online Labels, Inc., “How To Make Custom Label Templates in
Microsoft Word,” Youtube (Youtube, December 16 2015),
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cptN3dTk9H0, last
accessed on May 06 2020.
Users have the option to not create the template because there are already some
available in the program. Users will only select their desired size for the envelope and
select the needed information found in the recipient list.
After clicking Options from the first dialog box, find the manufacturer of the
template you want to use from the Label Vendors found at the middle of the box.
Then go to the Product Number below. Find the code that is on your label package.
The product information will be displayed on the ride side of the box. Once you have
selected the correct manufacturer and product code, hit OK until the dialog box
disappears and your actions are applied.
You can also download a blank template from numerous websites. Some offer free
downloads while others require payment.
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Select New Document after creating your desired template. The program will open a new
document. In this document, you can see broken lines that represent the template. This is
the portion where you can input the information needed in the label. You can also design it
as you want.
Tips
To design your label, apply the skill and knowledge you have gained
from previous lessons. Make sure to format text and insert graphics
according to the documents’ purpose.
To give you an example for designing labels, watch the video given below.
Youtube
Online Labels, Inc., “How To Add Images and Text to Label
Templates in Microsoft Word,” Youtube (Youtube, December
16 2015), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJezwpf4mCQ,
last accessed on May 06 2020.
Step 4: Merge.
You can print the label you have created from the Print options in the first dialog box.
Another option is since a new document is already open, you can print it the way you would
normally print other documents in Microsoft Word.
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Extend
Activity 1
uide
G
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Activity 2
Read each statement below carefully. Write T on the line before each number if it is TRUE,
otherwise write F if it is FALSE.
__________ 1. Users can only choose from Envelope or Labels under the ‘Create’ option in
‘Mailings’.
__________ 3. The space from the start of the first label to the end of the first label is called a
Horizontal Pitch.
__________ 5. Adjust the left and right dimension of the label in Label Height.
__________ 6. When using the template provided in the program, users should know the
manufacturers name and the product code of the label.
__________ 7. If users want to use templates that are not available in the program, they can
download templates from other websites.
__________ 8. Creating a mail merge and creating labels follow different procedures.
__________ 10. The label generator helps to print out individual information to a standard
form that has already been formatted.
uide
G
Review the definition and uses of label generators. Visualize the steps for creating
and printing templates for envelopes and labels.
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Evaluate
2. What are the six steps for creating a mail merge provided by the wizard?
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4. What are the ways to create a label template?
5. For students like you, what is the importance of mail merge and labels?
Assume you are working in a company as the secretary. You are tasked by your boss
with confirming the attendance of some employees for the upcoming meeting. Create a
mail merge document to finish the task. Save a soft copy and pass it to your teacher.
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Address 129 Main Street Blue Avenue Blk 17 Lot 1 Precious
Homes
Copy the text below for your main document. Insert the information from the recipient list as
instructed in the letter.
(First Name) (Last Name)
(Address)
(City), (Province)
Good day!
Please let us know if you are attending the meeting which will be held in the conference
room on Tuesday, May 05, 2020 at 8:00 AM. We are looking forward to sharing your
thoughts in the company’s latest sales. Thank you.
Respectfully,
Kris Jeon
Executive Assistant
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Unit 3: Word Processing Skills
Wrap Up
___________________________________________________________________________________________
● Mail merge or data merger is a popular method of auto-inserting data in word
processors. It allows users to create a batch of documents that are personalized for
each recipient.
● In creating mail merge, users have to create first the recipient list. After this, there is
a wizard that would guide users in the process if they are using Microsoft Word.
● Labels are used when users want to send documents to each individual in an
envelope or a mailing label which should contain their address. It allows users to
print individual information to a standard form that has already pre-formatted.
● In creating labels, users can create their own template or use installed templates in
the program. They are also free from downloading templates.
● There are two components needed in creating mail merge and labels. This is the
main document and recipient list. The main document is template while the
recipient list is the data source.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Bibliography
“How to Create Mail Merge Labels in Word 2003-2009 & Office 365.” OnlineLabels.com,
February 20, 2020. h
ttps://www.onlinelabels.com/articles/mail-merge-labels.htm
“How to use the Mail Merge feature in Word to create and to print form letters that use the
data from an Excel worksheet.” Microsoft. Retrieved 05 May 2020, from
https://support.microsoft.com/en-ph/help/318118/how-to-use-the-mail-merge-featur
e-in-word-to-create-and-to-print-form
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“Mail Merge.” Technopedia, February 5, 2018.
https://www.techopedia.com/definition/1686/mail-merge
“Use mail merge for bulk email, letters, labels, and envelopes.” Microsoft. Retrieved 0
5 May
2020, from
https://support.office.com/en-us/article/use-mail-merge-for-bulk-email-letters-labels-
and-envelopes-f488ed5b-b849-4c11-9cff-932c49474705
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