MAIL MERGE

Lesson 1
MAIL MERGE
• Mail merge is a software toolkit that is used to produce
multiple documents with a given template, editing the basic
information that is supplied by a structured dataset.
• A sample output are certificates of attendees in a seminar.
• Instead of manually and individually inputting information,
it is automatically generated when using Mail Merge.
• The template of the certificate should, of course, be
uniform, but the names should be customized for every
individual.
MAIL MERGE
• Mail merge lets you create a batch of
documents that are personalized for each
recipient.
• For example, a form letter might be
personalized to address each recipient by
name.
• A data source, like a list, spreadsheet, or
database, is associated with the document.
• Placeholders - called merge fields – tell Word
where in the document to include information
from the data source.
Data Sources
• Your first step in setting up a mail merge is to pick
the source of data you'll use for the personalized
information.
• Excel spreadsheets and Outlook contact lists are the
most common data sources, but any database that you
can connect to Word will work.
• If you don't yet have a data source, you can even type
it up in Word, as part of the mail merge process.
Existing List
• An existing list might be an:
• Excel spreadsheet
• Access database
• some other type of database.
• To use it as your data source, choose Use an
Existing List.
• Excel spreadsheet
• An Excel spreadsheet works well as a data source for mail
merge if all data is well-formatted and on one sheet so
that it can be read by Word.
• Access database
• With Access, you can select data from any table or query
defined in the database.
• Other database files
• To access other kinds of data sources, you'll run the Data
Connection Wizard:
1. Go to Mailings > Select Recipients > Use an Existing List,
then choose New Source to open the Data Connection Wizard.
2. Choose the type of data source you want to use
for the mail merge, and then select Next.

3. Follow the prompts in

the Data Connection
Wizard to complete the
data connection to the
merge document.
DOCUMENT TYPES
• Letters that include a personalized greeting. Each letter prints on a separate
sheet of paper.
• Create and print a batch of personalized letters
• Email where each recipient's address is the only address on the To line. You'll be
sending the email directly from Word.
• Create and send email messages
• Envelopes or Labels where names and addresses come from your data source.
• Create and print a batch of envelopes for mailing
• Create and print sheets of mailing labels
• Directory that lists a batch of information for each item in your data source. Use
it to print out your contact list, or to list groups of information, like all of the
students in each class. This type of document is also called a catalog merge.
HOW TO USE MAIL MERGE
1. Create the main document. This is basically your template.
You may open an existing Word document, or you may
create a new one.
2. Identify the data source. This could be the Excel file or list
of your recipients.
3. Define the main merge fields in the main document.
4. Merge the data and save. From the mailings tab, click the
Start Mail Merge command and select Step-by-Step Mail
Merge Wizard from the drop down menu.
STEP-BY-STEP MAIL MERGE WIZARD
Step 1. Choose the type of document you
want to create.
Step 2. Select use the current document then
click Next. Select recipients to move to step 3.
Step 3. Now you will need an address list so Word
can place each address into file document.
Mail Merge Using an Excel Spreadsheet
• Column names in your spreadsheet match the field names you want to insert in
your mail merge. For example, to address readers by their first name in your
document, you'll need separate columns for first and last names.
• All data to be merged is present in the first sheet of your spreadsheet.
• Data entries with percentages, currencies, and postal codes are correctly formatted
in the spreadsheet so that Word can properly read their values.
• The Excel spreadsheet to be used in the mail merge is stored on your local
machine.
• Changes or additions to your spreadsheet are completed before it's connected to
your mail merge document in Word.
Using Excel Spreadsheet as Data Source
• Select Use an existing List and Browse.
• Select the file and specify the Name and click
OK.
• Click OK on the Mail Merge Recipients
prompt.
Step 4: Write your letter.
The End!