Word 2003: Using Mail Merge

Lesson 34: Using Mail Merge

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Introduction

By the end of this module, you should be able to:

Use Mail Merge to create a data source
Use Mail Merge to create a form letter
Use the Mail Merge Wizard to explore other opportunities for labels, envelopes, etc.

Using Mail Merge

To use Mail Merge:

Select Tools on the main menu.
Select Letters and MailingsMail Merge.

The Mail Merge task pane appears and will guide you through the six main steps to complete a mail merge. You will have several decisions to make during the process. The following is an example of how to create a form letter and merge the letter with a data list.

Steps 1-3

Choose the type of document you wish to create. In this example, select Letters.
Click Next:Starting document to move to Step 2.
Select Use the current document.
Click Next:Select recipients to move to Step 3.
Select the Type a new list button.
Click Create to create a data source. The New Address List dialog box appears.

To edit a new address list:

Click Customize in the dialog box. The Customize Address List dialog box appears.
Select a field, and click Delete.
Click Yes to confirm that you wish to delete the field.
Continue to delete any unnecessary fields.
Click Rename. The Rename Field dialog box appears.
Enter the new name you would like to give the field in the To: field.
Continue to rename any fields necessary.
Click OK to close the Customize Address List dialog box.

Enter the necessary data in the New Address List dialog box.
Click New Entry to enter another record.
Click Close when you have entered all of your data records.
Enter the file name you wish to save the data list as.
Choose the location where you wish to save the file.
Click Save. The Mail Merge Recipients dialog box appears and displays all data records in the list.
Confirm that the data list is correct, then click OK.
Click Next:Write your letter to move to Step 4.

Steps 4-6

Write a letter in the current Word document. Stop writing when you reach a place in the letter where you wish to enter a field from your data record.

To insert data from a data list:

Click the Insert Merge Fields button. The Insert Merge fields dialog box appears.
Select the field where you would like to insert in the document.
Click Insert. Notice that a placeholder appears where information from the data record will eventually appear.
Repeat these steps each time you need to enter information from your data record.

Click Next: Preview your letters in the task pane once you have completed your letter.
Preview the letters to make sure information from the data record appears correctly in the letter.
Click Next: Complete the merge.
Click Print to print the letters.
Click All.
Click OK in the Merge to Printer dialog box.
Click OK to send the letters to the printer.

Tip The Mail Merge Wizard allows you to complete the mail merge process in a variety of ways. The best way to learn how to use the different functions in Mail Merge is to try to develop several of the different documents—letters, labels, and envelopes—using the different types of data sources.