MS-Word / General Formatting

---

Merging Source Documents

You can merge a main document with a data source manually or by using the Mail Merge wizard.

Be familiar with the different types of mail merge documents you can create.

Setting Up a Manual Mail Merge

The first step in the manual mail merge process is to specify the type of merge documents you want to create: letters, email messages, envelopes, labels, or a directory. You then select or create a data source and identify the records in the data source that you want to include in the mail merge operation. You create your main document and insert merge fields from the data source into it. You preview the results and check for errors, and then you merge the documents.

You perform all of these steps by using the commands available on the Mailings tab of the ribbon.

To set up a manual mail merge for letters

1. Open a new blank document.
2. On the Mailings tab, in the Start Mail Merge group, click the Start Mail Merge button, and then click Letters.
3. On the Mailings tab, in the Start Mail Merge group, click the Select Recipients button, and click the type of data source you will use. Then select or create the data source, and refine the recipient list as appropriate.
4. In the document, enter the static text that you want to appear in all letters.
5. Position the insertion point in a location where you want to insert variable information from the data source, and then use the commands in the Write & Insert Fields group on the Mailings tab to insert the fields you want.

To set up a manual mail merge for email messages

1. Open a new blank document.
2. On the Mailings tab, in the Start Mail Merge group, click the Start Mail Merge button, and then click E-mail Messages.
3. On the Mailings tab, in the Start Mail Merge group, click the Select Recipients button, and click the type of data source you will use. Then select or create the data source, and refine the recipient list as appropriate.
4. In the Word document, enter the content of the email message and merge fields for any variable information from the data source that you want to include.

To perform a manual mail merge for an envelope based on an address in a document

1. In the document, select only the lines of the address. (Do not select any blank lines above or below the address.)
2. On the Mailings tab, in the Create group, click the Envelopes button.
3. In the Envelopes and Labels dialog box, do the following if necessary:
   • Edit the address in the Delivery address box.
   • Enter a return address in the Return address box.
     Tip: You can have Word supply the return address. Display the Advanced page of the Word Options dialog box. Toward the bottom of the page, under General, enter the return address in the Mailing Address box, and click OK. The address then appears by default as the return address in the Envelopes And Labels dialog box. If you want to use envelopes with a preprinted return address, you must select the Omit check box to avoid duplication.
   • Click Options, select the envelope size, the feed method (horizontally or vertically and face up or face down), and the font and font size of both the address and the return address.
4. In the Envelopes and Labels dialog box, do one of the following:
   • To print the envelope, insert an envelope in the printer according to the selected feed method, and then click Print.
   • To have Word insert the address in the format required for an envelope on a separate page at the beginning of the current document, click Add to Document.

To set up a manual mail merge for multiple envelopes

1. Open a new blank document, and display paragraph marks.
2. On the Mailings tab, in the Start Mail Merge group, click the Start Mail Merge button, and then click Envelopes.
3. In the Envelope Options dialog box, do the following, and then click OK:
   • On the Envelope Options page, choose the envelope size and specify the font and location for the delivery address and the return address.
   • On the Printing Options page, verify that the selected printer is the one you want to use, specify the way you will insert the envelopes into the printer, and choose the feed location. (For envelopes, this is usually manual paper feed.)
4. On the Mailings tab, in the Start Mail Merge group, click the Select Recipients button, and click the type of data source you will use. Then select or create the data source, and refine the recipient list as appropriate.
5. In the document formatted by Word to match your selections, position the cursor at the upper-left paragraph mark and then enter the return address as you want it to appear on all envelopes.
6. Position the insertion point at the centered paragraph mark. On the Mailings tab, in the Write & Insert Fields group, click the Address Block button.
7. In the Insert Address Block dialog box, specify the address elements you want to include, and preview the results. Then click OK.

To set up a manual mail merge for labels

1. Select labels of an appropriate size for your purpose. Note the brand name and product number.
2. Open a new blank document, and display paragraph marks.
3. On the Mailings tab, in the Start Mail Merge group, click the Select Recipients button, and click the type of data source you will use. Then select or create the data source, and refine the recipient list as appropriate.
4. On the Mailings tab, in the Start Mail Merge group, click the Start Mail Merge button, and then click Labels.
5. In the Label Options dialog box, do the following, and then click OK:
   • In the Printer information area, click the type of printer you intend to use. If you choose Page printers, select the printer tray.
   • In the Label information area, click the label brand in the Label vendors list, and then click the product number in the Product number list.
     Or
     To set up the mail merge for custom labels, click New Label. In the Label Details dialog box, enter a name, margin dimensions, page size, and the number of labels across and down each sheet. Then click OK.
   • In the document formatted by Word to match your selections, position the cursor in the first cell. On the Mailings tab, in the Write & Insert Fields group, click the Address Block button.
   • In the Insert Address Block dialog box, specify the address elements you want to include, and preview the results. Then click OK.

To set up a manual mail merge for a catalog or directory

1. Open a new blank document, and display paragraph marks.
2. On the Mailings tab, in the Start Mail Merge group, click the Start Mail Merge button, and then click Directory.
3. On the Mailings tab, in the Start Mail Merge group, click the Select Recipients button, and click the type of data source you will use. Then select or create the data source, and refine the recipient list as appropriate.
4. In the Word document, enter the merge fields you want to include in the catalog or directory, and then press Enter. Ensure that a blank paragraph mark ends the main document.