How To Create A Mail Merge Document In Word 2003

Mail Merge For Word 2003

Creating Form Letters, Labels, Envelopes, E-mail messages, and directories

The mail merge process involves taking information from one document, known as the data source, combining with another document known as the main document.

The data source is a document, spreadsheet or database that contains personalized information such as names, addresses, and phone numbers.

The Main Document can be a Form Letter, Labels, Email, or Directory.

Data Source (Can be many different types of data source)

SAMPLE OF A COMMA DELIMITED DATA SOURCE

SAMPLE OF A TABLE USED AS A DATA SOURCE (MS-Word document [table])

SAMPLE OF EXCEL DATA SOURCE

Main Document

The main document contains the text that does not change and also has the merge fields that allow us to insert the personalized information from data source.

Given below is an example of a main document:

SAMPLE OF A MAIN DOCUMENT

THE FORM LETTER:

A form letter is a main document in the mail merge process. You can create a form letter in two ways:

- By using an existing letter and inserting merge fields into it.

- By creating a new main document and then inserting the merge fields that you want to use.

In the following exercise, you will modify a form letter by adding merge fields for a standard inside address and informal greeting line.�

- Open the form letter you have previously created.� If you have not created a main document, then do that before continuing.(I.E. Sample letter above)

- Then click on Tools in the menu toolbar, point to Letters and Mailings, and then click Mail Merge Wizard. The Mail Merge task pane appears.

- Click on Tools in the menu toolbar, point to Letters and Mailings, and then click on Show Mail Merge Toolbar.� The Mail Merge toolbar will appear at top of document. (This can be a helpful aid to the process)

- In the Mail Merge task pane, click Next link (at bottom) until Step 3 of 6 appears in the wizard, if necessary.

- �Now click �radio button.

- �Then click the �open the Select Data Source dialog box.

- Navigate to the folder on your hard disk that has the data source. Double click on the data file.

This may bring up the Mail Merge Recipients dialogue box.� If not you can click on the �in the Mail Merge Task Pane

- In the Mail Merge task pane, click �at the bottom of the pane. Step 4 of 6 in the wizard appears in the Mail Merge task pane.

- On the Standard toolbar, click the Show/Hide button to show formatting marks, if necessary.� (It may be helpful to see the formatting code)

- In the main document window, click the second blank line under the date (this places the �Insertion Point� for the first �Merge Field� to be placed),

- Then in the Mail Merge task pane, click the

- The Insert Address Block dialog box appears, showing the options that you have for setting address elements in the Address Block merge fields.

- Click OK to accept the default settings.

The Address Block merge field is inserted into the document. When you merge the document with data, name and address will ALL be inserted into the Address Block merge field.

- In the document window, click the second blank line after the Address Block merge field (this places the �Insertion Point� for this �Merge Field� to be placed).

- Then in the Mail Merge task pane, click �

- Under greeting line format, click the name format that you want to insert, and then click OK to close the Greeting Line dialog box.

The {{AddressBlock}} and {{GreetingLine}} merge fields appear in the document.

When you merge the document with data, a name will get inserted in the Greeting Line merge field. The letter is ready to merge with the data field provided in the data document.��

SAMPLE OF DOCUMENT WITH MERGED FIELDS IN IT:

INSERTING ADDITIONAL MERGE FIELDS

If you want to add other {{Merge Fields}} such as {{FirstName}}, {{LastName}}, Click on �More items�� on the task pain to bring up the �Insert Merge Field� dialogue box, then select and insert any additional Merge Fields you may want in the document.

MERGING DATA SOURCE WITH A FORM LETTER

TO CREATE MERGED DOCUMENTS

After you set up a data document and inserted merge fields into a main document, you are ready to merge the documents to create personalized form letters. The process combines the main document with the data source and creates a new document with all the merged information. The new document contains individualized copies of the main document for each record in the data source.

- In the Mail Merge task pane, click �to
proceed to Step 6 of 6. The data is now merged with the form letter.