Mail
Merge
Select
document type
1. In the Mail Merge task
pane, click Letters. This will allow you to send letters to a group
of people and personalize the results of the letter that each person receives.
2. Click Next: Starting
document.
Select
the starting document
1. Click one of the following
options:
o Use the current document: Use the currently open
document as your main document.
o Start from a template: Select one of the
ready-to-use mail merge templates.
o Start from existing document: Open an existing document
to use as your mail merge main document.
2. In the Mail Merge task
pane, click Next: Select recipients.
Select
recipients
When you open or create a
data source by using the Mail Merge Wizard, you are telling Word to use a
specific set of variable information for your merge. Use one of the following
methods to attach the main document to the data source.
Method
1: Use an existing data source
To use an existing data
source, follow these steps:
1. In the Mail Merge task
pane, click Use an existing list.
2. In the Use an
existing list section, click Browse.
3. In the Select Data Source dialog
box, select the file that contains the variable information that you want to
use, and then click Open.
Note If the data source is
not listed in the list of files, select the appropriate drive and folder. If
necessary, select the appropriate option in the All Data Sources list.
Select the file, and then click Open.
Word
displays the Mail Merge Recipients dialog box. You can sort
and edit your data if you want to.
4. Click OK to
return to the main document.
5. Save the main document.
When
you save the main document at this point, you are also saving the data source
and attaching the data source to the main document.
6. Type the name that you want
to give to your main document, and then click Save.
Method
2: Use names from a Microsoft Outlook Contacts List
To use an Outlook Contact
List, follow these steps:
1. In the Mail Merge task pane,
click Next: Select recipients.
2. Click Select from
Outlook contacts.
3. In the Select from
Outlook contacts section, click Choose Contacts Folder.
4. In the Select Contact List Folder dialog
box, select the Outlook contacts folder that you want, and then click OK.
Word
displays the Mail Merge Recipients dialog box. You can sort
and edit your data if you want.
5. Click OK to
return to the main document.
Method
3: Create a database of names and addresses
To create a new database,
follow these steps:
1. In the Mail Merge task pane,
click Next: Select Recipients.
2. Click Type a new list.
3. Click Create.
The New
Address List dialog box appears. In this dialog box, enter the address
information for each record. If there is no information for a particular field,
leave the box blank.
By
default, Word skips blank fields. Therefore, the merge is not affected if blank
entries are in the data form. The set of information in each form makes up one
data record.
4. After you type the information for a record,
click New Entry to move to the next record.
To
delete a record, click Delete Entry. To search for a specific
record, click Find Entry. To customize your list, click Customize.
In the Customize Address List dialog box, you can add, delete,
rename, and reorder the merge fields.
5. In the New Address
List dialog box, click OK. In the Save Address
List dialog box, type the name that you want to give to your data
source in the File name box, and then click Save.
6. In the Mail Merge
Recipients dialog box, make any changes that you want, and then
click OK.
7. Click Next: Write
your letter to finish setting up your letter.
8. Save the main document.
When
you save the main document at this point, you are also saving the data source
and attaching the data source to the main document.
9. Type the name that you want
to give to your main document, and then click Save.
To
proceed to the next step, click Next: Write your letter.
Write
your letter
In this step, you set up your
main document.
1. Type or add any text and
graphics that you want to include in your letter.
2. Add the field codes where you
want the variable information to appear. In the Mail Merge task
pane, you have four options:
o Address block: Use this option to insert a
formatted address.
o Greeting line: Use this option to insert a
formatted salutation.
o Electronic postage: Use this option to insert electronic
postage.
Note This option requires
that you have a postage software program installed on your computer.
o More items: Use this option to insert individual merge fields. When you
click More Items, the Insert Merge Field dialog box
appears.
Note Make sure that your
cursor is where you want to insert the information from your data source before
you click More Items.
In
the Insert Merge Field dialog box, click the merge field that
you want to use, and then click Insert.
Note You
can insert all of your fields and then go back and add any spaces or
punctuation. Alternatively, you can insert one field at a time, close
the Insert Merge Fields dialog box, add any spaces or punctuation
that you want, and then repeat this step for each additional merge field that
you want to insert. You can also format (apply bold or italic formatting to)
the merge fields, just like regular text.
3. When you finish editing the main document,
click Save or Save As on the File menu.
Note In Word 2007, click
the Microsoft Office Button, and then click Save or Save
As.
Name
the file, and then click Save. To proceed to the next step,
click Next: Preview your letters.
Preview
your letters
This step allows you to
preview your merged data, one letter at a time. You can also make changes to
your recipient list or personalize individual letters.
To proceed to the next step,
click Next: Complete the merge.
Complete
the merge
This step merges the variable
information with the form letter. You can output the merge result by using
either of the following options:
· Print: Select this option to send the merged document directly to the
printer. You will not be able to view the document on your screen.
When
you click Print, the Merge to Printer dialog box
appears. In the Merge to Printer dialog box, you can choose
which records to merge. When you click OK, the Print dialog
box appears. Click Print to print the merge document.
· Edit individual letters: Select this option to display the merged
document on your screen.
When
you click Edit individual letters, the Merge to New
Document dialog box appears. In the Merge to New Document dialog
box, you can choose which records to merge. When you click OK, the
documents are merged to a new Word document.
To
print the file, on the File menu, click Print.
Glossary
· Address list: An address list is a file that contains the data that varies
in each copy of a merged document. For example, a data source can include the
name and address of each recipient of a form letter.
Boilerplate: Generic information that is repeated in each
form letter, mailing label, envelope, or directory (catalog).
Data field: A category of
information in a data source. A data field corresponds to one column of
information in the data source. The name of each data field is listed in the
first row (header row) of the data source. "PostalCode" and
"LastName" are examples of data field names.
Data record: A complete set
of related information in a data source. A data record corresponds to one row
of information in the data source. All information about one client in a client
mailing list is an example of a data record.
Delimited file: A text file
that has data fields separated (or delimited) by tab characters or commas, and
data records delimited by paragraph marks.
Header row: The first row (or
record) in a mail merge data source. The header row contains the field names
for the categories of information in the data source; for example,
"Name" and "City." The header row can also be stored in a
separate document called the header source.
Main document: In a mail
merge operation, the document that contains the text and graphics that remain
the same for each version of the merged document; for example, the return
address and body of a form letter.
Merge
field: A placeholder that you insert in the main document. Merge fields tell
Microsoft Word where to insert specific information from the data source. For
example, insert the merge field "City" to have Word insert a city
name, such as "Paris," that is stored in the City data field.
Courtesy : http://computinnovative.blogspot.in
Merge field:
A placeholder that you insert in the main document. Merge fields tell
Microsoft Word where to insert specific information from the data
source. For example, insert the merge field "City" to have Word insert a
city name, such as "Paris," that is stored in the City data field.
Courtesy : http://computinnovative.blogspot.in
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