Mail Merge Made Simple Stormy Stark ITC Training Services

What is Mail Merge? Mail merge is the process of taking a data source and combining it with a word document.

Why Use Mail Merge? Labels Letters Envelopes Name Tags !!!

First Things First Click the Mailings ribbon Start on the left side of the ribbon and work your way across the ribbon

Labels Know what type of label you want before you start Select your label form the options box We use mostly Avery labels at Uva The number is on the top of the box Word will set up your document to reflect a sheet of labels

Letters You can start with the letter already written or write it after you start the mail merge It is usually easier to have the letter written ahead of time Do NOT leave space for the merge fields Make sure to set up the page to allow for letterhead

s The only program this works with is Outlook using Exchange. It will look like you are typing a word document Never ever forget a subject when you do an merge It’s a good idea to run a test to yourself prior to mailing SPELLCHECK AND PROOFREAD!

Data Sources Can type a list in Word (Don’t) Use an existing list from: Excel Access Word Use your Outlook Contacts Be careful with this!

Excel Data Sources You will be able to select from various sheets Make SURE that the “First row of data contains column heading” box is checked You can eliminate recipients later if you need to

What No One Tells You Use the “Insert Merge Field” button on the ribbon Using the Address Block can sometimes put in more fields the you want

The Missing Step The most common thing people forget is to click the “Update Labels” button This takes your first label and copies the layout to the rest of the labels Especially important if you are using logos or art work on your name tags or labels

See What It Looks Like Click the “Preview Results” button to see how the finished product will look You can scroll through the names by clicking the arrows Always a good idea to find one of your longest names and make sure it fits

Finish the Merge Click the Finish and Merge button This will let you Print, Send s, or Edit Individual Documents

Let’s Look At Some We’ll try some merges now……..