USING MAIL MERGE
In business or any official matter, it is often required to send letters with similar information to
different people. The letters require the name and the address of each recipient to be printed
on the top. So, changing the address each time would be a very long process and a wastage of
time and effort. Mail merge feature is often used to combine a data source with the main
document. It saves our time and energy to send letters at multiple addresses.
DATA SOURCE
Data source consists of mailing list. For example, name, address, city, PIN, telephone number
etc. The data is organized in tabular form along with the field names. The data source is
associated with the main document, so its field names can be used in the main document, and
it becomes easy to merge address along with the main document.
MAIN DOCUMENT
It contains the text that we wish to send to all the recipients.
MERGE FIELD
It is the data such as name, address, city, pin etc., which instructs Microsoft word where to
insert the data source information in the main document. Mail merge provides the three steps.
Creating a main document
Specifying a data source
Merging the data source with the main document
CREATIGNG A MAIL MERGE DOCUMENT
To create a mail merge document, follow these steps
Create a new document and type a letter or open an existing letter in Microsoft word
that you want to send to different people at their address.
Click on the mailing tab. In the Start mail merge group, click on the Start Mail Marge
drop down menu, and select the step by step mail mere wizard group option.
The mail merge task pane appears on the right side of the application window.
Now select the letters radio button under select document type sections
Click the next starting document under step 1 od 6 sections
Choose the type of set up for your letters
Click the Use the current document radio button under Select starting document
sections
Click the next select recipients under Step 2 and 6 sections
CREATING RECIPIENT LIST
To create a new mailing in the mail merge task pane, select the type a new list radio
button under select recipients’ sections. Click on the create option
The new address list dialog box appears on the screen. Lick on the customize columns
button to add or remove fields.
Enter data in the respective fields and click on the new entry button
Enter three records of your friends and relative. Click on OK
You will get the save address List dialog box.
Specify a name in the file name, text box and click on the save button
The mail merge Recipients dialog box will appear. The dialog box displays the details of
all the record you have added by you
To change any detail, you can click he edit option. When you are through, click OK.
Note that by default tick marks are placed on the check box next to the Data Source
field. It gives an indication that the records are selected.
If you do not wat to send the letter to a address, just click on that specific box to
deselect it. Click OK.
Now click on the next Write your letter under step 3 of 6 sections.
INSERTING MERGE FIELDS
On the mailing tab, click on the insert marge field button in the write and insert fields
group.
The insert Merge field dialog box appears with a list of field names you have created.
Click on the field name that you intend to add, and then click on the insert button.
Similarly, insert other fields into the document. Click on the Close button.
You will notice the selected fields name will appear in your document on after another,
horizontally. Separate the fields names by pressing the enter key.
VIEWING THE MERGED DATA
You can check weather Microsoft word has picked up the data source according to the merged
fields or not, by viewing it on the screen.
Click on the preview Result button in the Mailing tab or click the next Preview your
letters under step 4 and 6 sections
The first records will be displayed. Click on the next Record Button in the preview
Results group to view the next record of the data source.
PRINTING YOUR LETTER
You can take the printout of your letters with the merged data of your data source. To print the
letters, follow the given steps.
Click on the finish and merge option in the finish group on the mailing tab. Select the
print document option from the drop-down menu OR
Click on the Next complete the merge under step 5 of 6 section and then click on the
print option under the merge section
The merge to printer dialog box appears. Define the desire print
settings and click OK.
The selected records will be printed spritely along with the letters