CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE
 
Mail Merge Basics:
2

Generating Individually Addressed Form Letters
There are three steps to any mail merge project. Step 1 is to create a data document — as described in the document entitled "Creating and Sorting a Data Source Document". Steps 2 and 3 for generating form letters are outlined in this document.

Creating the Main Document in Word

Note: The instructions that follow assume you have already created a data source document in Excel.

First click Tools - Mail Merge to display the Mail Merge Helper dialog box. Then do the following.
 

Select the Main Document Type

  • In the Mail Merge Helper dialog box, click Create and choose Form Letters from the drop-down menu (see Figure 1, right). You'll get a dialog box that asks if you want to use the active window or start a new main document. 
  • If the active window is blank, select Active Window. Otherwise, select New Main Document.
 FIGURE 1. "Create Form Letters" selection in Mail Merge HelperCreate Form Letters Selection in Mail Merge Helper
 

Open the Data Source

  • Click Get Data and choose Open Data Source from the drop-down menu (as shown in Figure 2, right).
  • For "Files of Type" select MS Excel Worksheets.
  • Locate (in another folder, if necessary) and select the data file you created.
  • When asked if you want to include the entire spreadsheet, click OK.
  • When you get to the dialog box that says "Word found no merge fields…" click the Edit Main Document button.
 FIGURE 2. "Get Data - Open Data Source" selection in Mail Merge HelperData Source Selection in Mail Merge Helper
 

Edit the Main Document

  • Type your form letter in the document window.
  • For each field you want to insert into the document, make sure the insertion point is appropriately located and then select the desired field name from the drop-down Insert Merge Field menu on the Mail Merge Toolbar (as illustrated in Figure 3, right). 
  • When finished, save the document.

    •  
 FIGURE 3. Insert Merge Field Menu'Insert Merge Field' Drop-Down Menu
 
An example of a main document for a form letter is shown in Figure 4 (below).

FIGURE 4. Main Document ExampleWord Window with Main Document Text and Merge Fields

 

Merging Form Letters

Note: This step assumes you have already created both a data source file (in Excel) and a main document (in Word).
  1. If it isn't already open, open the main document containing your form letter.
  2. If the Mail Merge toolbar isn't showing, point at one of the toolbars, right-click your mouse, and select Mail Merge from the pop-up menu that appears.
  3. On the Mail Merge toolbar, click the Merge to New Document button (as illustrated in Figure 5, below).
FIGURE 5. Mail Merge ToolbarMail Merge Toolbar with mouse pointer on Merge to New Document button.
  1. Print your letters from the document that is created.
 
 
Top  | Contents | Data | Form Letters | Mailing Labels | Envelopes | Lists/Catalogs | Select Records | Learn More
Prepared by Gail Said Johnson, User Support Services
March 20, 2001

 

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