Transcript Mail Merge Made Simple - University of Virginia

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
Email!!!
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
Emails
The only email 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
email 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 E-mails, or Edit
Individual Documents
Let’s Look At Some
We’ll try some merges now……..