Understanding Word’s mail merge jargon

Like me, you probably have your own delightful, descriptive terms for the steps required and pieces necessary to complete a mail merge. Word's terms are different. Before taking the mail merge plunge, I recommend that you review the following jargon:

Main document: This document is just like any other document in Word, complete with formatting, layout, and all the fancy stuff that goes into a document. The document also contains various fill-in-the-blanks items, which is what makes it the main document.

Recipient list: This list contains the information that creates the customized documents. It’s a type of database, with rows and columns of information used to fill in the form letters.

Field: Each of these fill-in-the-blanks items inside the main document is a placeholder that will be filled in by information from the recipient list. Fields are what make the mail merge possible.

Getting these three elements to work together is the essence of mail merge. All the commands necessary are located on the Mailings tab. In fact, the Mailings tab’s five groups are organized from left to right in the order you use them. The remainder of this chapter describes the details.

• The key to mail-merging is the recipient list. If you plan to create a mail merge as part of your regular routine, build a recipient list that you can use again and again.

• A mail merge document can have as many fields as it needs. In fact, any item you want to change can be a field: the greeting, a banal pleasantry, gossip, whatever.
• Fields are also known as merge fields.

• You can use information from the Outlook program, also a part of Microsoft Office, as a recipient list for a mail merge in Word. This trick works best, however, when you’re in a workplace environment that features Microsoft Exchange Server. Otherwise, making Outlook and Word cooperate is a frustrating endeavor.

Reviewing the mail merge process

The typical mail merge involves five steps. These steps are presented in more detail throughout this chapter:

1. Build the main document.

   Choose the document type, usually a letter, though other document types are listed in the nearby sidebar, “Mail merge document types.” As you create the document, you decide which fields are needed. That way, you can build an effective recipient list.

2. Create the recipient list — the data for the mail merge.

   The recipient list is a table, consisting of rows and columns. Each column is a field containing information to go into the fill-in-the-blanks parts of the main document. Each row represents a different custom document created by the mail merge process.

3. Insert fields into the main document.

   The fields are placeholders for information that is eventually supplied from the recipient list.

4. Preview the merge results.

   You don’t just merge; first, you must preview how the document looks. That way, you can clean up any formatting, check for errors, and make other corrections.

5. Merge the information from the recipient list into the main document.

   The final mail merge process creates the customized documents. They can then be saved, printed, emailed, or dealt with however you like.

The rest of this chapter covers the specifics.

Mail merge involves coordination between multiple documents and various Windows technologies. When you open a mail merge document that you’ve already created, you may see an alert dialog box. You’re informed that opening the document also runs an SLQ command. This command is what links the recipient list to the main document. Click Yes to proceed.

Using the Mail Merge Wizard

If all this mail merge malarkey is just too intense for you, consider an alternative: Word offers the Mail Merge Wizard, which guides you through the entire ordeal one step at a time.

To run the wizard, click the Mailings tab and choose Start Mail Merge ⇒   Step-by-Step Mail Merge Wizard. You see the Mail Merge pane on the right side of the document’s window. Answer the questions, choose options, and click the Next link to proceed.

The rest of this chapter assumes that you’re crazy enough to do mail merge the macho way.

Creating a mail merge form letter

The most common thing to mail merge is the standard, annoying form letter. Here’s how you start that journey:

1. Start a new, blank document.

   Press Ctrl+N.

2. Click the Mailings tab.
3. In the Start Mail Merge group, choose Start Mail Merge ⇒   Letters.

4. Type the letter.

   You’re typing only the common parts of the letter, the text that doesn’t change for each copy.

5. Type the fields you need in ALL CAPS.

   This step is my idea, not Word’s. For text that changes for each letter, type in ALL CAPS. For example, FIRST NAME or HAT SIZE. Use short, descriptive terms. Figure 27-1 shows an example.

6. Save the main document.

   If you already saved the document as you were writing it, give yourself a cookie.

After you create the letter, the next step is to create or use a recipient list. Continue with the section “II. The Recipient List,” a little later in this chapter.

Creating mail merge email messages

To spew out custom email messages, use Word’s E-Mail option for mail merge. This option works only when you configure the Microsoft Outlook program on your computer. After that’s done, you start the main document for your email merge by obeying these steps:

1. Press Ctrl+N to create a fresh document.

2. On the Mailings tab, choose Start Mail Merge ⇒   E-Mail Messages.

   Word changes to Web Layout view, used for creating Internet documents in Word.

3. Create your mail message.

4. If you anticipate inserting fields in the message, type them in ALL CAPS.

   An email mail merge isn’t required to have fields in the document. Instead, email addresses are used to send out multiple copies of the message. If you plan to add fields, refer to Step 5 in the preceding section.

5. Save your document.

The primary field you use when merging an email document is the recipient’s email address. You can’t email-merge without it. Continue your mail merge adventure in the later section, “II. The Recipient List.”

Creating mail merge envelopes

To create a stack of mail merge envelopes, which is far classier than using peel-and-stick mailing labels, abide by these steps:

1. Start a new document.

2. On the Mailings tab, choose Start Mail Merge ⇒   Envelopes.

   The Envelope Options dialog box appears. You can set the envelope size and font options, if necessary.

3. Click OK.

   Word’s window changes to reflect a typical envelope, a size specified in the Envelope Options dialog box (from Step 2).

4. Edit or create the return address.

   If you desire a return address and one isn’t added automatically, type it in.

   Press Shift+Enter to place a soft return at the end of a line in the return address. The soft return keeps the lines in the return address tightly together.

5. Save the envelope.

That’s pretty much it for a mail merge envelope. Not readily visible in the envelope document is a large text box (lower center). This location is where fields for the recipient’s name are inserted.

Your next task is to use the recipient list to gather the information for your mailing. Keep reading in the next section.

Building a new recipient list

I enjoy writing a mail merge main document. I do not look forward to building the recipient list. It’s time-consuming, data-input drudgery. Still, it beats creating multiple individual documents, which is the point of a mail merge.

Four steps are involved to build a recipient list:

1. Create the new list.
2. Add the desired fields.
3. Remove the undesired fields.
4. Type in the recipient data.

The last step is the most time-consuming. If you’re an intern at a major organization, Step 4 is why you were given the mail merge task.

Add recipient data

After customizing the fields, your final job is to fill in the recipient list. You need to input records, one for each document you plan to create. Perform these steps in the New Address List dialog box:

1. Type the first record’s data.

   Type the information that’s appropriate to each field: name, title, evil nickname, planet of origin, and so on.

2. Press Tab to move to the next field.

   After filling in the last field, you’ll probably want to add another record:

3. To add a new record, press the Tab key after typing in the last field.

   When you press the Tab key in the last field in a record, a new record is automatically created and added on the next line. Keep filling in data!

4. Review your work when you're done.

   Figure 27-2 shows a completed recipient list.

   To edit any field, click to select it.

   If you accidentally add a blank record at the end of the list, click to select it and then click the Delete Entry button. You do this because blank records are still processed in a mail merge, which results in wasted paper.

5. Click OK.

   The Save Address List dialog box pops up, allowing you to save the recipient list.

   The recipient lists dwell in the folder named My Data Sources, found in the Documents or My Documents folder. Word automatically chooses (or creates) this folder.

6. Type a name for the address list.

   Descriptive names are best. After all, you might use the same recipient list again.

7. Click the Save button.

   You return to the main document.

The next step in your mail merge agony is to stir the fields from the recipient list into the main document. Refer to the section “III. Fold in the Fields,” later in this chapter.

Using an already created recipient list

To use an existing recipient list for your mail merge, follow these steps after creating the main document:

1. From the Mailings tab, choose Select Recipients ⇒   Use an Existing List.

   The Select Data Source dialog box appears. It works like the Open dialog box, though it’s designed to display recipient lists that Word can use or that you previously created and saved.

   Look for recipient lists in the My Documents folder, in the My Data Sources subfolder.

2. Choose an existing recipient list from the displayed files.

   I hope you used a descriptive name when you first saved the recipient list, which I recommend in the preceding section.

3. Click the Open button.

That’s it: The recipient list is now associated with the main document.

Refer to the later section “III. Fold in the Fields” for information on inserting fields into your document, which is the next step in the mail merge nightmare.

You can tell when a recipient list is associated with the main document because the Insert Merge Field button is available. Look on the Mailings tab in the Write & Insert Fields group for this button.

Grabbing a recipient list from Outlook

Assuming that you use Microsoft Outlook, and further that you have access to Exchange Server, you can follow these steps to create a recipient list:

1. On the Mailings tab, in the Start Mail Merge group, choose Select Recipients ⇒   Choose from Outlook Contacts.
2. If necessary, select your profile from the Choose Profile dialog box.
3. Click OK.

4. In the Select Contacts dialog box, choose a contact folder.

   Contact folders are created in Outlook, not in Word.

5. Click OK.

6. Use the Mail Merge Recipients dialog box to filter the recipient list.

   If the list isn’t too long, remove the check marks by the names of the individuals you don’t want in the list. You can also click the Filter link in the dialog box to do more advanced filtering, which I’m loathe to describe right now.

7. Click OK when you’re done culling the recipient list.

Editing a recipient list

If you were sloppy when you created it, or new information has been acquired, you may need to edit the recipient list. Heed these directions:

1. On the Mailing tab, in the Start Mail Merge group, click the Edit Recipient List button.

   The button isn’t available unless you’re working on a main document and it has been associated with a recipient list: Click the Select Recipients button and choose Use an Existing List.

2. Select the data source.

   In the lower left corner of the Mail Merge Recipients dialog box, click the data source filename.

3. Click the Edit button.

   You can now use the Data Form dialog box to edit each record in the recipient list, to add or remove fields, and to perform other chaos:

   • Click the Delete button to remove the current record.
   • Click the Add New button to create a new record.
   • Click the Customize Columns button to add or remove fields.
4. Click the Close button when you’re done editing.
5. Click the OK button to dismiss the Mail Merge Recipients dialog box.

This process may not be without its hiccups. The file may be “in use” or unavailable to edit. You may be prompted to save the recipient list before editing.

You can edit the recipient list file directly by opening it as a Word document and modifying the table. If you’re adept at using Microsoft Access, the file can be manipulated within that application as well.

Merging to a new set of documents

When you want to save merged documents and print them, follow these steps:

1. Choose Finish & Merge ⇒   Edit Individual Documents.

   The Merge to New Document dialog box appears.

2. Ensure that the All option is selected.

3. Click OK.

   Word creates a new document — a huge one that contains all merged documents, one after the other. Each document copy is separated by a Next Page section break. (See Chapter 14 for more information on section breaks.)

4. Save the document.

At this point, you can print the document, close it and edit it later, or do anything else you like.

Merging to the printer

The most common destination for merged documents is the printer. Here’s how it works:

1. Choose Finish & Merge ⇒   Print Documents.

   A dialog box appears, from which you can choose records to print.

2. Choose All from the Merge to Printer dialog box to print the entire document.

   Or specify which records to print.

3. Click OK.

   The traditional Print dialog box appears.

4. Click the OK button to print your documents.
5. Save and close the main document.

See Chapter 9 for more information on printing documents in Word.

When merging and printing envelopes, use the printer’s envelope slot or other special feeding mechanism. You may have to monitor the printer to insert the envelopes.

Merging to email

To send out multiple email messages, abide by these steps:

1. Choose Finish & Merge ⇒   Send Email Messages.

   The Merge to E-Mail dialog box appears.

2. Choose the email address field from the To drop-down list.

   Your document’s recipient list must include an email address field, though the field doesn’t need to be set within the document. If the recipient list doesn’t contain the email address field, go back and edit it to include the email address field.

3. Type a message subject line.
4. Fill in any other fields in the Merge to E-Mail dialog box.

5. Click OK.

   It looks like nothing has happened, but the messages have been placed in the Outlook outbox.

6. Open Outlook.

   After you open Outlook, the queued messages are sent, or they sit ready to be sent when you give the command. (Whether the messages are sent right away depends on how you configured Outlook.)

Yes, this trick works only with Outlook, not with any other email programs.

Unsolicited email is considered spam. Sending spam may violate the terms of your Internet service provider’s or email service agreement, and they can terminate your account. Send mass email only to people who have cheerfully agreed to receive such things from you.