Mail Merge is a great time saver if you need to create multiple documents
that are mostly the same but unique in some way, such as names tags for an event or
envelopes printed with each person's name and address.
The document I have here is a letter offering customers a discount on their next order.
I want to personalize it by addressing each copy of the letter to the customer
using some information I have stored in a spreadsheet.
To begin go to the Mailings tab, then click Mail Merge and select
Step-by-Step Mail Merge Wizard.
This will walk you through the process one step at a time using this pane on the right.
The type of document I'm working with is a letter so I'm going to go ahead and click Next.
I also plan to stick with my current document instead of using something else, like a template.
Now I need an address list so Word can create a copy of each letter for each customer.
To start from scratch, you can Type a new list
then click Create to enter your recipients individually.
Alternatively, if you do a file
with the information you need, like an Excel workbook in my case, select Use an existing list,
then Browse to find it.
Now click Open and select the worksheet that contains the list.
I know mine is in sheet 1.
You can uncheck any recipients that you don't want to include.
I want to include everybody though so I'm going to go ahead and click OK,
and now it shows that workbook as my recipient list.
So now it's time to write my letter.
You can add something unique for each recipient including their address,
a personal greeting, and more.
I'd like to add an address block first. Just place your cursor where you want to go,
then click the item.
Here's a preview of what it's going to look like and a few alternative formats
to choose from for the recipient's name.
Click OK
and a placeholder will appear in your document. This is where the address will go later on.
The other thing I'd like to add is a greeting.
Again you have the ability to change some of the formatting if you'd like.
Let's move on to the next step:
previewing the finished product.
I just want make sure that
the information from my list appears the way it should.
You can take a look at each recipient's copy by clicking the arrows here.
Everything looks great so let's complete the merge.
if you click the Print command, Mail Merge will ask which pages you want
to print before sending you to the final step.
I went to print every document my recipient list so I'm just going to keep all.
Now all you have to do is adjust the settings if you need to, then click OK
Knowing how to use mail merge is a must for creating multiple letters, labels, envelopes, and more.
The possibilities, along with the time and energy you'll save, are practically endless.