Part Four:

MAIL MERGING
Microsoft Word
WORD PROCESSOR

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Objectives
To understand the technique of Mail

merging.
To apply mail merging technique

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What is Mail Merge?

Mail merge is a word processor

function describing the production of

multiple documents from a single
template form and a structured data
source.
This technique can be used in any
organisation that deals with many
customers.
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What is Mail Merge? Cont.

How did Mail Merge come about?
This

technique of merging data to create

mailshots (personalised addressed
advertising) gave rise to the term mail
merge.

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What is Mail Merge? Cont.

Mail merging is a process used when you want to

create a set of documents that are essentially the

same but where each document contains unique
elements (personalised address).
This helps to create personalized letters and preaddressed envelopes or mailing labels for mass
mailings from a word processing document which
contains fixed text, which will be the same in each
output document, and variables, which act as
placeholders that are replaced by text from the data
source.
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What is Mail Merge? Cont.

The data source is typically a spreadsheet or a

database which has a column(s) (field(s) matching

each variable in the template.
When the mail merge is run, the word processing
system creates an output document for each row
(record) in the database, using the fixed text exactly
as it appears in the template, but substituting the
data variables in the template with the values from
the matching columns.

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What is Mail Merge? Cont.

For example, in a letter that

announces a new product, your

company logo and the text about the
product will appear in each letter
(fixed text), and the address and
greeting line will be different in each
letter (data variables).
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Start a Mail Merge

Getting Started
To launch

Microsoft Word <2003>,

double-click on the Microsoft Office Word
<2003> icon on your desktop, or go to the
Start menu and choose All Programs >
Microsoft Office > Microsoft Office
Word <2003>.
A new untitled document is created.
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Mail Merge cont.

Start a mail merge, follow these steps, as appropriate

for the version of Word that you are running.

Microsoft Word 2002

On the Tools menu, click Letters and Mailings, and then click
Mail Merge Wizard.
Microsoft Office Word 2003
On the Tools menu, click Letters and Mailings, and then click
Mail Merge.
Microsoft Office Word 2007
On the Mailings tab, click Start Mail Merge, and then click
Step by Step Mail Merge Wizard.

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Mail Merge cont.

We shall use Microsoft Office Word 2003
From the pull down menu, select Letters & Mailings,

then select Mail Merge... A task pane will appear on the

right of the word document.
Under Select document type, choose one of the
following types of documents:
Letters
E-mail messages
Envelopes
Labels
Directory
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Mail Merge cont.

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Mail Merge cont.

A task pane that appears

With a list of documents

displaying Step 1 of 6
Select document type
click Letters (our class
example we shall use letter
but for exercise use other
document types)

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Mail Merge cont.

Step 1: Select document type and main document

(in our case we shall select letter)

Letters
E-mail messages
Envelopes
Labels
Directory

Click Next: Starting document.

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Mail Merge cont.

Step 2: Select starting document

This step gives you an option of selecting how you

want to start your document.

Use current document.

Use template
Use existing document.

Select (Use current document)

Click Next: Select recipient.

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Mail Merge cont.

Step 3: Select recipient

This step gives you an option

to select the recipient list
your document.

Use existing list

Select from Outlook Contacts
Type a new list

Select (Type a new list)

Click: Create
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Mail Merge cont.

A new address window will appear with default

settings
Click Customise
to customise the
address list.
By adding and
removing field
names
Enter the fields
Click: Close
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Mail Merge cont.

When you Close, Save the Address List dialogue

window appears.
Save

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Mail Merge cont.

Mail Merge Recipients
Find
Edit

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Mail Merge cont.

Step 4: Write your Letter
Write the Letter and add

recipient information to
your letter
Click Next:
Preview your letters.

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Mail Merge cont.

Step 5: Preview your Letter
Make changes
Click Next:

Preview your letters.

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Mail Merge cont.

Step 6: Complete your merge.

Merge is ready to produce your letters

Merge
To Print
Merge to
Printer

All
Current record
Specify

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Mail Merge cont.

Merge Individual Letter

Merge to New
Document
All
Current record
Specify

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Mail Merge cont.

Once you specify what how you want to

Merge,
A new document will be created with all your
personalised merged letters.
To make changes to all the letters, switch
back to the original document.
Discuss the Mail Merge Tool Bar

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Mail Merge cont.

SUMMARY OF MAIL MARGE STEPS
Step 1: Choose a document type and main
document
Step 2: Select starting document
Step 3: Select recipient
Step 4: Write your letter
Step 5: Preview your merged letter
Step 6: Complete your merge
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Review Questions
What is mail merging?
How did Mail merge come about?
Where can this technique of mail merging be

applied?
What files do you need to create in order to use
mail merging technique?
What are the results of mail merging?
What are the advantages of using mail merging?
What is a field, entity and record?
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