Using Microsoft 2007 Mail Merge

A useful tool for creating a mass mailing to your address list is to use Microsoft 2007 mail merge option. You can use mail merge to create a sheet of address labels that contains different names and addresses of your contacts. The following is an article to help during the process.

The mail merge process involves the following overall steps:

1. Set up the labels
2. Connect the labels to your address list
3. Preview and Print your completed mail merge

Steps for Creating Main Document

1. Start Word.
2. On the Mailings tab, in the Start Mail Merge group, click Start Mail Merge.



3. Click Labels.
4. In the Labels Options dialog box, you have 3 different choices to make.
• The type of printer that you are using to print labels.
• The supplier that produced your label sheets
• The number that corresponds to the product number listed on your package of label sheets.
  

Connect the labels to your address list

To merge information into your labels, you need to connect the labels to your address list, also known as a data source or data file. If you don't already have a data file, you can create one during the mail merge process.

1. On the Mailings tab, in the Start Mail Merge group, click Select Recipients.



2. Click Type a New List: This option allows you to manually create a new list. You may also use an existing database, spreadsheet, or even import from your Outlook address book.



3. In the new Address List window that appears you have the option of selecting the fields you want in the data source for each contact. These may include First name, Last name, Address, Zip Code, City, state, Country & phone number. You can also add any new fields, like customer number, or remove existing ones by clicking Customize.


4. After the desired fields are setup, you may begin entering information into your address list. Click New Entry after each contact is entered to continue entering more contacts. When finished, click close. Word will prompt you to save your new address list. Save it to a location you'll remember for safe keeping if you intend to continue or resume the project at a later time. Go to the next step when finished.

Preview and Print your completed mail merge

After you add the fields to the initial label that you set up (label main document), you are ready to preview the mail merge results. When you are pleased with the preview, you can complete the mail merge. You can preview your labels and make changes before you actually complete the mail merge.

1. To preview, do any of the following in the Preview Results group of the Mailings tab:



2. Click Preview Results.
3. Browse through each label by clicking the Next Record and Previous Record buttons in the Preview Results group on the Mailings tab.
4. Preview an exact document by clicking Find Recipient.

Print the labels

1. On the Mailings tab, in the Finish group, click Finish & Merge, and then click Print Documents.



2. Choose whether to print the whole set of labels, only the label that is currently visible, or a subset of the set, which you specify by record number.