"Word 2007 Mail Merge: The 6 Steps To Complete A Mail Merge! "

The Word 2007 mail merge feature is a process of combining a mailing list with a document to send the same thing to a number of people.

Word 2007 provides easy access to all the commands necessary for creating a mail merge. These commands are available in the Mailings tab on the Ribbon. You can merge a mailing list to letters, e-mail messages, envelopes, and labels.

The following will show you the overall process of creating mail merge in Microsoft Word 2007.

Step 1: Accessing Word 2007 Mail Merge commands

• Open a blank Word 2007 document.
• From the Mailings tab, in the Start Mail Merge group, click on Start Mail Merge icon and from the menu appear, select the desired options to create your mail merge.

Step 2: Choosing a Document Type

• Your options for selecting a document type include the following:

- Letters: allows you to alter one letter and sent it to multiple people (assume we select this option for demonstration purpose).
- E-mail Messages: allows you to personalize letters designed to be sent to multiple people via e-mail. For instructions on how to perform this type of merge, refer to Creating Mail Merge Email.
- Envelopes: allows you to print envelopes addressed to multiple people. For instructions on how to perform this type of merge, refer to Creating Mail Merge Envelopes.
- Labels: allows you to print labels addressed to multiple people. For instructions on how to perform this type of merge, refer to Creating Mail Merge Labels.
- Directory: allows you to gather varied but related information into a list such as a collection of lists regarding department directory, can includes list names, phone numbers, etc.

Step 3: Choosing the Recipients

• From the Mailings tab, in the Start Mail Merge group, click on Start Mail Merge icon and from the menu appear, select the desired options to select recipients:


- Type New List: Unless you already have a list created for mail merging, you have to build a new one by typing each recipient. For more information, please refer another article on Mail Merge Recipients.
- Use Existing List: When you've been through this before or you have handy a database list you want to use, this option makes the most sense. After choosing the list from the Select Data Source dialog box, where you can choose the file you want to use. For more information, please refer another article on Mail Merge Recipients.
- Select from Outlook Contacts: Uses your existing Outlook contacts as recipients. Unless your PC is on a network with the proper kind of Microsoft Server software installed, you can forget this option.

Step 4: Write and Insert Fields

• Place the insertion pointer where you want a field to appear.
• From the Mailings tab, in the Write & Insert Fields group, click the desired options to add text and variable information to your document. Frequently used options include:

- Address Block: to specify the format of your recipients' names, whether to insert the company name and postal address, and the format of the postal address.
- Greeting Line: to format how the greeting line will appear (e.g., Dear Mr. Randall,) and choose which format to use for unknown names (e.g., Dear Sir or Madam,).
- Insert Merge Field: to insert fields for a variety of common options (such as the first or last name, phone number, or state of each recipient).

Step 5: Previewing Your Documents

The Mail Merge task pane presents you with an opportunity to review what the merged document will look like. This way, you can go back and make any last-minute changes to fine-tune your merge.

• From the Mailings tab, in the Preview Results group, click the Preview Results icon.
• You can browse through the documents for the other entries by clicking the Previous or Next button.

Step 6: Completing a Word 2007 Mail Merge

The last step to complete the merge is to accept the preview of how the merge will look and direct Word to perform the merge. You can print the merged documents or, prior to printing, you can edit individual documents.

For more information about any individual type of Word 2007 Mail Merge feature, refer to:

Creating Merged Letters in Word 2007
Creating Merged Envelopes in Word 2007
Creating Mailing Labels in Word 2007
Creating an E-mail Merge in Word 2007

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