Microsoft Word 2003 - Mail Merge
Inserting Mail Merge Fields within the Document
- Method 1, click on the Insert Merge Field button located on the Mail Merge Toolbar.
- Method 2, click on the link More Items displayed in Step 4.
To insert a field first select the field and then click on the buttons Insert | Close. Unfortunately, Word does not allow you place a space between fields or press the Enter key when the Insert Merge Field dialog box is open.
However, you can insert multiple fields and then go back and add spacing or to move a field to a new line by pressing the Enter key. Just place the insertion point between the start and ending arrows of the field that requires the space or moved to a new line. Press the Spacebar or the Enter key to accomplish the required task.
Preview your Letters - Step 5
Check for Errors
To check for and report mail merge errors with a Mail Merge document click on the Check for Errors button located on Mail Merge Toolbar. Clicking on the button activates the Checking for and Reporting dialog box, which provides the user with three personal preference options.
- Simulate the merge and report errors in a new document - this is a simulated test that only reports errors it finds and does not change the working document.
- Complete the merge and report each error as it occurs - completes the merge but stops the process at each error found.
- Complete the merge without pausing - reports the errors in a new document.
Merge Options
These options include Merge to New Document, Merge to Printer, Merge to E-mail, and Merge to Fax. The latter requires a faxing system supported on your system such as Microsoft Fax or WinFax ( Symantec) to name a few. The buttons for these options are located on the Mail Merge Toolbar.
- Merge to New Document - Exactly as stated the mail merge is completed in a new document.
- Merge to Printer - Print all records, Print displayed record, and From To. The first two options are self-explanatory. The third option From and To allows the user to define how many letters will be printed at one time. Selecting this option prevents overloading the spooling capacity of the printer. Make your selection based on the number of letters you are generating.
- Merge to E-mail - This option by default is configured to work with Microsoft Outlook, which the University of Scranton does not support. Activating this link would allow the user to send the mail merge as an Attachment, HTML, or Plain Text.