Mail Merge Guide for Printing Letters

1. Mail Merge Guide for Printing Letters Direct Marketing Services MAIL MERGE

2. Mail Merge - Step 1 • In order to begin the mail-merge process, you now need to select ‘Tools’ on the main toolbar, followed by ‘Letters and Mailings’, followed by ‘Mail Merge’. MAIL MERGE

3. Mail Merge - Step 2 • The following screen will now appear where the mail merge setup utility is shown on the right hand side of the screen. Mail Merge setup utility MAIL MERGE

4. Mail Merge - Step 3 • Now select ‘Letters’ on the mail merge setup utility. Then click ‘Next: Starting document’. Select “Letters” MAIL MERGE Then click “Next Starting Document”

5. Mail Merge - Step 4 • The following screen will appear. Select ‘Use the current document’, then click ‘Next: Select Recipients’. Select “Use the current document” MAIL MERGE Then click “Next select recipients”

6. Mail Merge - Step 5 • The following screen now appears. Select ‘Use an existing list’. Now click on ‘Browse’ to locate the customer data file that you wish to utilise. Choose “Use an existing list” Then click “Browse” MAIL MERGE

7. Mail Merge - Step 6 • The following dialogue box will appear. Locate the relevant folder on your computer (where your 308 prospects data file is stored) and select the file itself and then select ‘Open’. Select the required Excel data file Click “Open” to open the selected data file MAIL MERGE

8. Mail Merge - Step 7 • You will now see the following dialogue box, confirming the selection of your customer data file. Select ‘OK’ to continue. Confirmation of data file to be used MAIL MERGE Click “OK” Tick this box

9. Mail Merge – Step 8 • The resultant dialogue box will now appear, showing the list of customer of data to be used. You can use the tick boxes to select/deselect customers to be included in the mail merge or just use the “select all” box. Select ‘OK’ when you have finalised your selection. Click relevant tick boxes to select/deselect customers MAIL MERGE When you have made your selections click “OK”

10. Mail Merge – Step 9 • You will now return to the following screen. Select ‘Next: Write your letter’ to proceed. Click “Next write your letter.” MAIL MERGE

11. Mail Merge – Step 10 • The following screen will appear. You should firstly ensure that the text cursor is positioned in the top left hand corner of the document, ready for the insertion of the customer address information. Position text cursor in top left hand corner of document MAIL MERGE Then click “More items…”

12. Mail Merge – Step 11 • The following dialogue box will appear. Firstly choose ‘Database Fields’. • Now proceed to add the customer address fields to the letter in the logical order. Highlight the required field and then click ‘Insert’ to add the address element to the letter. Repeat for each required address field. • When all address fields have been inserted, click ‘Close’ to return to the letter itself. Firstly ensure “Database Fields” is selected Click required customer address field to select Click “Insert” to add selected customer address field MAIL MERGE Finally, when all address fields have been selected click “Close”

13. Mail Merge – Step 12 • You will now be returned to the main document. The address fields should now be visible in the letter. • Separate the address fields onto separate lines by placing the cursor in between fields and pressing the [return] key on the keyboard. Place the cursor in between the address fields and press the return key to place each field on a new line MAIL MERGE

14. Mail Merge – Step 13 • The document should now appear as below. • At this stage you can still make amendments to the main body of your letter. Have a final check of the letter content to ensure that it is presented in a professional manner and make any alterations if needed. • When finalised and you are satisfied with the format/content of the letter, select ‘Next: Preview your letters’. You can still edit the letter as normal if necessary MAIL MERGE Finally click “Next: Preview your letters”

15. Mail Merge – Step 14 • The next screen previews how your letter will look, complete with real customer data. You can scan through how each separate customer letter will appear by clicking the arrows adjacent to ‘Recipient: 1’. Real customer data now appears in the address section Click these arrows to view each customer letter separately MAIL MERGE

16. Mail Merge – Step 15 • If there are any errors in how the customer address information is presented, you can return to the previous screen by selecting ‘Previous: Write your letter’ and correct the letter as necessary. • If there are no errors and the letter appears exactly as required, select ‘Next: Complete the merge’. Click “Next: Complete the merge” when satisfied MAIL MERGE

17. Mail Merge – Step 16 • You are now in a position to physically create your letters. Click ‘Print…’ to begin printing your letters. • In order to ensure that the letter prints out as you intend it to, select ‘Current record’ to conduct a practice print of just one customer letter. This will allow you to double check the format, layout and content of the letter before going ahead and printing the whole batch of customer letters. Select “Current record” MAIL MERGE

18. Mail Merge – Step 17 • Ensure that the right printer is selected and that only 1 copy is requested. If you are using a printer with multiple paper trays, ensure that the tray which contains the correct letter headed paper is selected. You should also ensure at this point that the desired letter headed paper is inserted into the printer, ready for printing. • Click on ‘OK’ and the letter will print. Choose required printer Choose one copy only MAIL MERGE Use to select printer feed tray if necessary Finally click “OK” to print

19. Mail Merge – Step 18 • You can now check the physical appearance of the letter. If you are using a windowed envelope, you may find it necessary to alter the page margins, to allow the customer address information to be visible through the envelope window. Alternatively, depending on the layout of your letter headed paper, you may need to move the letter content further down the page in order to accommodate the standard text/logo on the letter head. You can alter the page margins as follows: Select ‘Page Setup’ to adjust margin sizes MAIL MERGE

20. Mail Merge – Step 19 • The following screen will then appear. • Use the arrow buttons to increase/reduce the size of the relevant margin. It may take several visits to this page to refine the setting so that the printed letter is compatible with your window envelope / letter headed paper. Click arrows to increase/decrease the size of the page margins MAIL MERGE Click ‘OK’ when finished

21. Mail Merge – Step 20 • Once you are satisfied with the layout of the letter and it’s compatibility with headed paper and windowed envelopes, etc, you can then proceed to printing the whole batch of letters. • Select ‘Print…’ again. Click ‘Print…’ MAIL MERGE

22. Mail Merge – Step 21 • The dialogue box will appear again. On this occasion choose to print ‘All’. • Once again, you will now be confronted with the Print option screen. • Ensure that the right printer is selected and that only one copy is requested. If you are using a printer with multiple paper trays, ensure that the tray which contains the correct letter headed paper is selected. You should also ensure at this point that the desired letter headed paper is inserted into the printer, ready for printing. • Click on ‘OK’ to print the full batch of letters. MAIL MERGE