How to Create Mailing Labels using "Mail Merge" in Microsoft Word

A mail merge involves merging a main document with a data source. A main document contains the text and other items that remain the same in each label. A data source (your list) contains the information that changes in each label, such as the name and address of each recipient.

Merge fields, which you insert into the main document, instruct Word where to print information from the data source. When you perform the mail merge, Word replaces merge fields in the main document with information from the data source (your list). Each row (or record) in the data source produces an individual label.

Please follow the step-by-step instructions below to perform a mail merge to create labels.

Step by Step Instructions for Microsoft Word 2003
Step by Step Instruction for Microsoft Word 2007

If you have trouble with this procedure, or do not have Microsoft Word, please contact a Data Specialist at 1-800-395-7707. We are here to help!

Step by Step Instruction for Microsoft Word 2003

Step 1: Main Document

1. Open the document in Word 2003. On the Tools menu, click Letter and Mailings \ Mail Merge....
   The Mail Merge Helper dialog box appears on the right.
2. In the Mail Merge Helper under Select document type, select Labels, and then click Next : Starting document. .

Step 2: Label Options

1. Click on Label options from Step 2.
2. This will bring up a menu allowing to select the brand and style of the labels you want to print. If you have oddball labels you can always choose custom settings as well. When your done with the label options click OK.

Step 3: Data Source

1. Now you are going to want to choose your data source. Under Use an Existing List. Click on Browse... Use Explorer to find the data source you want to use and double click it.
2. You will click on a confirmation screen verifying your data source (USADATA uses Excel spread sheet or CSV file) and get to Mail Merge Recipients window.
3. Here you can change the order of your information, delete certain users, and validate information. If all the data source is confirmed and chose Select All. Now hit OK.
4. Click on Next: Arrange your labels.

Step 4: Arrange Your Labels

1. Click on More Items from Arrange your labels.
2. And Just double click on each field you want to include and choose the order of the data.
   
3. At document, these fields are being added to your labels. You can edit them by highlighting the field and moving it to where you want.
4. On the Mail Merge menu bar, select the “update all labels” button. This will populate each label with the fields from the fist label. Then click on Next: Preview your labels.

Step 5: Preview Your Labels

1. Your document will preview with labels.
   
2. on the Mail Merge menu, you can click through the Recipients by clicking the back or forward arrows.
   
3. If you’re satisfied with how they look, click on Next: Complete the merge.

Step 6: Complete

1. The Merge is complete! Make sure your labels are set up in the printer and hit Print.

If you have any questions or need help performing a mail merge, please contact a Data Specialist at 1-800-395-7707.

Step by Step Instruction for Microsoft Word 2007

Step 1: Main Document

1. Open the document in Word. On the Tools menu, click Mail Merge.
   The Mail Merge Helper dialog box appears.
2. Under 1. Main document, click Create, and then click Mailing Labels.
3. Click Active Window.

The active document becomes the Mail Merge main document. Word returns to the Mail Merge Helper.

Step 2: Data Source

The data source (your list) contains the information that can vary in each label. You can execute a mail merge if your list is saved in another program like Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, ASCII text or another delimited file.

1. Under 2. Data source, click Get Data.
2. Multiple options will be displayed. Choose to open an existing data source.
   
   
   1. In the Mail Merge Helper dialog box, click Get Data.
   2. Click Open Data Source.
   3. In the list of files in the Open Data Source dialog box, select the data source that you want to use, and then click Open.
      
      If the data source that you want is not in the list of files, click the appropriate drive and folder. Select the appropriate option in the List files of type box.
      
   4. Click Set Up Main Document.
      
      

Step 3: Edit Main Document

1. If the Mail Merge Helper is not running, click Mail Merge on the Tools menu. In the Mail Merge Helper, click Setup under 1. Main document.
2. Word displays the Label Options dialog box. Click the type of printer (dot matrix or laser), the type of label product (such as Avery), and product number. If you are using a custom label, click Details, and then type the size of the label. Click OK.
   
   Word displays the Create Label dialog box. The insertion point is blinking in the box under Sample Label. This is where you insert the merge fields to represent where on the label Word should print the information from the data source.
   
3. Click Insert Merge Field in the Create Label dialog box. Click the appropriate merge field.
   
   Make sure that you type any spaces or punctuation that you want between two merge fields or after a merge field.
   
4. When you have finished placing the merge fields on the sample label, click OK.
   

This step returns the focus to the Mail Merge Helper.

Step 4: Perform the Merge

1. Under 3. Merge the data with the document, click Merge.
   
   Word displays the Merge dialog box. (If you click the Query option instead of Merge, you have the option to select certain data records to participate in the merge or to sort the records in the data source.)
   
2. Under Merge to, click New Document to display the merged document on the screen. This allows you to view the labels before printing them. (Select Printer to send the labels directly to the printer.)
3. With New Document selected in Merge to, click Merge.
4. After the merged document appears on the screen, you can save it as a separate document, or you can print the merged document by clicking Print on the File menu, or you can do both.

If you have any questions or need help performing a mail merge, please contact a Data Specialist at 1-800-395-7707.