Frequently asked questions about mail merge in Publisher 2003 and in Publisher 2002 (322305)

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What is a mail merge?

With the mail merge feature, you can create a single publication that is reused in multiple copies of the publication. Each copy can contain different information. Use a mail merge to create form letters and mailing labels. The feature is also useful for creating certificates, name tags, and tent cards.

How does a mail merge work?

To perform a mail merge, you create an address list or a data source file. The data source file contains the information that changes with each merged copy of the publication. You must arrange the information in a table. Each column of the table contains one type of information (called a field), and each row of the table contains information for each record.

Next, you create a publication. The dimensions of the publication determine the dimensions of the merged copies. Therefore, if you create a set of mailing labels, create a publication that is the size of one label.

After you create both of these files, merge the data source and the publication. After you merge the files, you can insert placeholders (or field codes) into the publication. Placeholders tell Publisher where to insert the information from the data source file.

The final step in performing a mail merge is to print the publication. You can print copies for all of the records or print only specific records. In each printed copy, Publisher replaces the placeholders with the information that corresponds to each record in the data source file.

NOTE: If you print a small publication, such as a label, you can print multiple copies of your publication on a single sheet. In this case, Publisher considers a sheet of 30 labels to be 30 copies of a single, label-sized publication that is printed on a single sheet.

Can I use Publisher to create an address list?

Yes. To create an address list to use with your mail merge, follow these steps:

1. On the Tools menu, point to Mail Merge, and then click Create Address List.
2. Under Enter Address Information, type the information for the first entry in the appropriate fields (for example, Title, First Name, Last Name).
3. When you finish typing the information for the entry, click New Entry.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you finish adding entries.
5. Click Close.
6. In the File name box of the Save Address List dialog box, type a name for your address list.
7. Click Save. Publisher saves your address list as a Microsoft Office Address List, with an .mdb file name extension, in the My Data Sources folder.

What types of files can Publisher use as a data source file?

Microsoft Publisher Mail Merge can use address lists (data sources) in the following formats:

• • Microsoft Access (all versions)
  • Microsoft Excel (version 3.0 and later)
  • Microsoft FoxPro (version 2.0 and later)
  • Microsoft Outlook (all versions)
  • Microsoft Word tables or merge data documents
  • Microsoft Works for MS-DOS 3.0 (if the database contains no formulas)
  • Microsoft Works for Windows 3.0, 3.0, and 4.x (if the database contains no formulas)
  • dBase III, IV, and V
  • ASCII text files (except for fixed-field width files)

How many fields can an address list contain?

Publisher can use an address list that contains up to 255 fields. Each field name can contain up to 64 characters.

How many records can an address list contain?

There is no practical limit to the number of records that an address list can contain. The maximum number of records depends on your computer's memory and available disk space.

What happens if I move my address list to another folder?

The next time that you open the publication, Publisher prompts you for the new location of the address list. If the publication is open when you change the location of the address list, follow these steps:

1. In the Mail Merge task pane, click Select a different list. If the Mail Merge task pane is not displayed, point to Mail Merge on the Tools menu, and then click Mail Merge Wizard.
2. In the message box, click Yes to the following message:

   Do you want to connect to a different data source?
   
   This publication is already set up to merge from 'address list path and file name'.
   
   If you've already inserted mail merge fields into this publication, some of them may not be able to merge information from the new data source. Click Yes to continue and choose a new data source. Click No to use the data source you have already chosen.

3. Click the name of a data source. If you do not see the file you want, switch to the drive or folder that contains the file.
4. Click Open.

What happens if I add more records to the address list?

Immediately after you add new records to your address list, the new records (addresses) are available to your mail merge publication.

To add new records to your attached address list, open the publication that your address list is attached to, and then follow these steps:

1. On the Tools menu, point to Mail Merge, and then click Edit Address List.
2. In the Open Address List dialog box, select your address list, and then click Open.
3. In the address data form dialog box, click New Entry. Repeat this step for each new entry that you want to add to your address list, and then click Close.

To view all of your addresses in the attached address list, click Edit recipient list in either Step 1 of 4 or Step 3 of 4 in the Mail Merge task pane.

If some of your addresses do not appear in the Mail Merge Recipients dialog box, click the arrow next to each column heading, and then click All on each drop-down menu.

Can Publisher control the order in which the records are printed?

Yes. Publisher has a sorting feature that you can use to control the order in which the records are printed. Publisher also has a filter that you can use to print only records that meet certain criteria.

To sort or filter your address list, open the publication to which your address list is attached, and then follow these steps:

1. If the Mail Merge task pane is not displayed, point to Mail Merge on the Tools menu, and then click Mail Merge Wizard.
2. In Step 1 of 4, click Edit recipient list (under Use an existing list).
3. In the Mail Merge Recipients dialog box, follow the instructions at the top of the dialog box. For example:
   • To sort the list, click the appropriate column heading.
   • To filter the recipients that are displayed by a specific criteria, such as by city, click the arrow next to the column heading.
   • Click the check boxes or buttons to add or remove recipients from the mail merge.

Is the Publisher mail merge feature the same as the mail merge feature in Microsoft Word?

The mail merge feature in Publisher is very easy to use, but it does not have all of the features of the mail merge feature in Microsoft Word. For example, Word fields that allow you to include additional information and to control how data is inserted into your document are not included in the mail merge feature in Publisher.

Can Publisher merge several publications on a page that contain different addresses?

Yes. To do this, you must set your publication as a label or postcard. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: