Set Up a Mail Merge in Outlook
with
Don Schechter
Get the word out about your event by setting up a mail merge in Outlook. This allows you to create a document then print or email it to your address book.
Transcript: Set Up a Mail Merge in Outlook
Hi I'm Don Schechter for About.com Money. Today I'll show you the basics of the mail merge feature in Microsoft Outlook.What is Mail Merge?
Mail merge takes a Word document and source data, and merges them to create catalogs, envelopes, invitations, and much more. This feature makes it easy to distribute printed or electronic documents for any kind of event.Select Your Contacts in Outlook
Open Outlook, and click on 'Contacts' at the bottom left side. Go to 'Tools,' and select 'Mail Merge.' The mail merge window will open.Here, you can select if you want to use all your contacts or just selected ones. I'll choose 'All Contacts' and also merge all fields of my contacts.
Create Your Document
Next, you can choose an existing document, like a letter or write a new document. I'll write a new document.At the bottom, where it says 'Merge Options,' I'll select 'Form Letters' as the document type, and I want to email them out. I'll type a short subject and click 'OK.'
Customize the Address Block
Now, Word will open. First I'll add an address block, which will show up at the beginning of each letter, customized with my recipient's contact information.Here, you can choose what the address block looks like. Click 'OK' when you're done. You will see where the address block will be, the words 'Address Block,' and some arrows on either side.
Write a Greeting Line
To insert a greeting line, click the icon in the toolbar. A window will appear where you can format the greeting line. Click 'OK.'Now I'll write my letter.
Email or Print Your Document
There are more option in the mail merge toolbar. When you're finished, if you want to email them, click the 'Merge to Email' icon.Or, if you want to print, click 'Merge to Printer.' Outlook will automatically email my letter.
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