Click to Buy ScreenSteps
These quick instructions will show you how to use a Word file containing addresses to make mailing labels
Assumptions:
- You’re running Office 2011 for Mac
- You have a comma delimited file with the same number of fields in each address
- You have already purchased, or plan to purchase labels that match one of the options in Word labels
Your Address File
In the first row you need to put the names of each of the fields you’ll want to identify, e.g. Name, Address, city, state, and zip. Note that I have 5 fields in each address, the title row is separated by commas and each address row also has 5 records separated by commas.
Close this file.
Open a Blank Word Document
Select Mail Merge Manager from the Tools Menu
The Mail Merge Manager
We’re going to simply step through each part of the manager.
Select Document Type
Use the Pulldown under step 1 – Create New, and select Labels
Select Your Label Type
- Find the label manufacturer
- Select the product number (will be printed on the label box
- Review the dimensions and verify from the box
- Click OK
Note that even off brands will say something like “equivalent to Avery 5160″ so you don’t have to buy one of the big brands.
Records Showing in Word
Word will lay out the labels for you as shown
Open Your Address List
Under Step 2, Click the pulldown for Get List, and choose Open Data Source
Select Your Address List
Add the Fields You Want to Print
This is where you will select the fields you want to print, the order in which to print them and how they will be displayed
Choose the Fields
Use the Insert Merge Field to choose the Name
All Fields Selected
Keep adding fields, using the enter to separate lines, and commas to separate city/state and space or comma before zip. click OK
Review Fields
Review the fields on the page to verify that they are as you expected
Merge to New Document
As tempting as it is to stick your highly priced labels into the printer and click Print under Complete Merge, don’t do it. I promise you something will be wrong and you’ll have wasted money.
Instead click the second button to Merge to New Document
Review Labels
This creates a new document with your labels. I always print this on plain paper and hold it up to a bright light with the real label paper behind it to make sure no one’s address slops over a line. This can often happen with long addresses, or where a husband and wife have two different names. I like to correct these before printing.
After circling back to this point and getting an acceptable print, you are free to stick your highly priced labels into the printer and simply print as you would any other document.
