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In step 4 of the Mail Merge task pane, you can add addresses, greetings, and other personalized merge fields.

1. In the main document (main document: In a mail-merge operation in Word, the document that contains the text and graphics that are the same for each version of the merged document, for example, the return address or salutation in a form letter.), click where you want to insert the field (field: A set of codes that instructs Microsoft Word to insert text, graphics, page numbers, and other material into a document automatically. For example, the DATE field inserts the current date.).
2. Insert any of the following:

   Address block with name, address, and other information

   1. Click Address block.
   2. In the Insert Address Block dialog box, select the address elements you want to include and the formats you want, and then click OK.
   3. If the Match Fields dialog box appears, Microsoft Word may have been unable to find some of the information it needs for the address block. Click the arrow next to (not available), and then select the field from your data source (data source: A file that contains the information to be merged into a document. For example, the list of names and addresses you want to use in a mail merge. You must connect to the data source before you can use the information in it.) that corresponds to the field required for the mail merge.

   Greeting line

   1. Click Greeting line.
   2. Select the greeting line format, which includes the salutation, name format, and following punctuation.
   3. Select the text you want to appear in cases where Microsoft Word can't interpret the recipient's name, for example, when the data source (data source: A file that contains the information to be merged into a document. For example, the list of names and addresses you want to use in a mail merge. You must connect to the data source before you can use the information in it.) contains no first or last name for a recipient, but only a company name.
   4. Click OK.
   5. If the Match Fields dialog box appears, Word may have been unable to find some of the information it needs for the greeting line. Click the arrow next to (not available), and then select the field from your data source that corresponds to the field required for the mail merge.

   Other fields of information

   You can insert information from some other field, such as a telephone number or the amount of a contribution from a list of donors.

   1. Click More items.
   2. Do one of the following:
      • To select address fields that will automatically correspond to fields in your data source (data source: A file that contains the information to be merged into a document. For example, the list of names and addresses you want to use in a mail merge. You must connect to the data source before you can use the information in it.), even if the data source's fields don't have the same name as your fields, click Address Fields.
      • To select fields that always take data directly from a column in a database, click Database Fields.
   3. In the Fields box, click the field you want.
   4. Click Insert, and then click Close.
   5. If the Match Fields dialog box appears, Microsoft Word may have been unable to find some of the information it needs to insert the field. Click the arrow next to (not available), and then select the field from your data source that corresponds to the field required for the mail merge.

   Note  If you insert a field from the Database Fields list and then later switch to a data source that doesn't have a column with the same name, Word won't be able to insert that field information into the merged document.

   Electronic postage

   In order to add electronic postage, you must first install an electronic postage program, such as one you purchased from a service on the World Wide Web (World Wide Web (WWW): The multimedia branch of the Internet that presents not only text, but also graphics, sound, and video. On the Web, users can easily jump from item to item, page to page, or site to site by using hyperlinks.).

   1. Click Electronic postage.

      If you do not have an electronic postage program installed, Microsoft Word prompts you to install one and offers to connect to the Microsoft Office Online Web site. There you can get more information and links to other sites that offer electronic postage.

   2. Insert the postage according to the program's instructions.

   Postal bar code

   You must select a label or envelope type that supports the POSTNET bar code.

   1. Click Postal bar code.
   2. In the Insert Postal Bar Code dialog box, select the appropriate address fields.

   Note  The Postal bar code option only appears if you are using the U.S. language version of Microsoft Word.

3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for all the fields you want to insert.

Notes

• You can't type merge field characters («« »») manually or use the Symbol command on the Insert menu. You must use the Mail Merge task pane.

• If the merge fields appear inside braces, such as { MERGEFIELD City }, then Microsoft Word is displaying field codes (field code: Placeholder text that shows where specified information from your data source will appear; the elements in a field that generate a field's result. The field code includes the field characters, field type, and instructions.) instead of field results (field results: Text or graphics inserted in a document when Microsoft Word carries out a field's instructions. When you print the document or hide field codes, the field results replace the field codes.). This doesn't affect the merge, but if you want to display the results instead, right-click the field code, and then click Toggle Field Codes on the shortcut menu.