Change the look of merged text - Publisher

Warning: You are viewing this page with an unsupported Web browser. This Web site works best with Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or later, Firefox 1.5, or Netscape Navigator 8.0 or later. Learn more about supported browsers.

Email this link

Printer-Friendly Version Bookmark and Share

Change the look of merged text

Applies to: Microsoft Office Publisher 2003

To format merged text, you must format the merge fields (merge field: A placeholder for text or pictures that you insert into your publication. Information from a data source (such as a name, address, or image) is inserted in each merge field. You can format, copy, move, or delete a merge field.). Do not format the text in the original data source (data source: A file that contains information that can be merged into a publication. For example, a list of names and addresses, or paths to pictures you want to use in a mail or catalog merge. You must connect to a data source to perform a merge.) because the original formatting in the data source is not retained when Microsoft Publisher merges the text into your publication.

Note If your data file contains numbers, such as currency, percentages, dates, or zip codes, that you want to merge into a publication, click the Answer Box link under See Also for more information.

Show Format merged text

In your mail merge publication or catalog merge template, select the field containing the information you want to format.
On the Format menu, click Font, and then select the options you want.

Show Add recurring text next to merge data

You can add recurring text or information that will appear next to certain kinds of information from your data source. For example, you can insert a currency symbol next to a merge field that is a placeholder for an item price in your catalog.

In your mail merge publication or catalog merge template, click in the location where you want to insert the text or symbol.
Do one of the following:
- Type the text you want to appear.
- Insert the symbol that you want to appear.
  How?
  1. On the Insert menu, click Symbol.
  2. In the Symbol dialog box, click the symbol or special character that you want, and then click Insert.

Show Highlight data in the catalog merge area

If you are creating a catalog merge template, you can highlight certain types of information by applying borders or fills to the text boxes in the catalog merge area (catalog merge area: The area in a catalog merge template into which merge fields are inserted. When a merge is completed, data from a data source populates each field, and the catalog merge area will repeat and display multiple records on each page.) that contain the merge fields for that information. For example, if you want to highlight the sale price of an item in your catalog, you can apply a bright yellow fill to the text box that contains the merge field for the sale price.

Select the text box that you want to change.
On the Format menu, click Text Box, and then click the Colors and Lines tab.
Do any of the following:
Fill the text box with a color
- Under Fill, click the arrow next to Color, and then select the options that you want.
Apply a border to the text box
- Under Line, select the options that you want.

Note If you apply BorderArt or wide borders to the text boxes and picture frames in the catalog merge area, they might overlap or cut off the information from your data source that displays in your merged pages. For best results, select narrow border styles.