Configuring a mail merge print job for labels correctly in Word 2003

You have asked a graphics designer to design a template for a name plate, which, you wish to print using the mail merge function on the label paper.

But it always prints only one label per page or fills all labels on one page with the same data. First check whether the template given by the graphics designer contains text fields. That is because, due to reasons unknown, Word 2003 loves to mess up text fields in mail merge printing and produces the above mentioned effects. The best option is to open a new document along with the graphics designer’s template and start ‘Tools | Letters and Mailings | Mail merge’. In the section, select ‘Labels’ and click on ‘Next: Starting Document’. Leave the option ‘Use the current document’ selected and click on ‘Label options’. In the following dialog, select the label information or enter it individually. Then it is followed by another click on ‘Next: Select Recipients’.


Select Address Data: Address data is often in an Excel-table. In this case select the ‘Use an existing list’ option, click on ‘Browse’ and open the relevant worksheet in the following dialog. Now copy the draft by your graphics designer from the other open document from the clipboard to the series, remove any possible text frames and position the data fields. This works faster when you click on ‘Tools | Letters and mailings’ as well as ‘Show mail merge toolbar’ and then on the ‘Insert merge fields’ symbol. In the following dialog, you can select the desired fields and insert them by clicking on ‘Insert’. While doing so, make sure that you insert them in the correct sequence; spaces or line breaks between the fields can also be inserted in the mail merge document later. Then click on ‘Next: Arrange your labels’.


Update Document: Word shows the first label with the list data, all others only contain the field function ‘Next data set’ in double angle brackets. With this, Word gives an impression, that while printing at these spots it will automatically work with the next data set. This step is however not automatic. For that, click on the ‘Update all labels’ in the section. This must be repeated every time you need to change anything in the draft for the first label. Then click on ‘Next: Preview of your labels’.


Removing Hurdles: When Word now displays the same name for every label, even though your Excel list is correct, then the culprit is the text frame described in the beginning. In that case, click ‘Back: Arrange your labels’ and correct the draft. Only when the created preview is in sync with the desired fi nal result, click on ‘Next: Close mail merge’. Now you can directly ‘Print’ or further ‘Edit individual labels’. The last link enables you to create a document with all merged data. This can be checked before printing and if necessary, the individual labels can be still reworked.