Mail merge for mutiple people

[MaggieDonuts]

My database for sending mail merge contains both singles and couples, some
are Mary Smith, some Mary and John Smith, some Mary Jones and John Smith. Is
it possible to format the address box to address each person in the proper
format? It appears if I insert "and" between first and last names "Mary and
Smith" comes up. Is the only solution to put the different people, singles,
couples and mixed name couples, in different databases?

 

[Mary Sauer]

Couldn't you put Mary and John Smith as one entry? Are you separating John from
Smith? When you have data such as yours you are probably better off combining
the last and first name in a single field. Or in step 5 in 2003 or step 3 in
2007 create a new publication and edit your entries. When you are ready to print
in 2007 select multiple pages per sheet.

Or use a different mail merge application such as Word.

 

[MaggieDonuts]

So then when I go to the address box I will only use the Merged Field "<First
Name>"? If that will work then yes, that's the best way for me to do that.
The problem then becomes doing a search by last name if I take the names
"John and Mary Smith"....so I guess what I need to do is to put Jane as first
name, Jones as last name, but "John and Mary" as first name, Smith as last
name. That way I can still search database by last name?

 

[Mary Sauer]

How many names do you think you will have to change? If there aren't that many,
I think the way to go is the solution in the previous post. Create a new
publication and then edit the results.

 

[MaggieDonuts]

My database is about 1600 names, and I must re-create it since the program I
was using crashed last week. That's why I need to do search by last name
very often, and why it may be best for me to create names by "Jane" "Jones"
and "Mary and John" "Smith". What do you think? I'm as concerned about the
database and importing names from that as I am about addressing 4 up
postcards.