Printing a data source in mail merge & Address fields

[jcoult]

Rather than make copies of mass mailings, I used to print
the data source and the document showing the fields for
my file. I can't figure out how to print the data source
in Word 2000. Is it possible to do so?

Also, when sending a mass mailing to companies, the
default fields in the address block are not always
sufficient. Although the program did allow me to put in
Address Line 2, it wouldn't permit me to add Department.
I had to go through each letter after the merge manually
to add the extra line. Am I missing something?

 

[Peter Jamieson]

It sounds to me as if you may be using Word 2002, not Word 2000. If you were
using Word 97 before, Word 2000 works in a very similar way. But the
difference between Word 2000 and Word 2002 is much more marked.

If you are actually using Word 2002 and you opt to "Type a new list" when
you "Select recipients", Word will create a Jet (Access format) database to
contain your data. You should be able to use the Customize button within the
New Address List box to add a Department coumn, but once you have created
the list, you cannot alter the structure using Word, and Word does not
provide any built-in facilities for printing the list. You could alter the
structure using Access (and it could be done with some effort using VBA).
The smplest way to print the list would probably be to create an additional
Directory mailmerge that lists every field in the data source (e.g. using a
one-row table in your mail merge main document).

However, if you still have your old data source file and it is actually in
Word .doc format (which would be typical for a data source in Word 97 or
2000) you can still use it as a data source, and you can still open it and
print it using Word. So maybe that would be a better way to go.

If you really are using Word 2000 can you have a look at the "Mail merge
helper" and tell us what the data source is called (itshould be displayed
under the Get Data button.