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How to Create Mail Merge Labels using Microsoft Word
and Microsoft Excel
If you need a quick and easy way to create multiple labels, envelopes, or letters with the
same formatting but different content, consider using the mail merge features of
Microsoft Word.
Mail merge has many uses. For instance, if you are searching for a job, you might want to
use mail merge to create the same cover letters for different companies; by using mail
merge, you could create the cover letter once, and then you could use mail merge
software to automate the process by which the letters are customized for each prospective
employer.
Custom mailing labels are another common product of mail merge. Catalog companies
use sophisticated mail merge software to create mailing labels for their catalogs, and
event planners use mail merge software to create invitations for parties and conferences.
What is in this document?
In this document, you will learn how to use the mail merge features of Word to create
mailing labels. You need a solid understanding of Word and Excel.
What do you need to get started?
To start, you need:


Microsoft Office 2003
Avery labels #5161

A printer
Caution:
Be sure to buy the labels best-suited for the type of ink you use in your printer. If you
have a laser printer, buy labels specially made for laser printers. If you have an ink jet
printer, buy ink jet labels. If you do not buy the proper labels for your printer, you run the
risk of permanently damaging your printer.
How do you Create Mail Merge Labels?
There are four general steps (described in detail below) for making mail merge labels:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Creating a spreadsheet containing contact information
Making a form or template label
Merging the data in the spreadsheet with the form label
Printing the labels
Creating a spreadsheet containing contact information. The best place to capture data
that will be merged into forms is in a spreadsheet, and Excel spreadsheets can be used
easily in Word’s mail merge process. When making a spreadsheet containing names and
addresses, split the data into as many fields as possible. By having more fields, you have
greater control over the way the data is displayed on your labels. For instance, you could
put a person’s name into one field (e.g. the “FullName” field), but it would be better to
split the name field into two fields: “FirstName” and “LastName”. By doing so, you can
choose to print one or both. Also, breaking the address down into many fields (such as
“Address1”, “Address2”, “City”, “State”, “Zip”) can significantly increase your chances
of creating properly formatted and easy-to-read labels. See Figure 1 for an example of a
spreadsheet containing contact information.
Figure 1. An Eexample of a spreadsheet with contact information broken up into many
fields.
After you create your spreadsheet in Excel, be sure to:
1. Sort the names and/or addresses in the order in which you want them to appear on
your labels.
2. Name the spreadsheet using tabs on the bottom left hand corner of the
spreadsheet.
3. Make a mental note of where you saved the spreadsheet.
Making a form or template label. Word’s mail merge process begins with the creation
of a form. This form can be a label, a letter, or an envelope. In this case, you will be
making a form label that will serve as a template for the mailing labels you wish to
create.
To create a form label:
1. Open a new document in Word.
2. Check to see if the mail merge toolbar is displayed. If it is not, display it.
3. Click the “Main document setup” icon (shown highlighted below) in the mail
merge toolbar. A window titled “Main Document Type” pops up.
4. Select “Labels”, and click “OK”. The “Label Options” window pops up.
5. Select “5161 – Address” in the “Product Number” menu, and click OK. The
window closes, and the document is formatted as two columns of ten labels.
6. Click the “Open data source” icon (shown highlighted below) on the mail merge
toolbar. A file browsing window pops up.
7. Browse until you find the Excel file that you just created. Select your file, and
click the “Open” button. A window titled “Select Table” pops up.
8. Select the name of the spreadsheet you created from the available choices. It
should be the same as the name that you entered in the tab on the bottom left hand
corner of your spreadsheet. The name in the popup will have a “$” after it. Click
OK. The document now has “<<Next Record>>” written in all but the first label
which is blank.
Merging the data in the spreadsheet with the form label. Now you need to make
Word understand how to read the data in your spreadsheet and how to apply the data to
the form.
To merge the spreadsheet data into the form labels:
1. Click the “Insert Address Block” icon (shown highlighted below) in the mail
merge toolbar. The “Insert Address Block” window pops up.
2. Click the “Match Fields” button. The “Match Fields” window pops up.
3. Match Word’s fields in the left column with the fields from your spreadsheet
which appear in the corresponding drop down boxes. Word does a good job of
matching its fields with your fields, but make sure that all of the fields that you
want on the labels have a corresponding field on the left hand side of the popup
window.
4. Click OK. The “Match Fields” popup window closes.
5. Click OK. The “Insert Address Block” window closes. The first label in your
document now reads “<<AddressBlock>>”.
6. Click the “Propagate Labels” icon (shown highlighted below) on the mail merge
toolbar. In each label except the first, “<<AddressBlock>>” now appears next to
“<<Next Record>>”.
7. Click the “Merge to New Document” icon (shown highlighted below) on the mail
merge tool bar. The “Merge to New Document” window appears, and the “All”
option is selected by default.
8. Click OK. A new document with your labels will appear, and the document’s title
starts with “Labels”.
Print the label. Now that Word has created your labels, you can print them on the actual
sheet of labels.
To print your labels:
1. Set a sheet of your blank Avery labels in your printer.
2. In Word, print the “Labels” document.