Click
here for instructions on Creating a Data Merge File in the SCAC
Software
INSTRUCTIONS FOR CONVERTING "MAIL.TXT" FILE CREATED IN SCAC
SOFTWARE INTO "TABLEMAIL.DOC" IN PREPARATION FOR LABELS / LETTERS
MERGE USING MICROSOFT WORD 2000 OR 2003:
Open your WORD application; then open the file prepared in the
"Letters/Labels" feature of the SCAC software. It will always be
titled "mail.txt." Notice that the first line in the document
contains the field names of the data for your merge (i.e. SSN, Last
Name, First Name, etc.)
Click on File, Page Setup and under "Orientation", click
"Landscape" so that you will be able to see all of the columns in
the table that you are about to create below. Click OK.
Click EDIT, SELECT ALL to select all of the records.
Click TABLE, CONVERT, TEXT TO TABLE. The "Convert Text to Table"
dialog box appears. Under "Table Size", change the number of columns
to reflect the appropriate number of fields (i.e. 12). Under the
heading "Separate Text At" choose "Commas" if you selected the
"Commas Delimited" layout option when creating your mail.txt file in
the SCAC software (which was recommended). Click OK. You
should see your data in a table format under the appropriate field
names. After scrolling to the right, if you cannot see all of
your columns, click anywhere in the table and decrease the left and
right margins to approximately 0.2" (under File; Page Setup).
Click FILE, SAVE AS. Name this file "TableMail" (recommended
file name; choose any file name you wish, but one that will allow
you to easily find and retrieve the document).
Make sure the "save as type" box reflects "Word Document" (not
text file, etc.)
After saving, close this file.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR LETTERS/LABELS MERGE USING
MICROSOFT
WORD 2000
At blank screen, go through the steps to merge, i.e. Tools,
Merge, Create Document, Open Data File, etc. INSERT FIELD NAMES into
form letter or labels format. Save. Click Merge.
NOTE: If the Form Letter was already prepared and saved prior to
this merge, open the Form Letter first, then start the merge
process; Click "Use Active Window" when prompted to create the forms
document.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR LETTERS MERGE USING MICROSOFT WORD 2003
Click on Tools, Letters and Mailings, Mail
Merge. The Mail Merge guide appears on the right side of the
screen. Follow steps throughout the guide:
Step 1. Select Document Type (i.e.
letters): click on the blue font at the bottom of the Mail Merge
guide to go to the next step, Starting Document.
Step 2. Select Starting Document:
choose either Use Current Document if you have your letter already
open or Start from Existing Document if you need to open your
letter. If you select the latter, a dialog box opens for you to
locate and open your existing document. (Either double-click on
"More
Files..."
highlighted or click on the
"Open..."
button if your letter document isn't
listed B it
will be listed only if you have used it in a recent merge.)
Click on Next: Select Recipients at the bottom
of the Mail Merge guide.
Step 3. Under Select Recipients, click
Use an Existing List; click Browse (blue font). The Select Data
Source dialog box appears. Find and double-click on the data file
that you just created in the SCAC Setoff Debt software. It will be
named TableMail. The Mail Merge Recipients dialog box appears on
the screen. Choose from options
"Select All"
(default), or click on
"Clear All"
and then click on individual records you wish to merge; click OK.
(This may be useful if one or more of your letters jam when
printing or you have some other problem with certain letters. You
can return to this point and select only those letters that need to
be reprinted.) Click on Next: Write Your Letter (blue font) at
the bottom of the Mail Merge guide. This will be where you insert
merge fields.
Step 4. Under Write Your Letter, click
on "More
Items...." (blue
font); this will bring up your merge fields associated with the data
file you just selected in Step 3. (IMPORTANT NOTE: If you get a
message re: SQL being used and that data will be inserted into your
document, click NO
B don=t
click Continue because instead of placing merge fields in your
document , it will place the actual data, i.e. the first and last
name, address, etc., of the first person in your database.) After
placing your curser where the address information should be
inserted, double-click on the appropriate merge fields (First Name,
Last Name, Street, City, State, Zip, SSN, Account Number, Debt
Amount, etc.) then click Close to get out of the Insert Merge Fields
dialog box. Next go to the merge fields and place the fields (using
the space bar, Enter key and/or cut and paste) appropriately in your
letter. NOTE: You can elect to place and space as you insert the
fields; however, you'll
have to close the Insert Merge Field dialog box each time and then
reopen to insert the next field.
Step 5. Click Next: Preview Your
Letters (blue font at the bottom of the Mail Merge guide). Your
first merged letter will appear on the screen with the appropriate
information inserted. If you need to go back and edit your letter,
click on Previous: Write Your Letter
Step 6. Click Next: Complete the Merge
if everything looks OK in the preview. Under
"Merge",
click "Edit
Individual Letters"
(blue font) and this will merge your letters to a new document on
screen. The Merge to New Document dialog box appears on screen;
click "All",
then click OK. The merge in now complete.
NOTE: If the Mail Merge guide disappears
from your screen at any time during this process, simply click on
Tools, Letters and Mailings, Mail Merge and it should reappear
exactly where you left off.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR LABELS MERGE USING MICROSOFT WORD 2003
Click on Tools, Letters and Mailings, Mail
Merge. The Mail Merge guide appears on the right side of the
screen. Follow steps throughout the guide:
Step 1. Select Document Type (i.e.
labels): click on the blue font at the bottom of the Mail Merge
guide to go to the next step, Starting Document.
Step 2. Select Starting Document: click
on "Label
Options" in
the blue font under "Change Document Layout".
The Label Options dialog box will appear.
Select the appropriate label format (i.e. size) under Product number
(i.e. 5160 - Address). Click OK. A sheet of the appropriate size
label will appear on the screen.
Click on Next: Select Recipients at the bottom
of the Mail Merge guide.
Step 3. Under Select Recipients, click
Use an Existing List; click Browse (blue font). The Select Data
Source dialog box appears. Find the data file that you just created
in the SCAC Setoff Debt software. It will be named TableMail. The
Mail Merge Recipients dialog box appears on the screen. Choose from
options
"Select
All", or
click on individual records you wish to merge; click OK. <<Next
Record>> appears on all labels except the first one. Click on Next:
Arrange Your Labels (blue font) at the bottom of the Mail Merge
guide. This will be where you insert merge fields.
Step 4. Under Arrange Your Labels,
click on
"More
Items...." (blue
font); this will bring up your merge fields associated with the data
file you just selected in Step 3. (IMPORTANT NOTE: If you get a
message re: SQL being used and that data will be inserted into your
document, click NO
B don=t
click Continue because instead of placing merge fields in your
document , it will place the actual data, i.e. the first and last
name, address, etc., of the first person in your database.)
Double-click on the appropriate merge fields (First Name, Last Name,
Street, City, State, Zip) then click Close to get out of the Insert
Merge Fields dialog box. Next go to the first label showing the
merge fields and space the fields appropriately in address format.
(If you space as you insert, you=ll
have to close the Insert Merge Field dialog box each time and then
reopen to insert the next field.) VERY IMPORTANT: Under Replicate
Labels, click on "Update
All Labels"
to put the merge fields in all the labels of your document. If you
don=t, your
labels will print one per sheet!
Step 5. Click Next: Preview Your Labels
(blue font at the bottom of the Mail Merge guide). If you need to
go back and rearrange your labels, click on Previous: Arrange Your
Labels. If you do make any changes in the first label where you
inserted the merge fields, you MUST reclick
"Update All
Labels" to
revise all labels of your document.
Step 6. Click Next: Complete the Merge
if everything looks OK in the preview. Under
"Merge",
click "Edit
Individual Labels"
(blue font) and this will merge your labels to a new document on
screen. The Merge to New Document dialog box appears on screen;
click "All",
then click OK. The merge in now complete.
