Mail merge and catalogs

How a merge works

A merge makes one copy of your publication for each person (or each row) in a list, such as a letter, postcard or label for everyone on your mailing list. You place fields like «First Name» where the details go, and PubStudio fills them in for each copy. For a step-by-step walk-through, choose Mail Merge Guide on the Mail Merge tab.

1. Choose the list

Mail Merge > Choose Recipients:

• Use an Existing List takes an Excel workbook, an Access database, Outlook contacts (exported as vCards or CSV), a table in a Word, RTF, OpenDocument or web page file, a CSV or text file, or a dBASE table. If the file holds several sheets or tables, PubStudio asks which one. You can also drop the list file onto the PubStudio window.
• Type a New List lets you type the names and addresses in PubStudio.

Edit Recipients shows the list. Untick anyone to leave them out, filter to find people, add or delete entries, and change the columns. Save as CSV keeps a copy of the list.

2. Place the fields

Click into a text box where the details should go, then use the Fields group on the Mail Merge tab. If you aren't typing in a box, Address Block and Greeting Line make a new box for themselves.

• Address Block adds the name and address, laid out for an envelope or label.
• Greeting Line adds a greeting such as "Dear Alice,".
• Insert Merge Field adds any single column, such as First Name or City, anywhere in your text.
• Picture Field shows a different picture for each row, from a column that holds each picture's file path.

3. Preview

Preview Merge shows the real details instead of the field names. Use the arrows to step through the list, or Find Recipient to jump to someone. Check a few long names and addresses to make sure they fit.

4. Finish the merge

Mail Merge > Complete the Merge:

• Merge and Print opens File > Print with every included person's copy. You can also print only the one you're previewing.
• Merge into a New Publication makes a publication with a page for each person, which you can edit before printing.
• Merge into a PDF saves everyone's copies in one PDF.
• Merge to Email sends each person a message of their own. Pick the column that holds the email addresses and write a subject. The messages go out through Outlook on your PC, and PubStudio asks you to confirm before anything is sent. Without Outlook, Save Messages saves them as files to send from your mail program.

Address labels from a list

1. Start a label publication: File > New > Labels, and pick your Avery sheet, such as Address Label (Avery 5161).
2. Choose the list with Mail Merge > Choose Recipients.
3. Click into the label's text box and choose Address Block.
4. Preview a few labels to check they fit.
5. Merge and Print. File > Print chooses Several pages on each sheet, so each person gets one label and the sheet fills up in order. The preview shows every sheet before you print.

If you're using a partly used sheet, set Start at row and column to the first empty label. To print a whole sheet of the same label for one person instead, choose Fill the sheet with copies.

Catalogs from a list

A catalog page shows several rows of a list on each page, such as products with a name, price and picture, and adds pages until every row is shown.

1. Add a catalog page: Insert > Catalog Pages. The Catalog tab opens.
2. Add the list with Add List, just as for a mail merge.
3. Design one item in the merge area. Text Field and Picture Field place the column you pick, and you can move, size and format them like any other box.
4. Set the Layout: how many items go across (Columns) and down (Rows) each page.
5. Preview with Preview Merge and the arrows, then use Merge and Print, Merge into a New Publication or Merge into a PDF.

Remove Merge Area turns a catalog page back into an ordinary page.