Excel-Word Mail Merge

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Maureen Smith - 15 Oct 2004 02:22 GMT

I'm working with an Excel file, a statewide address list. I've been asked to
generate mailing labels, but of course not to everyone on the list. The
"list maker" has hidden the rows of addresses he does not want the mailing
to go to. When I do the merge, I get blank labels for what I'm assuming are
the hidden rows. The addresses are not all in adjacent rows.

Is this doable without a lot of dancing around? Is this a question I should
be asking a Word group? I'm using Word and Excel 2000.

Thanks.

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Gord Dibben - 15 Oct 2004 02:46 GMT

Maureen

There are ways to deal with blanks in a mailmerge. Don't do it enough to
remember all the details.

Might be just as easy to Edit>Go To>Special>Visible cells only.

Copy and paste these to a new worksheet and run your merge from that sheet.

Make it the first sheet in the workbook.

Gord Dibben Excel MVP

>I'm working with an Excel file, a statewide address list. I've been asked to
>generate mailing labels, but of course not to everyone on the list. The
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>
>Thanks.

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David McRitchie - 17 Oct 2004 05:41 GMT

Unlike hidden rows, if you use a filter, then Mail Merge will not see
the filtered rows. Something quick on Autofilter
http://www.mvps.org/dmcritchie/excel/sumdata.htm#autofilter

but for a lot more information on filtering see Debra Dalgleish's
pages http://www.contextures.com

More information on Mail Merge (specifically oriented to labels)
http://www.mvps.org/dmcritchie/excel/mailmerg.htm

The word newsgroups are better for most questions on Mail Merge,
but a little less so for the aspects of using Excel as the database.
There are Word people who will see/review postings here so it really
isn't going to make much difference, unless you want to do something
specific in MS Word particularly with Word formats and macros oriented
to Word. So I'd say post in whichever group you usually post in and
are more comfortable in, because as you know there is overlap. But
you will probably understand the answer best in terms (or the group) that
you are most familiar with.
---
HTH,
David McRitchie, Microsoft MVP - Excel [site changed Nov. 2001]
My Excel Pages: http://www.mvps.org/dmcritchie/excel/excel.htm
Search Page: http://www.mvps.org/dmcritchie/excel/search.htm

> I'm working with an Excel file, a statewide address list. I've been asked to
> generate mailing labels, but of course not to everyone on the list. The
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>
> Thanks.

Reply to this Message

Dudley - 17 Oct 2004 15:19 GMT

If your using Office 2002 or later it is easy to eliminate the blank labels.
Either on the Wizard, Step 4 if memory is correct, or on the MailMerge
toolbar, activate the Edit Recipients utility. Filter within that, not in
Excel.
You can filter out the blanks, and then when you run the Merge, select All.

If you use Excel extensively for merging, you are most likely better off
using DDE rather than the new default data transfer protocol, OLEDB.
To be able to choose, go to Tool | Options, in MS WORD. On the General tab,
check Confirm Conversion at Open.

> I'm working with an Excel file, a statewide address list. I've been asked to
> generate mailing labels, but of course not to everyone on the list. The
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>
> Thanks.

Reply to this Message