How to Create a Mail Merge- Printing Your Own Envelopes & Labels

In a few previous blog posts I've referred to doing "a mail merge" when creating your own envelopes or labels. If you've never done a mail merge before, this post is for you! Here's a step by step guide to creating your own printer labels, though this same technique could be used to print directly on envelopes, or even used to print variable data in standard documents as well.

1. Create a spreadsheet using a program like Microsoft Excel. For envelope addressing, I usually like to include columns as follows: 1st line guest (Which could be Mr. & Mrs. Bob Smith, if the names aren't too long and will fit on the line), 2nd line guest (Usually a guest of the person invited who's name you can't fit on the first line. Could also list "& Family for entire families that are invited), Street, Street Cont'd (for apartment numbers, etc), City, State and Zip Code. Granted, you could make the columns to suite your preference, I just find the described method works best for me. When your guest list spreadsheet is completed, save it.

2. Open Microsoft Word. Go to the Mailings Tab and select "Start Mail Merge". When asked what you want to merge, for this example select "Labels".

3. Then select "Select Recipients" and choose "Use Existing List".

4. Using the explorer window, find the spreadsheet you created in Step One and select it.

5. Select the tab of the spreadsheet you have your guest list on. In most cases it's the first tab.

6. The cells of the printer label sheet will then auto populate with some data. You want to build the way your address labels will look in the top, left hand cell first. You'll be able to copy this format to other cells later. Put your cursor in the top left hand cell. Then select "Insert Merge Field" and then highlight your first column title.




7. Repeat Step 6, but include the other column titles. You'll want to insert the column titles as if you were actually laying out the address. For example:

1st Line Guest

2nd Line Guest

Address One

Address Two

City, State Zip

Also be sure if you want the format to have any punctuation, like the coma between City and State, that you manually type that in prior to importing in the State merge field.

By importing in these titles, what the program will then do is pull the data below those column headers into each individual cell of the label printout sheet (or on the actual envelope if you set it up that way).

8. Next you'll want to format the fonts and such to your tastes. Do so by selecting all the cells and then making the changes you like. For this example, I'm going to make the font Copperplate Light, center the text and reduce the space between the lines. You do all of this the same way you would editing a standard Microsoft Word Document.







9. When you have everything formatted the way you like, then select "Update Labels". This will import all the modifications you made to the top left hand cell, and copy it into all the other cells on the merge document.





10. Then select "Preview Results" to see an example of what your label sheet will look like after you merge it. You want to do this to be sure everything is formatted the way you like and that all the data from your spreadsheet imports correctly.

11. After you've checked the preview, you can then either select "Finish and Merge" and select the Edit Individual Documents option (which will create a brand new Word Document you can then edit further and print from there) or Print Documents to just go ahead and merge and print in one step. If taking the latter option, be sure you're printer is loaded with your labels (or envelopes if going that route)!

Learning to use the Mail Merge function in the Microsoft Office Suite takes some getting used to, but once you do it makes life much, much easier. If you have any questions on using the function or if I may have missed something in this tutorial, please feel free to drop me a line.

What Determines Stationery Costs? Part 1: Invitation Formats

If you are planning any type of event and are in the market for invitations, sometimes it can be overwhelming that there are so many to choose from! Your budget and tastes can be determining factors as to the type of invitations that would suit you, your budget and your event best.

Overall there are several factors that will determine the overall costs of your invitations. They include:

• The Format of the Invitation
• The Stock (or paper)
• The Printing Method
• The Design (pre-designed or custom)

Prioritizing what for you is most important, whether it be the printing method of the format of the invitation will ultimately help you stay within your budget. I'll be reviewing all these different factors separately in detail and different posts, but for now let's focus on your invitation format.

The format of is the actual layout and delivery of the finished invitation. You can find a variety of invitations from single card stock, traditional invitations to really luxurious invitations with multiple card stock layers and ribbons delivered to your guests in silk boxes.

One quick thing to remember is the more stock (paper and/or other materials) that is needed to produce the invitation, the more expensive it will be. The costs of producing a single stock, 3.5"x5" piece is substantially less than let's say a 5"x7" pocket envelope invitation with multiple inserts because less materials are used to create the finished product.

Below is a sampling of different format invitation ideas in the marketplace now, listed in the order of how budget friendly they are.

Traditional Flat Invitation- The most standard size you see in the marketplace is 5"x7" but you can get smaller ones as well. You can have a more modern design that incorporates rounded edges or go with a traditional flat design that has multiple, layered cards for a sophisticated look.

From top clockwise: cevd custom invitation design, Pearl & Marmalade, Invite Couture.

Bi-Fold and Tri-Fold Invitations- Very similar to a traditional flat, but the card is folded in a way so you then have a cover and an inside to the invitation.

From top to bottom: Cheree Berry Papers, Liz Hager Design,
Lilah Paper.

Pocket Invitations- Pocket invitations are the more savvy cousin of the traditional invitation. It's basically a traditional invitation, but layered onto a card or envelope with a pocket designed into it. The pocket is perfect for RSVP's and other insertion cards. Because pockets use more paper to create them than standard, traditional flat invitations expect these to be a bit pricier. Pocket invitations are perfect for events where you want to give your guests a lot of information, so you typically see them used more for weddings than anything else.

From top to bottom: top and middle by Invite Couture, bottom by Gourmet Invitations.

Box Invitations- Box invitations are probably the most luxurious invitations you can find. They are basically a traditional, flat invitation and insertion cards (sometimes also in a pocket envelope) that are sent to guests presented inside a beautiful box. Boxes can come in a variety of colors or even in fabrics, such as silk.

Clockwise from left: Lela NY, My Personal Artist, Revelry Invitations.

Stay tuned for part two of this series, Budgeting Your Event Stationery- The Stock.

Top 10 Ways To Improve Your DIY Invites

1. Don't use the same fonts your job makes you use on emails. Comic Sans is ugly on emails and is just as ugly on your invites. See my previous post on where to find cool fonts and how to download them to avoid having to use boring word processor fonts.
   
2. Do incorporate color choices you've made on decorative elements for your party into your invitations. It makes for a cohesive, well planned look.


3. Do use the internet to find royalty free images and photos to incorporate into your design. A good free source is Flikr's Creative Commons section. For low-cost purchase options iStockphoto is a good choice.


4. Don't include additional insertion cards for the sake of including them. You're better off editing your wording down to be clear and consise for your guests as opposed to making them read lengthly cards full of information that they can find elsewhere.
   
5. If you don't have the best penmanship, ellicit the help of a friend with beautiful handwriting to address your envelopes. Otherwise either print or make labels using the same fonts you designed your invitation with on a mail merge program. Not that this will make or break your invitations it just adds to the overall elegance of what you're presenting.


6. Don't put glitter or some other item some folks might consider "messy" in your envelopes. You don't want angry OCD guests. If you are creating a box invitation where the glitter/fairydust etc. is contained and won't dump out as easily when opening, that's a different story.


7. Do consider your envelope when factoring postage. Square envelopes cost more money to mail than standard A7's (5"x7"). Also consider if your invitation has additional embelishments that create a "bump" in the envelope or your envelope is very rigid once you insert the invitation that the invitations will probably have to be hand cancelled at your post office, so don't just drop them in the mailbox.


8. Do be sure to order extra stock and materials for any errors. It sometimes takes several print runs even on a home inkjet printer to get your margins just right, and having the extra stock available allows you to get it just perfect.


9. Do remember to proofread! Typos happens to everyone. Nothing's worse than people receiving your invitations to Brian's Birthday party but it's written "Brain's Birthday Party" and you're the only one who's not aware of it.


10. Do make your invitations have personality. One of the easiest ways to do this is with the wording. Use the internet for inspiration on different phrasing and wording that suits you and your event best and use that to create an invitation that's perfect for you.