How to do a mail merge

A mail merge makes one copy for each person on a list: invitations with each guest’s name, address labels, name badges or certificates. In Pubwork it takes four steps.

Before you start: your list

Put your list in Excel, Google Sheets or LibreOffice, with the column names in the first row (for example First name, Last name, Address, Town) and one person per row below. From Google Sheets, choose File → Download → Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) or CSV.

Step by step

1. Open the design: a template, a blank page, or your old .pub file.
2. Click Merge, then “Choose a list…” and pick your file. You can also paste cells straight from Excel.
3. Click in a text box where a name should go, then click the field, for example «First name». Fields can sit in the middle of a sentence: “Dear «First name», you are invited…”.
4. Tick “Show the text with the list filled in” and use the arrows to check a few copies.
5. Under “Make all the pages”, click “Make … copies”. A new document is made with one copy for each row; your original stays as it is.
6. Print, or save as one PDF.

Open Pubwork and try it

Labels and name badges: several on one sheet

For labels, make your page the size of one label first. After making all the pages, click Print and choose Labels and your sheet’s code (for example Avery L7160 or 5160). “A different page in each place” is ticked for you, so every label on the sheet gets the next name.

Tips

• Rows where all the fields you used are empty are left out.
• Old Excel files (.xls) can’t be read: in Excel, choose File → Save As → Excel Workbook (.xlsx).
• A field that isn’t in your list is shown as it is, so you can spot spelling differences.
• For a menu or price list with photos, use “Make a price list or catalogue” in the same window.