Creating Mailing Labels from Filemaker Pro

One way to create mailing labels with information saved in a Filemaker Pro database is to:

1. Export the record information as a delimited text file
2. Open the text file in Excel and SAVE AS an Excel workbook.
3. Do a Mail Merge with MS Word, using the Excel file as your data source.

1. Exporting Filemaker data to a text file

1. Open your database in Filemaker Pro.
2. Perform a FIND for the records you want to include in your mailout.
3. Sort the records as desired (probably by lastname, then firstname).
4. From the FILE menu, choose EXPORT.
5. Choose a name for the text file and where to save it. You might call it "mailoutdata" and save it on the desktop to find it quickly in part 2 of these instructions.
6. Select the fields you want to include in the mailing labels. Like you do in a sort, move those fields from the left side to the right side of the dial window. For file format, choose WINDOWS or NO FORMAT, then click EXPORT.
7. The file should now be saved with the filename you specified in step 5, and in the location you chose.

Opening and Saving with Excel

1. Open Excel.
2. From the FILE menu, choose OPEN and navigate to your saved text file (that you just exported from Filemaker).
3. Click through the menus so Excel imports each field in a separate column. Usually if the TAB SEPARATED format is selected you can just click FINISH right away and Excel will open the file.
4. Add a new row at the top of the spreadsheet, and enter titles for each column (database field). These will be used when you do the mailmerge in Word.
5. From the FILE menu, choose SAVE AS. At the bottom of the file saving dialog window, change FILE TYPE from "tab delimited" to "Excel workbook."
6. Close Excel.

Mail Merge

There are several ways to do a Mail Merge in Word, but one of the easiest is to:

1. Open a new Word document.
2. From the TOOLS menu choose MAILMERGE.
3. Select desired options in the Mailmerge wizard to create mailing labels or a form letter.

How to guides for Word Mail merges is available for::

• Word for Office 2001 for Macintosh
• Word for Office 97 and 2000 for Windows
• Word 2002 for Windows

It is also possible to create a custom layout for your labels and print them directly from Filemaker, without exporting to Excel / Word. Instructions for this process are available on http://www.filemaker.com/ti/101469.html.

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