How to add pictures to mail merge
Adding pictures to a mail merge document can be a bit tricky, but it's definitely possible. Here are the steps to follow:
Method 1: Using a template with a picture field
- Create a new Word document or open an existing one.
- Go to the "Mailings" tab in the ribbon.
- Click on "Select Recipients" and choose your recipient list.
- Click on "Finish & Merge" and then "Edit Individual Documents" to open the merge document.
- Insert a picture into the document by going to "Insert" > "Picture" or by dragging and dropping a picture file into the document.
- Right-click on the picture and select "Properties" (or press Alt+Enter).
- In the "Picture Properties" dialog box, click on the "Layout" tab.
- Under "Picture alignment", select "Left" or "Right" to align the picture with the text.
- Under "Picture position", select "Above" or "Below" to position the picture relative to the text.
- Click "OK" to close the dialog box.
- Save the document as a template (.dotx file) by going to "File" > "Save As" and selecting "Word Template" as the file type.
Method 2: Using a merge field with a picture
- Create a new Word document or open an existing one.
- Go to the "Mailings" tab in the ribbon.
- Click on "Select Recipients" and choose your recipient list.
- Click on "Finish & Merge" and then "Edit Individual Documents" to open the merge document.
- Insert a merge field by going to "Insert" > "Quick Parts" > "Field" or by typing
={
and selecting "Merge Field" from the dropdown list. - In the "Insert Field" dialog box, select "Picture" as the field type.
- Click "OK" to insert the merge field.
- Right-click on the merge field and select "Properties" (or press Alt+Enter).
- In the "Field Properties" dialog box, click on the "Format" tab.
- Under "Picture", select the picture file you want to insert.
- Click "OK" to close the dialog box.
- Save the document as a template (.dotx file) by going to "File" > "Save As" and selecting "Word Template" as the file type.
Tips and Variations
- You can also use a combination of both methods above to add pictures to your mail merge document.
- If you're using a template with a picture field, you can customize the picture field by adding a caption or a link to the picture.
- If you're using a merge field with a picture, you can use the "Picture" field type to insert a picture from a database or a web address.
- You can also use VBA macros to add pictures to your mail merge document programmatically.