How to mail merge into separate pdf documents

Mailing merging into separate PDF documents can be a bit tricky, but it's definitely possible. Here are a few methods to achieve this:

Method 1: Using Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat

  1. Create a mail merge document in Microsoft Word using the "Mailings" tab.
  2. Set up your merge fields and data source.
  3. Once the merge is complete, go to "File" > "Save As" and select "PDF" as the file type.
  4. In the "Save As" dialog box, click on the "Options" button and select "Multiple files" under "Save files as".
  5. Choose a folder to save the files and select "Save".
  6. Adobe Acrobat will create separate PDF files for each merged document.

Method 2: Using Microsoft Word and a third-party add-in

  1. Install a third-party add-in like "DocRpt" or "PDF Mail Merge" for Microsoft Word.
  2. Create a mail merge document in Microsoft Word using the add-in.
  3. Set up your merge fields and data source.
  4. Once the merge is complete, use the add-in to export the merged documents to separate PDF files.

Method 3: Using a programming language and a PDF library

  1. Choose a programming language like Python, Java, or C#.
  2. Use a PDF library like "PyPDF2" (Python), "iText" (Java), or "iTextSharp" (C#) to create PDF files.
  3. Write a script that reads your data source and creates a separate PDF file for each merged document.
  4. Use the PDF library to merge the data into each PDF file.

Method 4: Using a cloud-based service

  1. Choose a cloud-based service like "DocuSign" or "Adobe Sign" that offers mail merge and PDF creation capabilities.
  2. Upload your document template and data source to the service.
  3. Use the service's API or web interface to create separate PDF files for each merged document.

Here's an example of how you might use Python and the "PyPDF2" library to create separate PDF files:

import PyPDF2

# Load the template PDF file
with open('template.pdf', 'rb') as f:
    template = PyPDF2.PdfFileReader(f)

# Load the data source
data = [{'name': 'John', 'address': '123 Main St'}, {'name': 'Jane', 'address': '456 Elm St'}]

# Create a separate PDF file for each merged document
for item in data:
    # Create a new PDF file
    pdf_writer = PyPDF2.PdfFileWriter()

    # Merge the template with the data
    for page in template.pages:
        pdf_writer.addPage(page)
        pdf_writer.addPage(page)  # Add the page again to create a copy

    # Add the merged data to the PDF file
    pdf_writer.addPage(PyPDF2.PdfFileReader(StringIO(item['name'] + '\n' + item['address']), 'rb'))

    # Save the PDF file
    with open('output_' + item['name'] + '.pdf', 'wb') as f:
        pdf_writer.write(f)

This code creates a separate PDF file for each item in the data source, merging the template with the data for each item. The resulting PDF files are saved to disk with names like "output_John.pdf" and "output_Jane.pdf".