Mail merge word to pdf and send by email
A common task!
To achieve this, you'll need to use a combination of Microsoft Word, a mail merge tool, and a PDF converter. Here's a step-by-step guide:
Prerequisites:
- Microsoft Word (any version)
- A mail merge tool (e.g., Mail Merge Toolkit, Advanced Mail Merge, or Word's built-in mail merge feature)
- A PDF converter (e.g., Adobe Acrobat, SmallPDF, or PDFCreator)
Step 1: Create a mail merge document in Word
- Open Microsoft Word and create a new document.
- Design your document with placeholders for the data you want to merge (e.g., names, addresses, etc.).
- Go to the "Mailings" tab in the ribbon and click on "Start Mail Merge" > "Step-by-Step Mail Merge Wizard".
- Follow the wizard to set up your mail merge, selecting the data source (e.g., an Excel spreadsheet or a database).
Step 2: Merge the data
- Once you've set up your mail merge, click "Finish" to merge the data with your document.
- Word will create a new document with the merged data.
Step 3: Convert the merged document to PDF
- Open the merged document in Word.
- Go to the "File" menu and select "Save As" > "PDF" (or use a PDF converter like Adobe Acrobat or SmallPDF).
- Choose a location to save the PDF file and select the "PDF" file type.
Step 4: Send the PDF file via email
- Open your email client (e.g., Outlook, Gmail, etc.).
- Compose a new email and attach the PDF file you just created.
- Enter the recipient's email address and any other necessary information (e.g., subject line, message body).
- Send the email!
Tips and Variations:
- To automate the process, you can use VBA macros in Word to perform the mail merge and PDF conversion.
- If you need to send the PDF file to multiple recipients, you can use a loop in your VBA code to automate the process.
- You can also use other PDF converters like PDFCreator or SmallPDF, which offer more advanced features and customization options.
- If you're using a cloud-based email service like Gmail, you can use their built-in PDF converter to send the file directly from the email client.