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Letterhead in Merge - how to always insert latest version

Anonymous
2012-05-17T00:42:04+00:00

I understand the value of creating a Letterhead template for all our firm's correspondence.  However, most of our documents are created via Merge.  I would like the latest version of our official letterhead to be pulled in at the time of the start of the merge.  I don't want to insert the letterhead template when I create the model merge document because there may be changes to the letterhead over time.   Then I would have to go back and reinsert the new letterhead template into all our model merge documents.  How do I get the latest and greatest version of the firm's latest Letterhead template every time I run a merge to create a letter?  I don't want the operator to have to manually click on a button to insert the latest Letterhead template.  I want it automatically inserted for each merge letter.  Thanks for your help.

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Paul Edstein 82,861 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
2012-05-17T09:56:53+00:00

Hi Ikard,

If you create a document with just the letterhead, and you apply a bookmark to the letterhead, you could then add an INCLUDTEXT field to the header of each of your mailmerge main documents pointing to the bookmarked letterhead in the 'source' document. From then on, any mailmerges you do will reflect whatever the current leterhead in the 'source' document. An INCLUDTEXT field's code that points to a bookmark in a document typically looks something like:

{INCLUDETEXT "C:\Users\SomeUser\Documents\Letterheads\MM_Letterhead.docx" "BookMark"}

If you're going to be storing the mailmerge output documents, you'll need to embed the INCLUDTEXT field in a QUOTE field, thus:

{QUOTE{INCLUDETEXT "C:\Users\SomeUser\Documents\Letterheads\MM_Letterhead.docx" "BookMark"}}

This will break the INCLUDTEXT field's link in the output document when the merge is executed.

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  1. Anonymous
    2016-01-09T13:59:53+00:00

    I'm getting the header, but not the footer using the hyperlink option.  Any idea why the footer isn't inserting into my merge doc?

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  2. Anonymous
    2012-05-18T16:01:27+00:00

    Thanks so much, Paul.  It worked.  I was so excited to get an answer I obviously didn't take the time to read it very carefully.  Thanks again.

    Steve

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  3. Paul Edstein 82,861 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2012-05-18T04:44:43+00:00

    Hi Ikard,,

    The reason you're getting the errors is that your filepaths don't conform to the INCLUDETEXT field specifications - you should have double backslashes, not singles, for the folder separators. Alternatively, you could use single forward slashes.

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  4. Anonymous
    2012-05-18T04:35:05+00:00

    Thanks so much for your quick reply.

    When I run the merge I get following messages in the 1st Page Header:

    1. "Error!  Not a valid filename"   However, I have rechecked it several times and it is valid.
    2. "Error!  Bookmark not defined"  I have rechecked it and it seems valid.

    Scenario: 

    I created the "Letterhead.doc" as a document.  When it was complete I hit Cntl-A to highlight everything.  I clicked on Insert, Bookmark, gave it a name of "Letterhead" and saved it.   If I go back in and again Insert, Bookmark, GoTo, it shows it all highlighted.  I saved it in:  W:\template\Letterhead.doc

    I created a new Mail Merge document.  In the 1st Page Header, I typed: (ALt-F9)

    {QUOTE{INCLUDETEXT "W:\template\Letterhead.doc" "Letterhead"}}

    In the body of the Mail Merge doc I added a little test text, including some Merge Fields.

    When I run the merge I get the above mentioned error messages in the Header.  All the main body merge fields fill in nicely.

    Any further ideas on how I'm screwing up with this letterhead header?

    Thanks!

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