What are the proper setting in a mail merge to ensure the fields print rather than display?

Question

My mail merge in words shows the 'merge fields' but will not print them. Please help me with the proper field settings. I do click on 'Finish and Merge' and then print. The letter prints without the fields printing.

Answer 1

Hi AG@KellyCarol,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A Forum! Have a good day and I hope you're doing well! 

I completely understand how frustrating it is to have your document look perfect on the screen, only to have the most important data disappear when you print. Since you are seeing the fields on the screen, let's narrow this down. 

First, could you confirm exactly what you see on your screen before you click Finish? When you toggle "Preview Results," do you see the actual data or do you still see the placeholders? 

Based on my research into Word for Mac, this issue often stems from the macOS Sandbox mechanism or a communication delay with the print driver. Essentially, Word sometimes sends the document "framework" (the static template) to the printer before the data has time to populate the fields. As a result, the printer outputs the text, but the «Merge Fields» are skipped or printed as blank spaces.  To bypass this timing issue, could you try this specific workflow? 

• Click Finish & Merge. 
• Instead of choosing Print Documents, select Edit Individual Documents. 
• Word will generate a new document containing all your letters as standard text pages. 
• Try printing from this new file to see if the data appears. 

My initial response might not solve the problem immediately if there is a different underlying setting involved. If the fields are still blank even in the new document, please let me know more about your specific steps. I would be happy to diagnose further and provide more targeted troubleshooting.

Best regards. 

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