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MAILING TIP:
A hand-addressed envelope should be readable when held at arm's length by a postal carrier. Be sure to use a larger font size.

vLetter Online Support - Mail Merge with Handwriting


The following instructions address issues related to using
vLetter fonts in mail merge operations.

Direct Mail License Limitations

The software end user license allows you to do mailings for less than 5000 names on a mailing list per mailing (special license and database conversion needed for larger mailings). Commercial mailing companies are subject to special license and database conversion fees.

Word 2002–2003 users: Download our PDF guide to Mail Merges in Word 2002 - 2003 for a step-by-step guide to doing your own mail merges, complete with screen shots! (Note: Office 2000 mail merge is similar but has bugs. Try 2002 or later.)

Word 2007–2010 users: Download our PDF guide to Mail Merges in Word 2007 for a step-by-step guide to doing your own mail merges, complete with screen shots!

Word for Mac OSX users: Download our PDF instructions for setting up a mail merge in Word 2004 for Mac OSX.

Windows 64-bit users: Download the instructions above for your version of Word. To convert an Excel file, use the vLetterWriter instead of the SigSoft Handwriter. Highlight one column at a time (do not include the column header cell at the top), copy it, then paste it into the vLetterWriter; view the text as handwriting (be sure to select the correct font in the Handwriting Options), then go to Edit Letter > Copy as Text, and paste the data back into the Excel column you copied it from. Do this for the rest of the columns that need to be converted, one column at a time, then save your Excel file and continue with the instructions to set up a Word document or envelope.

Why does my Database need to be converted to use the vLetter fonts?

Go to our Direct Mail page for an explanation of DataBase field conversion.

What are the basic steps for a mail merge?

vLetter Pro, vLetter ReadyMade Styles and vLetter Sig products can be used for mail merging, but first, text in the chosen fields in the database has to be converted into handwriting. We recommend that you first make a copy of your database and do all work in that. The exact sequence of steps for making the text conversion in your database prior to mail merging is different for each application, but the general procedure is as follows:

1. Export data from chosen fields to a tab or comma-delimited (.CSV) ASCII text file. Your database application's manual or Help file will have instructions on doing this.
2. Open the .CSV file in a text-editing program: all fields within a given record will be in the same order, separated by commas.
3. Highlight up to 5 pages of the file. The amount you can highlight and convert into handwriting at one time depends upon the capacity of your system's clipboard, where the conversion to handwriting takes place.
4. Open the SigSoft Handwriter, choose the Source Application, choose the font, make sure the "Smart Quotes" option in the Handwrite menu is not checked, and click the "Write" button.
5. Check that the text was properly converted in the ASCII text file; then choose the next 5 pages to convert if your document is longer. Consult your application's manual or Help file. When finished converting all text, Save this file (keep it in .CSV format).
6. Import the converted fields into the database, choosing "Replace" rather than "Add". Again, this procedure will be different in each database application.
7. Before printing, select the handwriting style in the database's Field > Font setup.
8. Set up a test document to merge and try it.

I can't figure out how to convert my database into handwriting so I can use it for mail merging. Can you do it for me?

- Yes. We offer a database conversion service. Please go to our vLetter Direct Mail are for more information.

When I print the mail merge, I get weird symbols instead of handwriting.

- Be sure to select your handwriting style (your Font) in the database's Field > Font setup. You may also need to designate the Font in the Mail Merge application's setup for the merge fields.

When I print the mail merge, some of the letters are replaced with symbols (such as (TM) or ...).

- If you exported the data to a MS Word text file, turn off the "Replace text as you type" function in the Tools > AutoCorrect > AutoCorrect menu item before you make the conversion to handwriting with the SigSoft Handwriter or vLetter Toolbar.

When I print the mail merge, I get quote marks around the merged text.

- Before converting the tab or comma-delimited ASCII text file into handwriting, make sure the "Smart Quotes" option in the Handwrite menu of the SigSoft Handwriter is not checked.