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How to setup your mailing list

 Mailing list

Each name/record in your mailing list should take only one row/line. ONLY include fields in your mailing list that will be used in your print job. Delete all unnecessary fields before send us your mailing list to eliminate errors and confusions.

Headers

• The first row of your list should contain the headers to your fields. The header field is the title for each of your fields; for instance the field containing the first name could be titled “first” – the word “first” is the header for your first name field. Each field must have its own header and they must be unique, you can NOT have two headers called first.

Acceptable formats:

• Preferred: Ms Excel, version 2000 or higher
• Other acceptable formats: CSV, comma or tab delimited, DBF (ver. 3,4 or 5)

How to split your fields:

 Address field:

•  Make sure your address comprises of separate fields for street address, city, state (abbreviated) and zip code. Your zip can be 5 or 9 digits long (9 digit zips must have a hyphen after fifth digit). Make sure your zip field is designated as a “text” field so you do not lose the beginning zero for New England states, or you will have 4 digit zip codes with the beginning zero missing (these mail piece will be undeliverable).

Name:

• We highly recommend your first, last and middle name to be in separate fields. If your first, last and middle name is combined in one field, then you will not be able to use only one part of the name in your letter by itself. For instance, if the entire name is combined in one field, you cannot use first name only for your salutation line.

Capitalization:

Three options are available for capitalizing your fields.

Default

• If we’re not instructed, we do not change the capitalization on any of your fields. The merge fields in your letters and envelopes will be printed exactly as how the data appears in the mailing list.

Initial cap:

• We can convert certain fields at your request to be initial caped; meaning the first character of each word will be capitalized.  Note that in this case an acronym such as “CPA” will be converted to “Cpa”.

All caps:

• You may request to have all the characters in a specified field capitalized. This is sometime used for addressing your envelopes. 

See also