Mail Merge

The combination of a database of (usually) names and addresses with a document in order to produce individualized copies of the document. The database of names can be an actual database or just a list in a specially-formatted text file.

The mail merge function also often has a conditional capability so that the mailing list can be used multiple times with only certain names being used each time based on the condition.

The mail merge function can be built into a word processing or page layout program or be a standalone program that uses placeholder text in documents to produce the output. One of the worst uses for mail merge software is to combine E-mail addresses with messages to send out as spam.

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