Printing Problems

How to Print All Letters in a Word Mail Merge Document

Guest Writer Oct 10, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user is trying to print a batch of letters from a mail merge, but only the first page is printing instead of the entire merged document.

How to Print All Letters in a Word Mail Merge Document

Product: Microsoft Word
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Printing multiple personalized letters generated through the Mail Merge feature.
Observed behavior: The document prints only one page after a recent operating system update, failing to output the complete set of merged letters.

Before you start

Verify that your printer drivers are fully up to date, as recent operating system updates can occasionally disrupt communication between your word processor and the printer.

Solution 1Recommended

Use Section Numbers (S#) in the Print Range

Mail merge documents treat individual letters as separate sections, so you must use specific section formatting (S#) to print the entire range.

When a mail merge document is created, each recipient's letter is separated by a section break rather than a standard page break. Therefore, entering standard page numbers in the print dialogue will not work.

Open the Print Menu

Click on 'File' in the top-left corner and select 'Print' from the menu.

Select Custom Print

Under the Settings section, click the dropdown menu and choose 'Custom Print'.

Enter Section Numbers

In the 'Pages' input box, type the section range using the 's' format. For example, to print the first five letters, type 's1-s5'.

Print the Document

Click the 'Print' button to send the specified sections to your printer.

Use Section Numbers (S#) in the Print Range

Printing Specific Recipients: If you only want to print the letters for recipient 3 and recipient 7, you would enter 's3, s7' into the Pages box.

Solution 2

Finish & Merge to a New Document

Export your merged data into a standard Word document to review formatting and bypass section printing errors.

Solution 3

Update Printer Drivers and Software

Resolve underlying software conflicts caused by an OS update by ensuring both your word processor and printer drivers are current.

Easily Create and Print Mail Merges with WPS Writer

WPS Writer offers a seamless and intuitive Mail Merge tool that makes it easy to generate, review, and print bulk letters without encountering page range errors. It serves as a highly compatible, free alternative for your daily document needs.

1. Launch WPS Writer: Open WPS Writer and navigate to the 'References' or 'Mailings' tab on the top ribbon.
2. Start Mail Merge: Click 'Mail Merge' and choose 'Open Data Source' to link your Excel spreadsheet or contact list.
3. Insert Merge Fields: Click 'Insert Merge Field' to place recipient details into your letter template.
4. Merge to New Document: Click 'Merge to Different New Document' to generate a single file containing all individual letters.
5. Print All Pages: Go to Menu > Print to securely print the newly generated document containing all your merged pages.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Word formats (.docx, .doc)Intuitive Mail Merge wizard for generating bulk letters and labelsEasily merge to a new document to preview all pages before printingFree, lightweight, and fast to load on any operating system

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my mail merge document only print the first record?

This happens because a mail merge treats each recipient's letter as a separate 'Section' rather than a standard page. If you type '1-5' in the standard page range box, the printer gets confused. You must specify section numbers using 's1-s5' or export the merge to a new document first.

What does the 'S#' format mean in the print dialogue?

The 'S#' format stands for 'Section Number'. When Word generates a mail merge, it uses section breaks to separate letters so each one starts on a new page. Typing 's1-s10' instructs the printer to print Section 1 through Section 10.

Can I save my merged letters as a PDF before printing?

Yes. The safest way to ensure your letters print correctly is to click 'Finish & Merge' > 'Edit Individual Documents' to generate a single file containing all letters. You can then use the 'Save As' or 'Export' feature to save that new combined file as a PDF.

Document & File Issues