Creating and Modifying Letters

You can create and print letters for appointment reminders, birthday greetings, delinquent notices, exam forms, routing slips, marketing communications, recall notices, referral thank you notes, service agreement renewal notices, welcome greetings, and thank you notes. Letters are organized in folders by subject. This topic tells you how to create and modify letters.

  • All letters are created with the following default specifications:
    • Page size: 8½ inches × 11 inches
    • Margins: 1 inch on the left and right sides of the page and 1 inch on the top and bottom sides of the page
    • Font: Arial, 12 point
    • Tabs: .75 inch tab stop
  • To modify the page size, margins, and tabs, click File on the toolbar while you are working with a letter and select Page Setup. Record modifications in the Page Setup window and click OK.
  • To modify the font style and size, click the icons, select new options from the font style and size drop-down menus, or click Format on the toolbar and select Font. Record modifications in the Font window and click OK.

This topic describes how

  1. Click Tasks on the main window toolbar and select Maintain Documents.

    The Maintain Documents window opens.

  2. Click Setup and select Letters.
  3. Click the OfficeMate Documents folder on the right side of the window.
  4. Click the name of the folder in which you want to store your new letter.

    You cannot create new letters in the Delinquent folder.

  5. On the Maintain Documents window toolbar, click File, and do one of the following:
    • Select New.
    • Left-click a letter in the folder you selected above, and then right-click and select New.

    The New Text File window opens.

  6. Enter a title for the new text file in the Title box and click OK.
  7. Type the letter in the word processing window.
    • To format text, click on the icons or click Format on the toolbar and select appropriate font, paragraph, and color options.
    • To insert page breaks, dates, times, and pictures, click Insert on the toolbar and select an appropriate option.
    • To insert tables or table objects into your file, click the Table icon or click Table on the toolbar and select an appropriate option.
    • To insert merge fields into your file, click Insert on the toolbar and select Merge Fields. Select a field from the Merge Fields window and click Insert.
    • To insert tab stops into your file, click the arrow icons on the toolbar.

    Use the following merge fields to display various combinations of active, inactive, primary, and/or secondary insurance plans:

    • Insurance Co Name — Displays both active and inactive plans.

    • Active Insurance Co Name — Displays only active primary plans.

    • Active Secondary Insurance Co Name — Displays only active secondary plans.

    • Active Insurance Co Name and Active Secondary Insurance Co Name — Displays active primary and active secondary plans.

  8. Click File on the Maintain Documents window toolbar and select Save or click the Save icon.
  1. Click Tasks on the main window toolbar and select Maintain Documents.

    The Maintain Documents window opens.

  2. Click Setup and select Letters.
  3. Click on the OfficeMate Documents folder on the right side of the window.
  4. Click on the name of the folder where you want to store your merged letter.
  5. Click File on the Maintain Documents window toolbar and select New or left-click on a letter in the folder you selected above and then right-click and select New.

    The New Text File window opens.

  6. Type a title for the merged letter in the Title box and click OK.
  7. Click Insert on the toolbar and select Existing Document.
  8. Click on the name of the letter that you want to merge into the letter that is already open.
  9. Click Insert.
  10. Edit the text in the word processing window, if necessary.
    • To format text, click on the icons or click Format on the toolbar and select appropriate font, paragraph, and color options.
    • To insert page breaks, dates, times, and pictures, click Insert on the toolbar and select an appropriate option.
    • To insert tables or table objects into your file, click the Table icon or click Table on the toolbar and select an appropriate option.
    • To insert merge fields into your file, click Insert on the toolbar and select Merge Fields. Select a field from the Merge Fields window and click Insert.
    • To insert tab stops into your file, click the arrow icons on the toolbar.
  11. Click File on the Maintain Documents window toolbar and select Save or click the Save icon to save the file and refresh the list of folders and letters.
  1. Click Tasks on the main window toolbar and select Maintain Documents.

    The Maintain Documents window opens.

  2. Click Setup and select Letters.
  3. Click on the OfficeMate Documents folder on the right side of the window.
  4. Click on a folder that contains a text file that you want to modify.
  5. Click on the name of the text file that you want to modify.

    The letter opens in the word processing window.

  6. Edit the text in the word processing window.
    • To format text, click on the icons or click Format on the toolbar and select appropriate font, paragraph, and color options.
    • To insert page breaks, dates, times, and pictures, click Insert on the toolbar and select an appropriate option.
    • To insert tables or table objects into your file, click the Table icon or click Table on the toolbar and select an appropriate option.
    • To insert merge fields into your file, click Insert on the toolbar and select Merge Fields. Select a field from the Merge Fields window and click Insert.
    • To insert tab stops into your file, click the arrow icons on the toolbar.
  7. Click File on the Maintain Documents window toolbar and select Save or click the Save icon.
  • To preview letters that you want to print, create a letter, click File, and select Print Preview. For more information on creating letters, see To create letters.
  • To print letters that you have created or modified, see Printing Correspondences.
  1. Click Tasks on the main window toolbar and select Maintain Documents.

    The Maintain Documents window opens.

  2. Click Setup and select Letters.
  3. Click on the OfficeMate Documents folder on the right side of the window.
  4. Click on a folder that contains a text file that you want to rename.
  5. Click on the name of the text file that you want to rename.

    The letter opens in the word processing window.

  6. Click File on the Maintain Documents window toolbar and select Rename Title or left-click on a letter in the folder you selected above and then right-click and select Rename Title.

    The Rename Text File Title window opens.

  7. Type the new text file title in the Title text box and click OK.

You cannot delete letters that are assigned to a recall mailing schedule, letters assigned to a service agreement renewal notice, letters selected for correspondence printing, and delinquent letters.

  1. Click Tasks on the main window toolbar and select Maintain Documents.

    The Maintain Documents window opens.

  2. Click Setup and select Letters.
  3. Click on the OfficeMate Documents folder on the right side of the window.
  4. Click on a folder that contains a text file that you want to delete.
  5. Click on the name of the text file that you want to delete.

    The letter opens in the word processing window.

  6. Click File on the Maintain Documents window toolbar and select Delete or left-click on a letter in the folder you selected above and then right-click and select Delete.

    The Delete Document Warning window opens.

  7. Click Yes to delete the text file.