How can I easily print addresses onto envelopes that are stored in Gmail contacts?

Question

I have a contacts group in Gmail with a haphazard collection of about 900 names. Maybe half of them have addresses associated with them. I would like to print these out on envelopes for a mass mailing. What's the easiest way to accomplish this?

I'm using a Mac and have Microsoft Office, so a process that makes use of the tools I have would be nice.

Answer 1

Word gives you the option to import contacts from your local address book. Mac OS X's address book gives you the ability sync with Google from 10.5.3 onwards. So:

1. Open address book
2. Go to prefences (command + ,)
3. Select the account tabe
4. Select your local account
5. Check synchronize with Google and follow the instructions

In Word, use the mail merge feature under Tools>Mail Merge and select Apple Address Book as the recipient list.

Note that this solution will add these items to your local address book which might not be desirable. It will also temporarily disable iCloud syncing though it can be re-enabled easily enough. A somewhat more complex option is to select Export from the More menu in GMail Contacts. You can then read the CSV file using Open Data Source in Mail Merge.