AutoMailMerge™ is a plug-in for Adobe® Acrobat® software
for performing PDF mail merge - filling PDF forms with data. Mail merge is a computer term describing the
production of multiple documents from a single
template form and a data file. This technique is used to create personalized
letters, documents, bills, statements, mailing labels from a database of names and addresses.
Using mail merge, all you have to do is create one PDF form that contains the information that is the same
in each version. Then add some fillable form fields for filling in.
The software will populate form fields and generate output PDF documents.
PDF form fields are populated with values from data file
to create new personalized PDF documents:
Here is a common example of filling out a business/government form:
Mail Merge Use Cases
AutoMailMerge automatically fills a PDF form
template with data from a spreadsheet/database to produce multiple individual PDF documents.
Use mail merge to create a set of documents that are essentially the same,
but where each document contains some personalized text or images.
Here is a list of typical applications for AutoMailMerge software:
Create customized business documents or letters
Populate tax forms
Generate invoices and statements
Create achievement certificates and diplomas
Create mailing labels and business cards
Create product catalogs and newsletters
Produce customized insurance policies, claim forms, or coverage certificates
Generate detailed financial or account statements for customers
Produce customized legal documents such as contracts and agreements
Generate personalized tickets or entry passes with QR codes.
Tutorials
Where do I start?
Start with downloading and reading one of the visual step-by-step guides:
The software reads records from spreadsheets or data files and automatically populates the form
fields of a template PDF. A new, personalized PDF is generated for each input record. Any PDF containing fillable
form fields can serve as a mail merge template, and form fields can be easily added to nearly any PDF document.
Output documents can be secured with passwords for added protection and emailed directly to recipients using
the email addresses specified in each data record.
Supported data formats include Excel spreadsheets, comma- and tab-delimited text files, Microsoft Access databases,
and any ODBC-compliant databases.
The following diagram illustrates how data from a spreadsheet is used to populate a PDF form template
to produce multiple PDF files:
Related Links
Features Summary
Create multiple PDF documents from a single PDF form
Create a single or multiple compound PDF documents
Group output forms by data field value into a single PDF file
Use MS Excel, MS Access, ODBC, CSV, Tab-delimited text files and more
Advanced data selection capabilities
Place multiple data records on a single PDF form
Optionally make output PDF forms non-editable
Put images on the PDF form based on data records
Put Code 39, Code 128 and other barcodes on the PDF forms
Add custom watermarks
Name output files using text from data records
Optionally print output documents
Optionally email output documents
Secure output PDF files with passwords
Sign and certify output documents with a digital signature
Advanced customization with Acrobat JavaScript
Save and load processing settings into configuration files or PDF form itself
Create personalized PDF documents in bulk — effortlessly.
Our software lets you automatically fill a single PDF form with data from a variety of sources,
including Excel spreadsheets, CSV or tab-delimited files, MS Access databases,
and any ODBC-compliant databases like SQL Server or Oracle.
Easily map your data fields to PDF form fields and populate text boxes, checkboxes, radio buttons,
combo boxes, and list boxes. Whether you’re generating hundreds or thousands of customized PDFs,
this tool saves you time, reduces errors, and streamlines your document workflow.
Create Single Output PDF Document
Optionally, create a single combined PDF that includes all filled forms, or organize
output files into multiple grouped documents. You can group files based on data field values—for example,
placing all invoices for a specific company into one separate PDF file. This flexibility helps
streamline document management and improves organization.
Record Selection
Easily select specific data records to customize your mail merge operations.
You can choose to process all records or focus on a targeted subset, giving you complete control over
your mail merge. Select multiple records quickly by performing a text search or specifying record numbers.
For advanced users, the plug-in offers powerful SQL selection capabilities that enable precise filtering of
records from large databases or tables. To simplify this process, it includes an intuitive SQL
expression builder along with a user-friendly interface. This allows you to create, save, and manage a
library of frequently used queries—making it faster and easier to select exactly the data you need for
each mail merge project.
Placing Multiple Data Records on a Single PDF Form
Populate a single PDF form with data from multiple data records.
For example, to list multiple items on a single invoice - or to put multiple people on a single tax form etc.
Place Images on PDF Forms
Place images and PDF files into specific location on a PDF form using file references from a data file.
The software can take an Excel hyperlink and insert a corresponding image file into a PDF form.
Supported file types: BMP, GIF, JPEG, PCX, PNG, TIFF, PDF. See the step-by-step tutorial.
The following example shows how images and text can be combined to fill a PDF form:
Enhance document security by controlling access to output PDF files through password protection and feature restrictions.
You can set a unique "open" password for each generated PDF file, ensuring that only authorized recipients can view the document.
Additionally, you can apply permissions-based restrictions—such as disabling printing, copying, or editing—to protect the document’s content from unauthorized use or modification.
Each PDF can be assigned an individual password, automatically retrieved from a corresponding data record, allowing
for personalized and secure file delivery at scale.
Custom File Naming
Generate clear, human-readable file names by dynamically combining values from data fields with custom text.
This feature enables you to create descriptive and easily identifiable file names such as
Account - 34565672.pdf (using an account number field) or John A Doe.pdf
(using first name, middle initial, and last name fields). This helps streamline file organization,
improve searchability, and ensure consistent naming conventions across your documents.
Digitally Sign Output Document
Digitally sign and certify output PDF documents to ensure authenticity, integrity, and trust.
By applying a digital signature, you can confirm the origin and authorship of a document, verify the signer’s identity, and
provide a reliable timestamp indicating when the document was signed.
Digital signatures act as a tamper-evident seal—assuring recipients that the content has not been
altered since it was signed.
Additionally, documents can be certified to signal that they are final and approved, with the
option to restrict further changes. This process strengthens compliance, enhances credibility, and
supports secure workflows in regulated or high-trust environments.
Flatten Form Fields
Optionally, flatten form fields in output PDF files to make
document content permanent and all fields non-editable.
The plug-in adds a menu for flattening form fields on one or more pages in the currently opened document. Use this functionality to make information on
a PDF form permanent.
Make Form Fields Read-Only
The plug-in offers the option to make all—or selected—form fields in output documents read-only. This prevents users from modifying field values or interacting with any buttons. Text fields will display as plain text without borders or input areas.
Importantly, the plug-in can populate these read-only fields with data while maintaining
their read-only status in the final PDFs. Unlike form flattening, which visually
locks fields but removes form functionality, this approach preserves the form fields
within the document, allowing for greater flexibility and control.
Print Output Files
Automatically print each output document to a default printer.
Add Custom Watermarks
Add dynamic, customizable watermarks to each output document for enhanced identification and tracking.
The software offers flexible options for applying watermarks that can be tailored on a per-document basis.
You can combine fixed text—such as "Confidential" or your organization’s name—with variable data pulled from
a source file, such as a customer name, account number, or date. This enables you to generate uniquely labeled
documents, such as Confidential – John A. Doe – 06/12/2025, helping to deter unauthorized distribution,
support audit trails, and reinforce branding or compliance requirements.
E-mail Output Documents
The software enables automatic emailing of output PDF documents to recipients using
email addresses stored in your data records. Customize the email message text by incorporating
values from those data fields for a personalized touch. PDF files are sent as attachments for easy access.
You can choose from two convenient email sending methods: send emails through your existing MAPI-enabled
email client (such as Microsoft Outlook) or directly via an Internet mail server (SMTP), providing
flexibility to fit your workflow.
Attach Different Files To Each Recipient
Automatically attach additional files to each outgoing email based on data-driven instructions.
The plug-in includes functionality that allows you to append one or more supplementary files—of any type—to individual emails.
This is achieved by referencing a specific field in your data source, which should contain the full file path(s)
to the attachments intended for each recipient.
You can include single or multiple file paths in the field, enabling highly personalized and
context-specific attachments, such as supporting documents, terms and conditions, invoices, or promotional materials. This automation ensures each email is complete and relevant, streamlining communication and enhancing user experience.
Use MS Outlook, Gmail or Office365
Send emails via locally installed MS Outlook or via any SMTP email server such as provided by Gmail or Office 365 to email PDF documents.
Supported Data Sources
The software provides support for the following data source types:
• Microsoft Excel Worksheet (*.xls, *.xlsx, *.xlsb, *.xlsm)
• Comma-separated text file (*.csv)
• Tab-delimited text file (*.txt)
• Microsoft Access Database (*.mdb, *.accdb)
• dBase 5 Table (*.dbf)
• Paradox Table (*.db)
• XML Document (*.xml)
• ODBC Data Source File (*.dsn)
• Any ODBC Data Source (via ODBC drivers)
The plug-in allows you to run custom Acrobat JavaScript code before and after
generating each PDF document—giving you powerful control over the final output.
Use this feature to dynamically modify form content, merge or transform field values, or create new composite fields.
You can even conditionally remove pages from a document based on specific data field values.
This advanced customization capability makes it easy to tailor each PDF to meet complex,
data-driven requirements.
Easily Save, Reuse, and Embed Mail Merge Settings
Simplify your workflow by saving all mail merge settings to a configuration file for quick reuse in
future projects. You can easily load these settings at any time, eliminating the need to reconfigure
the process from scratch.
For even greater convenience, you can embed mail merge settings directly into the PDF
form itself—making the form self-contained and ready for automated processing wherever it's used.
Track Every Action with a Detailed Activity Log
The plug-in automatically maintains a comprehensive log of all mail merge operations, giving you
full visibility into the process. It records detailed information such as which PDF forms were filled,
which data records were processed, and which emails were successfully sent.
This logging feature helps with auditing, troubleshooting, and compliance by ensuring that every step—from
form generation to email delivery—is documented. Whether you're managing small batches or large-scale
distributions, you can easily verify what was done, when, and for whom.
Command-Line BAT File Support
Streamline your document processing by running mail merge operations
automatically using simple command-line BAT files. This powerful feature allows you to execute mail
merge tasks without manually launching the software interface—perfect for integrating into scheduled tasks,
scripts, or larger automated workflows.
With a single command, you can trigger the generation of personalized PDF documents, apply password protection,
and even send emails—saving time and ensuring consistency in high-volume environments.
Ideal for IT teams, advanced users, and
organizations looking to fully automate document delivery..
Batch Processing Support
Users of Adobe® Acrobat Pro® can use batch processing framework to automate mail merging operation.
The plug-in adds "Mail Merge" command to the Acrobat's batch processing
- Guided Actions tool, (aka Action Wizard).
Export Form Field Properties
The plug-in provides menu selection for exporting detailed form field properties into spreadsheet-ready format
(either Excel XML format or plain text CSV). The output spreadsheet lists every field in the PDF form along with the following information: field name and type, value, default value,
tooltip text, read-only status, required status, locked status, button type, maximum allowed text length.
Inspect Form Fields Tool
Sometimes, it is necessary to quickly inspect field names and properties without a lot of mouse-clicking and dialog opening.
If a PDF form has security restrictions, then you may have trouble figuring out field names since Acrobat’s “Select Object” tool is not going to work with it.
This is why the plug-in features an easy-to-use “Inspect Form Fields” tool that displays basic properties of the form field just by hovering a mouse pointer over it.
Import/Export Form Fields
Use import/export functionality to copy form fields from one PDF document to another.
Share the form field templates with co-workers or use them to quickly turn any PDF document into a specific PDF form.
The import/export functionality can be used to quickly update the visual appearance of the PDF form without
re-doing the form fields.
Search and Replace Field Names
Use the search and replace functionality to quickly rename PDF form fields without
tedious manual editing.
Supported Form Types
The current version of the plug-in supports static PDF forms created using either "Tools > Forms" menu or using Adobe® LiveCycle® Designer. Dynamic XML forms (introduced in Acrobat 7) are not currently supported. The plug-in provides advanced
scripting capabilities that allow hiding or modifying form content and therefore
offering a functionality that is similar to dynamic forms. Support for dynamic XML
forms will be added in future versions of the software.
Installing Software
Download a free trial version of the plug-in
to your computer. Double-click on an installation file and follow the on-screen instructions.
Select "File > Open..." to open a PDF form that you want to use as a template
for a mail merge. Select Plugins > Mail Merge... menu to access AutoMailMerge™
plug-in functionality.
Experience the full capabilities of the AutoMailMerge plug-in
by downloading a fully-functional 30-day trial version.
During the trial period, you’ll have access to all features—including PDF generation, email integration,
data merging, and automation tools—allowing you to evaluate the software in real-world scenarios.
Please note that output documents generated during the trial will include a "DEMO" watermark.
Once you’re ready, you can upgrade to the full version to remove this limitation and
continue using your existing settings and templates without interruption.
Using Reader-enabled PDF forms
If you are using a PDF form that has enabled extended features in Adobe Reader, then trial output documents will not preserve this functionality. This is due to the fact that the trial version adds "DEMO" watermarks to output documents and invalidates the extended functionality. Use a full version of the software to fill reader-enabled PDF forms.
Security Statement
Your data stays under your control—secure, private, and local.
The Software does not collect, store, nor transmit any user data outside of the user’s computer.
All processing is performed locally on the user’s computer.
There is no cloud processing or servers involved.
There is not any communication back to EverMap servers for any purpose.
The Software can be used in completely disconnected environment with zero network connectivity (if no emailing is required).
AutoMailMerge does not need any access to user’s email system for reading emails.
It provides functionality only for sending emails via locally installed copy of Microsoft Outlook, MAPI-compatible email clients or
via user-supplied SMTP server. Emailing files is an optional functionality.
System Requirements
Platforms:
Microsoft® Windows 11/10/Windows 8/Windows Server 2012/2016/2019/2022.
Software:
Full version of Adobe® Acrobat® software is required - Acrobat Standard or Professional (32/64-bit versions 9, X, XI, 2015, 2017-2024, DC). This
software will not work with free Adobe Acrobat® Reader®. Batch processing functionality requires
presence of Adobe® Acrobat Professional®.
(Adobe Acrobat Product Comparison Chart).
Microsoft® Windows 11/10/Windows 8/Windows Server 2012/2016/2019/2022.