OK...VD (not the STD variety)

[Joe]

I've managed to keep my mitts out of variable date for quite some time but today it has arrived.

We have an Excel file with about 5000 names, address, etc...

We have a PDF, also the INDD native files, for a one page letter with a 4 color photo.

At the head of the letter they want to insert those names addresses and print out the 5,000 + copies with the names and addresses.

Can anyone give me a quick run down of how we do this to our color copier. It has Command Workstation but we don't have any kind of variable data software. Can it be done from InDesign.

Below are the screen grabs of the Excel file and the letter where the info goes. One caveat...you can see in the screen grab of the letter. Some need to use the <title> <first_name> <last_name> while others need to use the <Business/organization Name>. In the excel file either the <title> <first_name> <last_name> has data and the <Business/organization Name> is blank or just the opposite.. Would that need to broken down into two separate data files? Or how?

[AaronH]

Hey Joe,

We do this stuff all the time. We use InDesign too. At my old shop we used an HP Smartstream plugin to do variable, but I've found the default variable data within InDesign to be very flexible and I actually prefer it.

You can import your variable data as a CSV file in InDesign in the Data Merge Window you can import your data source. Then in the Content Placement Options menu check the box that says "Remove Blank Lines for Empty Fields".

Instead of the word "OR", I would place the <Business/Organization Name> above the <Title>etc. line and that should get you what you need.

Let me know if that helps.

-Aaron

[born2print]

*Warning, just a rookie*

I thought I might chime in that the cut and stack feature in Preps can be handy for some types of VDP.

[Tracy]

instead of OR in content placement options you can remove blank lines for empty fields before you run the data,
oops just saw that was already posted
I save my excel as tab delimited text.

In the indy file I would place any art on the master page
and then have a layer with just the text so you can turn off art, while it processes the data, not really necessary tho
in the data merge select data source and highlight the text for each data line and then click on the data that represents that.
I would save that file as ###Data so you will have a text file and a data file and then save the merged file as ###merged
when you go to create merged document go thru the menu and you will see remove blank lines for empty fields.
let me know if you need help, I'm here for you buddy! :laugh: I keed
If you have any problems it's most likely your excel needs cleanup

[David]

you can do it in Indesign, it may take some fiddlin'.
There's the "Data Merge", just load in a CSV or a tab delimited file, set the fields and you're good to go. I use it all the time here.
Warning: with that many records, you will get a beefy ID file.

or what Aaron said...

[Tracy]

 :laugh: I guess I'm a little excited to help Joe! sheesh what a spas

[Joe]

OK thanks for the info to everyone. This will probably have to be a next week project as I am so covered up with work tonight it will be Tuesday before I can breathe again.

Good to know about ignoring the blank lines because I had no idea how to get around that unless I created separate CSV files for the two different lines.

And the sales guy just told me he is bidding on another variable data job so I think my days of dodging this are over.

One more question and I don't want to go this route but...they also asked me if you can generate, and I kid you not, a 5,000+ page PDF with the letter and data merged on each page? Ugh.

[Tracy]

yes you can. I would make sure that image wasn't bloated or anything.
Also turn off the layer for the image when doing your data or put it on the master page
after generating the data..
also if needed a press quality pdf is smaller than a pdfx4
I usually don't have a problem with pdfx4 tho, just in case

It's easy peasy, most troubles come from the data

[David]

yeah, it'll work fine, the most trouble I have is with the data file.  Some excel files are not made well, there are hidden spaces or returns that screw up a CSV or tab delimited file. My work around for a bad excel file is to simply select everything (command a), make a new excel file and paste the copied data into the new file. That usually fixes any issues.

[Joe]

yes you can. I would make sure that image wasn't bloated or anything.
Also turn off the layer for the image when doing your data or put it on the master page
after generating the data..
also if needed a press quality pdf is smaller than a pdfx4
I usually don't have a problem with pdfx4 tho, just in case

It's easy peasy, most troubles come from the data

It is mostly text. Just one small 4 color image. I really don't want a make a 5000+ page PDF though. Thanks for the info.

[Joe]

yeah, it'll work fine, the most trouble I have is with the data file.  Some excel files are not made well, there are hidden spaces or returns that screw up a CSV or tab delimited file. My work around for a bad excel file is to simply select everything (command a), make a new excel file and paste the copied data into the new file. That usually fixes any issues.

Good tip! Thanks.

[AaronH]

My PDF's aren't that large generated from the data merge within InDesign. Are you printing them separately (i.e. Imprint the variable PDFs on a xerox) or all on press?

The Data Merge PDF's however do take quite a while to make in that number. We do 8pg mailers for a casino in our area and it takes about 45 minutes to an hour to generate the data, though that's also with variable linked coupons, another fun step in the variable data world.

-Aaron

[AaronH]

I just realized you're running this on your color copier. I would suggest running the 4 color on press (not sure how big your shop is) then trimming the sheets down to letter size, and running them on your copier with a black only variable data PDF.

Otherwise I think a 5,000+ page PDF is the only other way to do it in this case.

-Aaron

[Joe]

They had talked about making the 5000+ page PDF with the variable data on each page and sending it out somewhere else. The thing is...the customer is supplying the paper with their letterhead already on it so we need to print the letter with the variable data on their letterhead stock. To be honest we still don't know which way it is going to go.

They mentioned running it on our Hamada press which is a two color press so they have to do two passes to get to 4 color. I told them the color copier is the way it should be done but they say the cost is too high for color to do it there. I'm like ...it is a color copier. That is what it is for. What they really meant is we underbid this job because we don't know what the hell we are doing...sigh.

Like I said....it is now next weeks project nightmare.

[Tracy]

rut ro! yeah that will be expensive to run on a color copier if you have click charges.

If you want to make 5-1000pg pdfs, just select your record limit
and it will make 5 indesign files