![]() Click the data fields to insert them into the InDesign document.Īll you need to do now is merge the document.Now you will add the data fields to the InDesign document. This is where you select the data document file as your data source.Īs mentioned earlier, the items in the first row of the data document appear in the Data Merge palette as data fields. You create the target document in InDesign as you would create any InDesign document-except you add data-field placeholders that will serve as a conduit between the InDesign document and the data document.Īfter creating the target document in InDesign, it's a simple matter of merging the data document with the target document. Keep in mind that the first row of your data will become the HEADER row in your data and will translate into Data Fields in InDesign.Īfter you finish creating the data document, start InDesign and create a target document. Separate the data by pressing the TAB key on your keyboard. But if you want an easy test document, type the data in a word processor like NotePad. You can use just about anything to create the data. The process for creating a data merge in InDesign is surprisingly simple. For instance, if you wanted to create certificates, the names you want to appear on each certificate would be typed into the data document. The data document contains the information that changes from document to document. Or, read the steps to success below:Ī data merge consists of three parts: a data document, a target document and a merged document. There are little quirks that Avery templates alone won’t help you with (embossings, specialized die cuts, etc.).Believe it or not, you can perform complex data merges in InDesign CS 2 that allow you to create form letters, certificates, envelopes and mailing labels out of raw data.Ĭlick here to interact with an online simulation that will teach you how. It’s all InDesign elements, ready for your handiwork. You can always customize after the merge. Then after merging, use Find and Replace to replace all your non-standard characters with line breaks.Īnd of course, don’t just trust the computer! Do a manual review of your document. If you need line breaks, use a non-standard character to replace all line breaks. InDesign does not process line breaks in Data Merge. This can cause overflow problems (use Auto Text Sizing). However, if you have stray graphics, that invisible container is going to be larger than your repeating object, preventing it from rendering correctly.Ĭheck your spreadsheet before hand for stray characters. It draws an invisible container and repeats across with your specifications. InDesign is assuming all the elements are going to be repeated. This goes hand in hand with the boxing advice. Create a separate document for repeating. Start with zeroed out values and increment slowly to adjustĪvoid stray graphics. ![]() Have one manually laid out document on screen as a reference If you want, you can place the box on a separate layer that you can toggle on/off.Įnsure your margins, column spacing, and row spacing are accurate. This helps with the layout and determine where overflow may be taking place. Place a box with a border and the exact size around your elements. if the final template is a name tag slide with 6 badges on a letter document, your document size should be letter-sized. ![]() ![]() Make sure you are working on the final document size to be printed. You can do this easily without affecting your existing document.Ĭreate a new document with the final document size to be printed. Have only one instance of the item that is going to be copied remaining on the page. However, I was running into an issue with multiple records not loading in. There are many tutorials on the web that explain the process ( this article by GCO Studios is great). One of the things I wanted to do was automatically import the data into InDesign with a CSV file. I was recently working with name tags from Avery Templates in InDesign. ![]()
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