Break Up a Data Merge Document into Many Files
Sven wrote:
I’ve created a 20-page booklet that contains variable data, using Data Merge. When I merge the 65 records in, I get 1300 pages. I want to get 65 separate 20-page booklets instead.
As we’ve said before, Data Merge is not a very powerful system, and it sports a number of limitations. Fortunately, you can get it to break your documents up into smaller pieces — it’s just not immediately obvious how to do so.
The trick is to limit the number of records InDesign flows into a single document. Ordinarily, all the data records are flowed into a single document because there is no limit. But if you choose Create Merged Document, you can switch to the Options tab, and enable the Record Limit per Document field.
If you set the Limit to 1, then each record in the data file becomes its own InDesign file. In your case, you’d get 65 separate files.
Of course, the problem then is that you need to print each one separately. (If you were making booklets, you might use the Make Booklet feature.) I can’t think of any clever way to make a single 1300 page document and then make 65 booklets out of it automatically. Perhaps other folks know of scripts or software that can do this?
[Update: This is more possible with PDF. See this blog article.]
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is there a way to manipulate images that are automated through data merge without having to do all the maual labor of shifting all other images.
Is there a way to have the images reflow?
Lindsay: If I understand your question correctly, the only answer is to make the images inline (or anchored) objects.
Hi there,
Im using Indesign to create a brochure and inputting data into it from Excel using an XML input.
When ever i input a number, even if it is formatted as text in Excel, it adds a decimal place!
Is there any way of avoiding this???
Would appreciate any advice,
many thanks,
Gabriel
how do you flow thousands of images and text in indesign…example yearbook panel pages?
I have been trying to auto populate from an excel chart into indesign but it keeps having dificulties when there is a paragraph of text.
Does nayone know a quick way to fix this or just what the rules are for uplaoding a paragraph?
THANK YOU, finally I’ve been searching all over the web for the answer to this. Just a simple check next to a box makes my life a lot easier.
Thank you for your article.
I am working on report cards for my school. I want to use one Indesign file and one excel file (with the students names) for all four grades. I have each grade on a different page (or pages). I want to end up with different 4 different merged Indesign files (one for each grade) to be able to make into pdfs.
Is it possible to merge only certain pages of a document?
Thanks,
Eliezer
One way to get around the problem is if you print the covers as separate files. Presumably you have personalised each booklet by putting the client’s name on the covers? If so, print the covers off first and then you can print it off as one file thereafter.
Of course, this will only work if the data merge is on the booklet cover only! If there is personalisation anywhere else in the booklet you will have to do it the long way I’m afraid.
Hope this is of help.
After selecting your data source, click again on the same drop down menu and click on Export to PDF (this is right under Select Data Source). After the PDF is created, go to print and select “booklet”.
Hope this helps!
This is perhaps closest to the solution I was looking for, but when I choose 1 record as a limit, nothing happens. The program “thinks” for a moment, but there is no output. If I set it to 2, I get over 300 documents opening with two booklets in it—and the page numbers continue through the document! If I print them all, the pages numbers just go on to the end and I now one document with over 7000 pages.
I just want to print a 12-page newsletter and InDesign is being a pain. Publisher was easier, but that kept having printing errors and is no longer part of the Office suite. Even with this solution, I’m back to printing one document at a time for over 600 addresses.