Data Merge to Multiple PDF's?

Hi folks:
I'm using Data Merge to assemble the artwork for hundreds of greeting cards. It works wonderfully! The only problem is that the resulting merged document is one long inDesign file, not one file per record, and the printer needs individual PDF's for each card so that he can access them individually on demand.
Any ideas as to how to achieve this easily? I'd really rather not go thru and save each PDF manually, as that kind of defeats the whole Data Merge workflow!
Thanks!
Adam

Open the PDF in Acrobat and use the extract pages command.
Bob

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CS3/OSX 10.5 - data merge directly to PDF

g'day there
i'll ask this question anyway despite expecting the answer "no, use CS5".
in InDesign CS3, when using the data merge feature, is there any way to export the merged data directly to PDF like one would in CS4/CS5, as opposed to merging to a new indesign file and making the PDF from there? i use CS3/CS4/CS5 in my workplace and export data merges directly to PDF when using CS4/CS5, but the machine that i am on 90% of the time has CS3 and my workload has an increasing amount of VDP art which is not just in the hundreds of results, but in the tens of thousands.
to me, the obvious answer is of course to swap machines, install CS4/CS5 on my machine, give the artwork to another operator who has CS4/CS5... but for the sake of this post imagine that these solutions could not be used.
in my situation, i'd imagine that this answer would either lie in a scripted solution or a third party plug-in such as XMPie. Maybe the solution lies outside of indesign and with VDP software which may be available on the EFI Fiery RIP maybe?
any ideas, or should i plead my case to management to pony up the cash for an upgrade? I figure whatever answer there is, money will have to change hands at some point.

Tell management they're going to pay one way or the other.
Bob

InDesign Data Merge w/Multiple Page Document

I am working to print a multiple-page newsletter, and printing the mailing information using a Data Merge in InDesign CS4 (PC), with the intent of printing this in-house to send to our members. (My office has been doing this successfully for years using Publisher, but I insisted we update to InDesign.)
I have the document ready, and I have the Data Source information (set up in tab-delimited (.txt) text format).
After I have selected the Data Source (Window > Automation > Data Merge), inserted the Data Fields, and then Created Merged Document, I wind up with multiple versions of the Document; one for each person we are sending the newsletter to!
I was working with our printer technician to solve the issue, but his sources told him that the only way to do this was by using one document as the newsletter master and another document as the Data Merge document, and doing a little magic thru the PostScript driver in the printer.
(Specifically: the document is letter-sized, set to print as a booklet. The work-around involves copying and pasting these pages into a new tabloid-sized document, creating another blank tabloid-sized document that has only the Data Merge info in the proper place, printing the cover with this Data Merge separately, loading that into a drawer, and printing the new document and wrapping it with the pre-printed cover.)
1 - What am I doing wrong that gives me over 800 InDesign documents for this newsletter?
2 - Is there a way for me to print this without the work around?

That is what Indesign does when it does a data merge, it creates copies of the document and there's no way to change this. Have you tried exporting to PDF (In CS4 you can do this in one step from the original) and printing? I've never had anyone confirm it definitively but I'm pretty sure that the PDF created will be an 'optimized' one, meaning that when it sends it off to a compatible printer the images will be sent once and cached, with only the text that changes being sent separately.
Definitely worth comparing it to Publisher for speed anyway, Office programs can merge straight to the printer, but in effect they're doing the same thing. There are programs out there for doing far fancier stuff than data merge, probably the best is XM Pie, but unless you've got a printer that recognises their language they're a waste of time in this circumstance anyway.

In Design Data merge into separate pdf files with variable data name

Hi all, thank you for taking the time to read this.
Here's what I have.
I've created a file in indesign using a 65 page document.
With this document I've set it up to have specific data in certain areas with data merge. I have that part setup and it works fine.
When I go to export PDF it creates one massive pdf document with all the variable data in it. However here is the scenario I would like.
1. Indesign to create a separate pdf file for each record. So in this example it would be 100 different 65 page pdfs since it should have different pdfs for each record and there are 100 records in the csv.
2. The pdf should be named after each variable record. For example record one says name "Joe", record 2 name "Frank". So it should create joe.pdf, frank.pdf etc.
How can I accomplish this?

I don't know if this script works in CS4 or not:
http://indesignsecrets.com/page-exporter-utility-peu-5-script-updated-for-cs3.php

Tip for Data Merge with Multiple Records (labels, etc.)

I have seen many InDesign Data Merge questions about how to create sheets of mailing labels, especially the problem of getting only one label per page, when you need 30 or more.
Adobe's instructions are poor and incomplete in that InDesign doesn't step out the records from a data source - it steps out the FRAMES that contain the data field placeholders.
That is why you only need to place a text or image frame once on a single page - during the datamerge, InDesign will create the additional FRAMES for each record, and it will create the pages required to hold them.
You do have to set the desired spacing on the
If you create the frame on a Master page, ID allows you to update the data source (when it changes) in the Data Merge tool panel.
These are very nice and robust features, but the documentation for them is confusing to many people.
You will find more great in-depth help for Data Merge, with screen captures and attachments, here in the forum.

For a multiple record merge you need one set of placeholders, then set the margins and spacing in the merge options so the positioning is correct.
Warning: Using Preview in a multiple record merge will corrupt the file. If you press the preview button, Undo after looking at the preview, then merge without using preview.

Data merge & creating separate PDF docs

I am using the data merge functionality to create targeted registration announcements for training. For example, a letter that says dear (Name), you are confirmed for (Course Name) on (Date).
Within InDesign it works great, however when it exports to PDF it creates one big document with all of the names, albeit one per page. Is there any way to create a break so that if 5 names are added via data merge, then 5 separate PDF documents are created? It seems that otherwise the only other option is to manually create 1 page at a time which will sort of defeat the purpose.
Thanks,
FG

I don't know if this script works in CS4 or not:
http://indesignsecrets.com/page-exporter-utility-peu-5-script-updated-for-cs3.php

Data merge into a PDF

Can you have a data merge that will allow 1 designed PDF to be automatically updated with names addresses and signatures?
The name and address is a .csv file and the signature is a .jpg
Any help would be great

will this work if the PDF pages are already created?
we are going to be provided about 300 already made PDF pages in which I need to do something like , put JSP or Java tags in a form field that will fill the form field with data that the tag queries for....

200+ files Data Merge automation to PDF

I have many (200+) inDesign files in the folder that I would want to export to PDFs with the same name as inDesign files but,
these inDesign files has Data Merge text fields that would not export to PDFs and would be empty in the final PDFs.
My question is, is there any chance someone can help me with creating a script that would:
1. open the window to select inDesign files (that has data merge text fields lnked to csv) that needed to be converted
2. has option to autoutomatically update links that has been changed/updated
3. automatically data merge records from linked csv when exporting to PDF files
I would greatly appreciate your help,
Thank you,
Alex

I have many (200+) inDesign files in the folder that I would want to export to PDFs with the same name as inDesign files but,
these inDesign files has Data Merge text fields that would not export to PDFs and would be empty in the final PDFs.
My question is, is there any chance someone can help me with creating a script that would:
1. open the window to select inDesign files (that has data merge text fields lnked to csv) that needed to be converted
2. has option to autoutomatically update links that has been changed/updated
3. automatically data merge records from linked csv when exporting to PDF files
I would greatly appreciate your help,
Thank you,
Alex

Data Merge naming for PDF files

I have an Indesign document with data merge information on it.
I can successfully get it to create either a multipage document or multipage PDF.
I now want to name each PDF page with one of my field names and create single named PDF files from the original multipage PDF.
I am using a mac, but unfortunately know nothing about scripting.
I have searched the forums for a script but can't seem to find what I may need.
Could anyone possibly help please.
Many Thanks.
Message was edited by: prelinmonkey

Hi Pete,
Unfortunately it is not possible to stop these quotes coming out, unless you remove the DataFile object (but if you do that you will also lose the SIZE, REUSE and AUTOEXTEND clauses).
I have logged a bug on this. Thanks for letting us know about this problem.
David

Data merge question- multiple records

I am trying to create name tags.
I have a master page set up with 4 name tags and I'm trying to merge my csv file into it.
It is giving me one record per page instead of 4...
Help!
The preview looks correct but upon merge -- it ends up one per page.

Sorry, let me explain:
We sell various items that get imprinted with the customer's info. We imprint on to a preprinted, 4-color "shell" that has multiple pieces. (9 up, 8 up, etc.). We get the shells and we imprint the info. When we print these we group together several shops based on how many they've ordered. Could be from 200 to 5,000+ of one type of product. It's more efficient for the print shop to print more than one shop per sheet than to have to make an entire signature/plate for one shop.
As for the shells coming to us, we have to measure the shells and print a test to make sure it matches up correctly on the press. Then we have to tweak it to make it right. Tweaking means we have to edit the size and placement of each individual box that is the placeholder for the text being imprinted.
The problem I'm finding right now is not only getting the data source right for the merge but I'm now realizing that when I go to create my original merge document, I'm having to manually place the fields on the page for each record. I know that's how it's done normally but when you've got 50 to 200 or more records that's not efficient at all. The reason I'm having to do it that way is I've arranged my data in two rows, including the header and the shop info so that I can have it flow into the document one record per card/calendar.
Wow, that's a lot of typing. OK, am I getting anywhere?

Data Merge from Multiple image folders

I'm on a MAC running CS3 and trying import several thousand images via DataMerge that are all housed in different folders.
It is very difficult to move all the images to a single folder where the Tab Delimited File lives, which I understand is how I'm supposed to use DataMerge.
Does anyone know who to specify the proper path on a MAC that will recognize my each of my folders and files within? I tried every configuration I can think of and nothing is working.
for example here are just a few of what I've tried. Nothing works but logic would say that it should am I wrong?
Mike:Users:Desktop:Images:A:01.jpg
Users:Desktop:Images:A:01.jpg
:Mike:Users:Desktop:Images:A:01.jpg
../Mike:Users:Desktop:Images:A:01.jpg
Mike/Users/Desktop/Images/A/01.jpg
~Mike:Users:Desktop:Images:A:01.jpg
~Users:Desktop:Images:A:01.jpg
~Users/Desktop/Images/A/01.jpg
HELP! Please

@ Peter thanks for your help.
I saw some tutorial on youtube that said the file had to be in the images folder and then everything I tried seemed to echo that.
I also tried the copy path from InDesign from a placed image to no avail. Then the get info (mac trick) from the finder to get the path. also to no avail.
I even followed Adobe's instructions on the their site
http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/indesign/articles/indcs2at_datamerge.html
But what I finally found is that the Tab Delimited file first has to be relative to the filepath specified.
ie.
if my images are located in
/Mac HD/Users/Mike/Images/Art/Round1/01.jpg
/Mac HD/Users/Mike/Images/Art/Round1/02.jpg
etc.
and my text file lives in the Art folder. All I have to specify the path name from Round1 onwards, not back to the root level as I thought.
so
/Round1/01.jpg
/Round1/02.jpg
is all I need to include in the text file

Can i use data merge with pdf images in indesign?

Hi need to do a data merge but with pdf's not jpg or tifs. I am having the result with jpgs but not with pdf's.
Can i do it with pdf's?

in fact that is not a problem because i have both pdfs same size and orientated, the only thing is that i cannot use the pdf docs for some reason.
eg. in the csv file i have (this is not working)
Field 1                                      Field2
'@background                          '@page
Machintosh HD:bg1.pdf           Machintosh HD:page1.pdf
eg. in the csv file i have (this works)
Field 1                                      Field2
'@background                          '@page
Machintosh HD:bg1.psd           Machintosh HD:page1.psd
I would like to use the pdf file is there a different way to do so?

Error Message When Merging Multiple PDF Files into One PDF File

Good Morning,
I have a problem with Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro. I am trying to merge/combine multiple PDF files into one PDF file, but I keep receiving this error message:
Does anyone have a fix for this? Thank you!

To fix:
Provide a unique name for each form field. This includes the individual PDFs fields. As you intend to combine/merge no field name in each of the individual PDFs can be the same.
Be well...

How do I tailor a data merge to reverse the layout for facing pages?

I have used multiple record data merge to create a product catalog. I would like to reverse the content on only one side (i.e., the left pages) so that facing pages are mirrored. I can do this easily one page at a time using Flip Horizontal (and Clear Transformations), but I have not found a way to apply this to half of the document in a more automated way.
Any help would be much appreciated!!

Data merge with multiple records doesn't work that way. All the pages will be identical after the merge, no matter how you set up the template (and the template itself can have only one page).

Splitting Data Merged File

Hi all,
Is there an easy way to split Data Merged file (multiple pages) into separate ID files. I know I can export them as eps but I need them to be editable in ID still.
Many thanks.
J

Jensen:
Why don't you make a master ID file for each center with appropriate data? You're defeating the purpose of data merge if you're editing pages and pages of merged files. The whole point of VDP is to create different docs based on certain pre-determined criteria. I don't know your specific workflow but if you're breaking apart and editing merged files on an ongoing basis you may want to rethink how you're creating your files and positioning your data.

Data Merge to Multiple PDF's?

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