Data Merge InDesign

9/4/2015

Data Merge InDesign Tutorial: create a simple catalog

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Data Merge InDesign Tutorial: Creating a Catalog JUNE 10, 2015

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This tutorial uses InDesign’s Data Merge tool to create a catalog. The project source files are available to the right. Note: The Data Merge tool only works with spreadsheets in .csv or .txt formats. This tutorial covers the basics of .csv/.txt conversion, but the process can often be complex and prone to errors. At Pagination we offer solutions to overcome conversion issues and accurately convert even the most complex spreadsheets. We can also combine multiple data sources, e.g. product information from Excel files and pricing information from your ERP export. Plan your project and make use of the latest technologies by reading our up-to-date guide (May 2015): Database Publishing and Variable Data Printing: A Better Approach.

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Data Merge InDesign Tutorial: create a simple catalog

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1. Preparing the data source

fully automated solutions for beautiful documents.

Open up a blank spreadsheet and use the first row to define your fields. Be sure to write the field names correctly, add a field for every column and never duplicate a field name. Image fields should be defined with an @ symbol prefix (e.g. @Image). The @ symbol is a special character in Excel, so add an apostrophe before the symbol if you’re presented with an error (e.g. ‘@Image). The apostrophe will force the cell’s entire content to be considered as text. When all of the fields have been defined, the next step is to populate the table with your records. Take care to make all image paths match your file system, e.g. On a Windows system – C:\Users\User Name\My Documents\Image.psd On a Mac system – Macintosh HD:Users:User Name:MyDocuments:Image.psd

The populated table should next be exported as either a comma-delimited file (.csv) or a tabdelimited file (.txt). The Data Merge function won’t work with .xls/.xlsx or alternatives! Perform the export in Excel by using File > Save as.

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Data Merge InDesign Tutorial: create a simple catalog

Now close your spreadsheet and open InDesign.

2. Setting up the Data Merge panel Open the Data Merge panel via Window > Utilities > Data Merge > Select Data Source. Now choose your .csv or .txt file and check the ‘Show Import Options’ box (shown below).

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Data Merge InDesign Tutorial: create a simple catalog

Click ‘OK’ and take a look at the new dialog box that appears:

Change the options in this box to match your situation: Delimiter – Choose ‘Comma’ if you saved your data source as a .csv file. Choose ‘Tab’ if you saved your data source as a .txt file. Encoding – Choose whether the file uses ‘ASCII’ or ‘Unicode’ encoding. Platform – Choose ‘PC’ if you’re working on a PC. Choose ‘Mac’ if you’re working on a Mac. Preserve Spaces in Data Source – Check this box if you want to keep all extra spaces within your fields. Click on ‘OK’ once you’re finished. The Data Merge panel will now fill with all of the fields from your source file:

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Data Merge InDesign Tutorial: create a simple catalog

InDesign has identified two field types in our catalog example: text (

) and image (

).

3. Mapping the fields Now it’s time to map each field within your desired layout. Each of your data source records will follow this mapping during the subsequent automatic pagination process. Text fields are inserted by creating a Text Frame, selecting that frame and then clicking on the selected text field in the Data Merge panel. Image fields are inserted by creating a box with the Rectangle Frame tool (R), selecting that box and then clicking on the selected image field in the Data Merge panel.

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Data Merge InDesign Tutorial: create a simple catalog

Fields that are successfully mapped will appear surrounded by > symbols. Numbers will also appear next to each field in the Data Merge panel. These numbers reference the page number on which each field is mapped.

Continue to add all of your fields and customize the layout to meet your needs. Our example catalog uses a simple style: a large image at the top, a text frame with the price, and then a list of all of the other fields.

4. Creating the merged document http://pagination.com/tuts/create­a­simple­car­catalog­with­data­merge/

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Data Merge InDesign Tutorial: create a simple catalog

Begin the final step by clicking on ‘Create Merged Document’ within the Data Merge panel. All three tabs in this dialog box – Records, Multiple Record Layout and Options – require our attention. Records: This is where we choose whether to have one record or multiple records on each page. For our example catalog we’ll opt to merge ‘All Records’ and have ‘Multiple Records’ per document page. We’ll also choose to generate an overset text report and set up an alert for missing images. These options can help us to identify issues that may occur during the document creation process.

Multiple Record Layout: This is where we establish how the records will be laid out during the merging process.

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Data Merge InDesign Tutorial: create a simple catalog

The Data Merge tool works in accordance with page margins. This means that a record that’s too big to fit within a page’s margins will be automatically placed on the next page. Records can be paginated using one of two directions: ‘Rows First’ or ‘Columns First’. Rows First merges records left to right and then top to bottom, while Columns First merges records top to bottom and then left to right. The following image shows Rows First on the left and Columns First on the right:

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Data Merge InDesign Tutorial: create a simple catalog

The distance between each record is defined by the two spacing options: ‘Between Columns’ and ‘Between Rows’. Setting both options to 0 will cause the records to appear attached in the final result. For our example catalog we’ll choose a ‘Rows First’ arrangement and 1mm of space between both the columns and rows. Options: This is where we configure a few remaining choices.

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Data Merge InDesign Tutorial: create a simple catalog

There are five options for placing images during the merge: Fit Images Proportionally – Fit the image inside the Rectangle Frame tool box and maintain its proportions. Fit Images to Frames – Fit the image width and height to the Rectangle Frame tool box width and height; proportions will not be kept. Fit Frames to Images – Import the image with its original size and fit the frame to this size. Preserve Frame and Image Sizes – Import image with its original size but do not fit the frame to this size. Fill Frame Proportionally – Increase image size proportionally until it has filled the entire frame. Each option is shown in the following image:

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Data Merge InDesign Tutorial: create a simple catalog

Select ‘Fit Images Proportionately’ for our catalog. Also select ‘Center in Frame’ and ‘Link Images’. Now click on ‘OK’. A new document will be created and all of the records will have been merged!

Need help? We wrote this guide to help you master the basic elements of the InDesign Data Merge tool. Don’t hesitate to contact us if your project introduces more challenging requirements. At Pagination we offer fully automated solutions that let you take data from any source and convert it into beautiful documents. Spreadsheet data merges are just the beginning!

Free template for this project http://pagination.com/tuts/create­a­simple­car­catalog­with­data­merge/

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Data Merge InDesign Tutorial: create a simple catalog

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2 THOUGHTS ON “DATA MERGE INDESIGN TUTORIAL: CREATING A CATALOG”

shahram August 12, 2014 at 6:22 am

Hello If you can help me Data-Merge_Persian Thanks Reply

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Data Merge InDesign Tutorial: create a simple catalog

shahram August 12, 2014 at 6:50 am

Data-Merge_Persian Reply

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Data Merge InDesign Tutorial: create a simple catalog

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