IND 4 Data Merge querie

[gumbylives]

Hi,
I am trying to create a data merge which for the the top page will have the name,address in portrait mode for one page and then have the same data duplicated in landscape text box for the next 13 pages and then somehow create one blank page after that. Then it continues on to person #2 with the same set up. Do I need to add another plugin for Indesign or is there somewhere I can find out how to do this.
Please advise
Thanks Gumby

[kyle]

You should have a 15 page document set up for a single record, with the name and address fields inserted multiple times (once each on the first 14 pages). When you create the merged document, you should get a document that is [total records] X 15 pages.

If you are asking about having landscape and portrait pages together, that is not possible - you'll just have to rotate the page content. However, in CS4 you can use View>Rotate Pages to rotate the pages before merging. This doesn't really affect the content, however. It's sort of like rotating the monitor while you're working on the document. An exported PDF or printed document will still be all landscape or portrait.

[gumbylives]

So if I created a 15 page document with the same information going into each just 13 have landscape text boxes and 1 has portrait text boxes with a single page at the end (page 15). So how can I tell it to use record 2-10,000? I need to have each person get this special amount of pages(to be padded later on).
Please advise
thank you
Gumby

[kyle]

By default, when you create the merged document, it should use all records. You can select a subset of the records, however, in the dialog that appears. If it works, you will get a 145,985 page document. You may have to break that up into smaller groups. Try putting everything except for the text on master pages, so the final document will not have any duplication except for the text frames. You might also have more success exporting straight to PDF from the data merge palette, so Indesign does not have to make a huge new document.

[Lukas Engqvist]

There are other alternatives, like VDP where you do the data merge in PDF, even though you prepare it in InDesign. This may be a more efficient way of handling the job.