Mail merge

[faustjann]

I guess I need to ask for help, cause I just can't figure it out with the .pdf. How do I mail merge to a pdf? Can anyone help me please?

[Lukas Engqvist]

Mail merge? In InDesign it is called data merge, may help you find in help.
I would suggest seeing the data merge tutorial ad theindesigner.com... it was done some time back but helps you grasp how it works.

[faustjann]

The document comes to me as a .pdf that was created from inDesign. So, I downloaded a trial version of AutoMailMerge™ Plug-in for Adobe Acrobat / Create PDF Documents from Data and Cad-KAS PDF Forms 3.0 (that leaves a watermark). It all worked out great except for when I went to buy the full version of the Forms 3 and it worked EXCEPT for the watermark is still there.

I've submitted the email and told them. But, in the interim....can anyone help me. I've got a postcard in .pdf and can put it to a word document and go through mail merge that way and it works until I go to print 8 to a page. I have to go through the command workstation on the RICHO pro C900 and it just won't let me put 8 to a page....I'm stuck and needing help.

I know I'm new to all this and I know I need to learn...but right now I need this in the worst way. Can anyone help me or will anyone help me?

[henderd]

The document comes to me as a .pdf that was created from inDesign. So, I downloaded a trial version of AutoMailMerge™ Plug-in for Adobe Acrobat / Create PDF Documents from Data and Cad-KAS PDF Forms 3.0 (that leaves a watermark). It all worked out great except for when I went to buy the full version of the Forms 3 and it worked EXCEPT for the watermark is still there.

I've submitted the email and told them. But, in the interim....can anyone help me. I've got a postcard in .pdf and can put it to a word document and go through mail merge that way and it works until I go to print 8 to a page. I have to go through the command workstation on the RICHO pro C900 and it just won't let me put 8 to a page....I'm stuck and needing help.

I know I'm new to all this and I know I need to learn...but right now I need this in the worst way. Can anyone help me or will anyone help me?

what's the finished size of the postcard and what sheet size are you running job on?

[Stephen Marsh]

I guess I need to ask for help, cause I just can't figure it out with the .pdf. How do I mail merge to a pdf? Can anyone help me please?

I would have done the following if I only had InDesign:

* Place the PDF on the master page in InDesign.

* Add your Data Merge elements to the master page as well, using the PDF as a "template" for position of the variable elements. Link the placeholders to the .csv file.

* Cut the PDF from the master page and "paste in place" on a different master page to the variable data master elements.

*Create the "child" Data Merged file from the "parent" file.

* Back in the parent file, copy the PDF.

* In the child merged file, paste in place the PDF on the master page (send to back) and or use a lower stacked layer.

This way you are only creating the merged file using a small amount of data, the static data (PDF) does not need to be in the merge, it can be added to all the merged pages later using master pages (this significantly speeds up the merge).


Regards,

Stephen Marsh

[faustjann]

Thanks for the help. The end size is 6 X 4 postcard 8 up on a 13 X 19. I downloaded the mail merge plug in and the Forms 3.0, which is still leaving a watermark that they claim they didn't put there and wont' give me my money back.

Can I mass remove one word after I've run the data merge? It doesn’t show up as a water mark until i run data merge and open up each document. I can't see it during adding information in the form boxes.

I don't have the option of adding it in the parent document. The designers don't know what I'm talking about. Going forward, I will have this done, but it's not that way now.

[Paul_Richards_1985]

Scrap that program and try what Stephen as shown. It works. It's definitely the best way to do things.

In case your struggling indesign won't open up an excel(data file) file you have to save it as a .CSV file

It is possible to do a find / change to remove certain objects like images if you can't get it going. Go to edit menu -> find / change -> under objects.