Insert Variable Data Fields in Your Design for Print (pt. 3)
Data Field Insertion
After you build your database and save it as an excel (xls.) or CSV (.csv) file, Adobe InDesign makes it very simple to import a variable data section into your design. To do this, follow this guide: When you are ready to import a variable data section to your artwork, open your design file in InDesign. Then,- Select “Window” from the top menu
- Select “Utilities” and click on “Data Merge” as shown below.
- A new panel will open with instructions on how to select the data source (the CSV file we created in the first steps).
- Next choose “Select Data Source” from the panel menu (circled in red below).
- In your design, use the Rectangle (or other shape) tool to create an area where you want your variable data to go.
- After you import your data you will see items with the names of your columns in the Data Merge box. Drag data fields from the panel areas you created. The data will appear as <
> in your file.
- Click “Preview” in the bottom left corner of the Data Merge Panel to see what the attribute will look like. Now you can adjust the font, color, and size in order to fit the display properly.
- On the Data Merge Panel, select “Create Merged Document”. This will open a window with many options to customize the output but the default settings will create this simple variable data project.
- The final step is to save your document as a PDF. Click File > Export, and select PDF from the Save As drop down.
