Research on Making Variable Data Printing Template Technology with Adobe Prepress Software
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What companies need is to increase sales, increase return on investment, and customer loyalty. Research shows that personalized prints can generate higher response rates and faster response times, maintain higher customer satisfaction, and increase order quantities.
A survey report by CAP Venture, a consulting firm specializing in the print publishing industry in the United States, mentioned that personalized direct mail ads with variable data printing can increase the response rate of target customers by 34% and increase the customer's repeat order rate by 48%. The average order volume increased by 25%, the target customer response time increased by 35%, and sales and profit increased by 32%. Today, variable data printing (VDP) technology has made information customization economical and easier for print service providers.
First, variable data printing
1. Variable data printing definition
Variable Data Printing (VDP) is an on-demand printing format that uses information from a database to change the content elements (such as text) of each page printed without stopping or slowing down the printing speed. , graphics, photos, etc.).
2. Variable data printing application field
Variable data printing is suitable for the production of commercial documents in banking securities, insurance, telecommunications, education, automotive, real estate, catering, manufacturing, entertainment, advertising and printing industries. These include the production of a large number of personalized cards, such as membership cards, student ID cards, badges, personalized postcards, tickets and passes, lotteries or scratch cards, admission tickets, gift certificates, campus cards, card numbers, certificates, security numbers Post, various certificates, mailing labels, etc.; and mass production of personalized promotional materials, such as direct mail, personalized leaflets, invitations, promotional letters, contacts, personal financial reports.
3. Variable data printing process
The main components of a typical variable data printing project are layout design, content, database, business rules, VDP applications, output devices, and so on. The variable data printing process is shown in Figure 1.
4. Variable data printing software
Hundreds of software are currently available for selection and production in variable data printing. Depending on the design's design for variable data integration, the software can be divided into two categories: workstation-based applications and applications that are printed directly on the website.
The workstation-based application software runs entirely on a single computer workstation. On the workstation, static and variable images are planned and combined together. Such software as DirectSmile, Atlas Printshop Mail, Creo Darwin plugin, PageFlex, Oracle, etc. Web-based applications refer to the integration of all elements through a website to create variable data print jobs such as Printable's ProFusion.
In actual production, these professional software are more expensive, have a narrow scope of application, require a certain degree of learning, and have less chance of contact with ordinary users. We can use variable Adobe prepress software to create variable data print templates, such as the latest versions of Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe InDesign.
This article will take the most common work permit production as an example, and delve into the Adobe prepress software production variable data printing template technology.
Second, use Adobe Photoshop to create templates
Adobe Photoshop software is Adobe's most famous image processing software. With data-driven graphics, Adobe Photoshop can quickly and accurately generate multiple versions of an image for use in a printed project or web project. For example, based on the template design, use different text and images to create 100 different web banners.
1. Create a basic graphic to use as a template
In Adobe Photoshop, create a basic graphic to use as a template, and use a layer to separate the pixels you want to change in the graphic, as shown in Figure 2.
2. Define variables in the graph
Variables specify the parts that change in the image, and variables can be used to define which elements in the template will change.
Tip: You cannot define a variable for the Background layer.
2.1 Select “Image” → “Variable” → “Definition”, and the “Variables” dialog box will pop up (as shown in Figure 3).
2.2 Select a layer from the Layers pop-up menu that contains the content you want to define as a variable.
2.3 Select one or more types of variables. Three types of variables can be defined in Photoshop. The Visibility variable shows or hides the contents of the layer. The Pixel Replacement variable replaces the pixels in the layer with pixels from other image files. The Text Substitution variable replaces the text string in the text layer.
2.4 Select “Name” and enter the name of the variable. Variable names must begin with a letter, an underscore, or a colon, and cannot contain spaces or special characters (except for periods, hyphens, underscores, and colons).
In this example, the layer, variable type, and name settings are shown in Table 1.
Table 1 Layers, Variable Types, and Name Settings in the Instance
2.5 For the “Pixel Replacement” variable, the following options should also be set (as shown in Figure 3).
• Choose how to scale the replacement image: The Limit option scales the image to constrain it within the bounding box (this may make part of the bounding box empty); the Fill option scales the image to fully fill it Bounding box (this may cause the image to extend beyond the bounding box); the "Keep it as it is" option does not scale the image; the "Consistent" option scales the image disproportionately to limit it to the bounding box.
● Tap the handle on the alignment icon to select the alignment of the image placed in the bounding box. (This option does not apply to "consistent".)
● Select "Cut to Bounding Box" to cut the image area that is not in the bounding box. This option is only available when the Fill or Leave As is used alternative. (This option does not apply to "consistent".)
2.6 An asterisk will appear next to the name of the layer containing the variable, and click OK to complete the variable definition.
3. Create or import a data group
A data group is a collection of variables and their associated data.
3.1 Create a data group in an external file.
You can quickly create a large number of data sets by creating an external text file containing all the variable information and loading it into a PSD document containing variables. One way is to enter the data in a text file or a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and export it to a tab-delimited or comma-delimited file. (As shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5)
Hint: All variable names are listed in the first line, in the order in which the variable values appear in subsequent lines. Each subsequent row represents a data group and gives the value of each variable. If the text file is in the same folder as the image file, you can use a relative path to represent the image location. For example, the last item in the example could be: b3.tiff, CCC, C, 003, false, N09.gif.
3.2 Import the data group.
● Choose File→Import→Variable Data Group. The Import Data Group dialog box is displayed (as shown in Figure 6).
● Browse to find the text file you want to import.
● Set the encoding or retention setting of the text file "Automatic".
● Set import options. Use the first column as the data group name: Name each data group using the contents of the first column of the text file (the value of the first variable listed). Otherwise, name the data group "Data Group 1, Data Group 2, and so on."
● Replace existing data groups: Delete all existing data groups before importing.
● Click "OK" to complete the data group import.
4. Preview the document with each data set
To see the appearance of the final graphic, you can preview it before exporting all the files.
4.1 Choose “Image” → “Application Data Group”, and the “Application Data Group” dialog box will pop up (as shown in Figure 7).
4.2 Select a data group from the list and preview the image in the document window. To apply a data set, click Apply. If you are previewing and do not want to change the base image, click Cancel.
Figure 7 Pop-up "Application Data Group" dialog box
5. Export graphics and data together to generate graphics
After defining a variable and one or more data sets, you can output the image as a PSD file using the data set value in batch mode.
5.1 Choose File → Export → Data Group as File. The Export Data Group as File dialog box is displayed (as shown in Figure 8).
5.2 Enter the base name for all generated files.
5.3 Click the "Select Folder" button to select a target directory for the file.
5.4Select the data group to be exported and click OK.
Third, create templates using Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator software is Adobe's famous illustration design software. In Illustrator, you can convert any artwork into a data-driven graphic template. All you have to do is define which objects on the artboard are dynamic (variable) objects that use variables. You can use variables to modify strings, linked images, graphic data, and object visibility settings in your artwork. You can also create a variety of variable data sets to see how the template looks when rendered.
1. Create variables
Variables and data sets can be processed using the Variables panel (Window → Variables), as shown in Figure 9. The type and name of each variable in the document is listed in the panel. If the variable is bound to an object, the Object column displays the name of the bound object as it appears in the Layers panel.
Figure IX "Variable Panel"
Four types of variables can be created in Illustrator: chart data, linked files, text strings, and visibility.
1.1 Create a visibility variable. Select the object you want to show or hide, then click the Create Dynamic Visibility button in the Variables panel, such as the "frame" variable in this example.
1.2 Create a text string variable (link file variable, chart data variable). Select the text object (link file, chart object) and click the Create Dynamic Object button in the Variables panel.
1.3 Create a variable but don't bind it to the object. Click the New Variable button in the Variables panel. To subsequently bind an object to the variable, select the appropriate object and variable and click the "Create Dynamic Visibility" button or the "Create Dynamic Object" button.
2. Using data sets
A data group is a collection of variables and their associated data. When you create a data group, you take a snapshot of the dynamic data currently displayed on the artboard. You can switch between data groups to upload different data to the template.
2.1 Create a new data group.
Click the Capture Data Group button in the Variables panel. You can also select Capture Data Group from the Variables panel menu. For example, "Data Group 2" and "Data Group 3" in this example are created, as shown in FIG.
Figure 10 Using data sets
2.2 Edit the dynamic object.
After you create a new data group, you can change the data associated with that variable by editing the object to which it is bound. For example, if you are working on a visibility variable, you can change the visibility state of that object in the Layers palette. You can create multiple data sets that are used in a template by editing dynamic objects.
Select a dynamic object on the artboard and edit the data associated with the object as follows:
● For text, edit the text string on the artboard.
● For linked files, replace the image with the "Link" palette or the "File" → "Place" command.
● For charts, edit the data via "Object" → "Chart" → "Data".
● For all dynamic visibility objects, change the visibility state of the object in the Layers palette.
2.3 Apply the data on the artboard to the current data set.
If you change the value of a variable so that the artboard no longer reflects the data stored in the group, the name of the data group is displayed in italics. You can now select Update Data Group from the Variables panel menu to overwrite the original data with new data.
3. Variable library
The variable library enables designers and developers to coordinate work through XML files. For example, a designer can create a business card template in Illustrator and export the variable data as an XML file. This way, developers can use this XML file to link variables and data sets to a database, and then write a script to render the final artwork. You can also reverse this workflow, when the developer encodes the variable and data group name into an XML file, and the designer imports the variable library into an Illustrator document.
3.1To import variables from an XML file into Illustrator, select Load Variable Library from the Variables palette menu.
3.2 To export variables from Illustrator to an XML file, select "Save Variable Library" from the "Variables" palette menu.
4. Store data driven graphic templates
Defining variables in an Illustrator document is creating a template for a data-driven graph. Templates can be saved in SVG format for use by other Adobe products, such as Adobe(r) Graphics Server and Adobe(r) GoLive(r).
4.1Select “File” → “Save As”, enter the file name, select SVG as the file format, and click “Save”.
4.2 Click More Options and select Include Adobe Graphics Server Data. This option includes all the information needed to replace a variable in an SVG file.
4.3 Click OK to save the data driven graphic template.
Fourth, create a template using Adobe InDesign
Adobe InDesign is the fastest growing professional typesetting software. In InDesign, to create a letter, envelope, or mailing address tag, you can merge the data source file with the target document.
1. Plan the data fields to be used in the source and target documents
Determine the appearance of the final document to know which domains are needed to complete the merge. For example, if you want to create a work permit, you may need to use the following data fields: Photo, Name, Post, Code.
Your spreadsheet or database might look like this:
2. Create a data source file
2.1 Data sources are usually generated by a spreadsheet or database application, and the data source files should be stored in comma-separated (.csv) or tab-delimited (.txt) text format.
2.2 Make sure that the data source file is structured so that you can include the appropriate fields in the target document. For example, the first line of the spreadsheet should contain the name of the domain that will be used in the target document, such as "Photo" or "Name."
2.3Add an image field to the data source file. Open the data source file and at the beginning of the data field name, type the "at" character (@) to insert the text or path name that points to the image file.
If you receive an error message after typing the @ symbol at the beginning of the field, type an apostrophe (') before the @ symbol (for example, ‘@Photos) to verify the function. Some applications, such as Microsoft Excel, reserve the @ symbol for use by the function.
3. Create a target document
After creating the data source file, you need to create the target document and insert the fields in the data source file. This should include text and other items that remain unchanged in each version of the target document, as well as data field placeholder text and graphics, such as the pattern to be displayed on each work permit (as shown in Figure 12).
When you merge data, InDesign creates a new document that replaces these fields with the data you specify in the data source file.
4. Use the data merge palette to select a data source
Before inserting a domain in the target document, first select the data source in the Data Merge palette. Only one data source file can be selected for a target document.
4.1 Make sure the data source file is not open.
4.2Create or open a document that will be used as the target document.
4.3 Select “Window” → “Auto” → “Data Merge”.
4.4 Select Select Data Source from the Data Merge palette menu.
4.5 Locate the data source file and click Open. The Data Consolidation palette displays the data fields.
5. Insert the fields in the data merge palette into the target document
When you select a data source, a list of data domain names is displayed in the Data Merge palette. You can add a data field to a document page or home page. Once the data fields are added to the document, they become domain placeholders, such as Photo, as shown in Figure 13.
Figure 13 Adding the data field to the document page
You can choose these placeholders and format them as you would any other text or graphic.
6. Preview the record to make sure the target document looks the same as you expected
Before merging the target document and data source files, it is a good idea to preview the records to ensure that the domain data is correctly displayed after the information is merged.
6.1 Click Preview at the bottom of the Data Merge palette, or choose Preview from the Data Merge palette menu.
6.2 Click the navigation button to cycle through the data from different records.
When you preview a record, the Data Merge palette displays the actual data in the data source file instead of the domain placeholder.
7. Combine the target document with the data source file
Once the format of the target document is set and the fields in the data source file are inserted, the information in the data source can be formally merged with the target document.
7.1 Open the target document and select Create Merge Document from the Data Merge palette menu, or click the Create Merge Document button .
7.2 When merging, InDesign creates a new document based on the target document and replaces the fields in the target document with the corresponding information in the data source file.
Using data-driven graphics technology, Photoshop and Illustrator can quickly and accurately generate multiple versions of images for use in print projects or Web projects; using Data Merge, InDesign enables efficient design and production of personalized content to achieve the desired design Quality and production automation.