Create Catalog with Data Merge

9/4/2015
DataMergeInDesignTutorial:createasimplecatalog
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Data Merge InDesign Tutorial:

Creating a Catalog
JUNE 10, 2015
2 REPLIES
This tutorial uses InDesigns

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 solutionsto 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.
http://pagination.com/tuts/createasimplecarcatalogwithdatamerge/
Download
files
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to download the working
document template.
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Need help?
Contact us if your project

introduces more
challenging
requirements.
Pagination
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At Pagination we offer
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 youre presented with an
error (e.g. @Image). The apostrophe will force the cells 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 wont work with .xls/.xlsx or alternatives! Perform
the export in Excel by using File > Save as.
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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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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 youre working on a PC. Choose Mac if youre 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 youre finished. The Data Merge panel will now fill with all of the fields from
your source file:
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InDesign has identified two field types in our catalog example: text (
) and image (
).
3. Mapping the fields

Now its 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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Fields that are successfully mapped will appear surrounded by << and >> 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

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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 well opt to merge All Records and have Multiple Records per
document page.
Well 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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The Data Merge tool works in accordance with page margins. This means that a record thats
too big to fit within a pages 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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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 well 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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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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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.
Dont hesitate to contact usif your project introduces more challenging requirements.
At Pagination we offer fully automated solutionsthat 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

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Free template for this project

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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
12/14
9/4/2015
shahram
August 12, 2014 at 6:50 am
Data-Merge_Persian
Reply
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Data Merge InDesign Tutorial:

This tutorial uses InDesigns

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1. Preparing the data source

fully automated solutions

Now close your spreadsheet and open InDesign.

2. Setting up the Data Merge panel

Change the options in this box to match your situation:

3. Mapping the fields

4. Creating the merged document

Free template for this project

Free template for this project

2 THOUGHTS ON DATA MERGE INDESIGN TUTORIAL: CREATING A CATALOG

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