Importing Text into Specific Spots in Illustrator

Forum|Forum|8 years ago
December 18, 2017
3 replies
1467 views

Does anyone know of a way to import text into specific spots in Illustrator. Like if I have 4 different text boxes in an Illustrator file and an Excel document with 4 different names in 4 different cells. Is there a way to automatically import the excel files to fill the names in each of the different Illustrator boxes?

This topic has been closed for replies.

Correct answer Ton Frederiks

InDesign can do it (probably the easiest option), but Illustrator's Variables (as Kurt suggested) is also a powerful option because you can use Graphic Styles.

The XML could be generated here, and the result can be exported with the Batch option of a recorded Save As Action (with source set to Data Sets)

Free Online Illustrator Variables XML editor and converter

Ton Frederiks

Correct answer

Community Expert

InDesign can do it (probably the easiest option), but Illustrator's Variables (as Kurt suggested) is also a powerful option because you can use Graphic Styles.

The XML could be generated here, and the result can be exported with the Batch option of a recorded Save As Action (with source set to Data Sets)

Free Online Illustrator Variables XML editor and converter

jamiet88943453Author

Participant

All of this is wonderful. Thank you! It will help me so much to at least know what language to google to learn how to do it. I can't wait to work on all of this tomorrow and see if it'll do what I need it to. Thanks!

Ton Frederiks

Community Expert

And here is another way to work with variable data:

http://hypertransitory.com/blog/2015/04/26/illustrator-variable-data/

Kurt Gold

Community Expert

In Illustrator that may be possible by using dynamic text variables (see Variables palette), but you would have to make sure to import an appropriate .xml syntax.

Probably there are already some tools to convert the Excel data to something that Illustrator can interpret.