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R
RaizelDesign
Inspiring
May 10, 2017
Answered

Good Alternative to Data Merge?

  • May 10, 2017
  • 3 replies
  • 4879 views

In my work I routinely have to create data merges of documents of 4+ pages with upwards of 200 records and multiple data fields. I know how to do this (convert the excel spreadsheet to .csv) and how to get around most bugs. I don't usually run into issues with the merge. However, it takes about an hour - on a good day - for the saved merged indesign file to export to pdf. I'm sure if I had a more powerful computer it would be a bit faster, but that's not an option at the moment.

Does anyone know of a good alternative to data merge for large files that doesn't take quite as long and is less prone to crashing?

Thanks!

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Dov Isaacs

The problem is totally due to bottlenecks in InDesign's PDF export. No amount of additional RAM or higher speed disk will make all that much difference.

One solution, albeit pricey, is to check out the products by XMPie (a division of Xerox) which provides a major plug-in for InDesign with functionality similar but much, much more advanced that InDesign's native data merge and lightening speed PDF export. Actually, the PDF export is optimized around production of PDF/VT which itself is layered over PDF/X-4. The resultant files are exceptionally small since common graphic assets appear in the final PDF file only once. Depending upon the complexity of your template, you could easily get the merged PDF at rates in excess of a hundred records / minute for a 8 to 12 page variable data booklet.

And yes, I personally tried this and measured the results.

          - Dov

3 replies

S
soundchaser
Participant
November 1, 2018

There are  Acrobat plugins such as Fusion Pro that enable merging data and/or images in a pdf file and exporting to various file formats (PDF-VT, PPML, VIPP and others) for final output, both print and web. This method takes a few minutes or less to create the initial export for thousands of records. More importantly, when outputting the final product the file formats listed are designed to RIP static elements in the exported file once (versus 800 times for an 800 page merged file) and only the variable elements remain to process, significantly reducing RIP times which is where the real bottleneck will appear.

    Stephen Marsh
    Community Expert
    Stephen MarshCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    May 11, 2017

    Ensure that only the variable elements are being merged. Don’t increase the overhead by forcing the merge to also deal with static elements.

    All static elements can be removed from the merge pages and be placed on temporary dedicated master page/s that are not currently applied to the file.

    Once the merge has completed, apply the static content master pages to the merge master or final merged pages.

    Prepression: InDesign – Fast Data Merge

      R
      RaizelDesignAuthor
      Inspiring
      May 11, 2017

      Thanks. I think I'll try this next time. (Essentially you're saying to delete all background elements, imagery, and non-changing text, leaving them on the master page and then apply the master only after completing the merge, correct?)

      MW Design
      MW Design
      Inspiring
      May 11, 2017

      Sounds like you are merging direct to PDF? Try just merge to a new document, PDF that new document. You don't need to save the new document unless you want to.

      I hardly ever use ID's native merge, except for helping around here. I do merge a lot using Em Software's data merge plug-in, though. I wouldn't be without it (as well as the XTags plug-in). Far more extensible and it doesn't build the merge in a single frame per record.

      Mike

      R
      RaizelDesignAuthor
      Inspiring
      May 11, 2017

      Hey, thanks, but no, I'm not merging directly to pdf. Can I have some more info on that plug-in, though?

      MW Design
      MW Design
      Inspiring
      May 11, 2017

      If you just create a non merged document with as many pages and place the design elements on these pages, does it still take so long? I would suspect so as there isn't anything special about the merge text frames themselves.

      What are the design elements? Types of files, native ID elements, or ?

      Mike

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