_Can I make an 10-up (Avery) Label Template have variable blank labels?

[Hugh Betcha]

I have labels with graphics I made in Ai, which I then imported into Acrobat, and made user-filled text fields.

The label template is 10-up, however, I want to have the user be able to do only single (or multiple) labels - really any number between 1 and 10 - is there a way to cover some of the label areas with a white box in Acrobat - or another way to print only selected areas of an 8.5x11 sheet?

[Document Geek]

You could cover the area that you don't want to print with a big white rectangle. Use the drawings tools.

[Hugh Betcha]

That was what I thought - but only gives me a red pencil tool...

[Document Geek]

Click on the circle in the toolbar. Change the fill and border both to white.

[Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com]

- or another way to print only selected areas of an 8.5x11 sheet?

By @Hugh Betcha

The white box (aka, electronic whiteout) will visiually hide parts of the PDF page, but the entire page will still print.

The white box is a comment, and generally comments don't print, although you have the option to print them in the print dialogue (that is, "print" white and cover the text underneath).

But still, the entire page's content (including the white box comment) will print, rather than just a selected label area.

Have you looked into Avery label templates? They often give that type of control over what gets printed. https://www.avery.com/templates.  You can add graphics from INDD, AI, and PShop to their labels and make some very nice designs.

Another idea that might give you a workaround:

Create a page with just one label to the label's exact physical dimensions. Duplicate it for a total of 10 pages, one label per page.

Export to PDF.

From Acrobat, you have the option to print multiple pages on one 8.5x11 sheet. Check the File / Print dialogue box: Multiple. 2 x 5 would fit your design.

You could also add form fields in Acrobat so that someone can fill in the field before printing.

[try67]

I will not use a comment for this. I would use a field with white fill, and then a script to decide whether to show that field (thereby blocking the underlying content) or not (thereby keeping the label visible on the printed page). The decision could be based on the value of one of the other fields in the label, such as the Description field.

[Hugh Betcha]

I figured out my own solution: 

I’ve made two files – one with graphics, and one with just the text fields (graphics show in Acrobat, but are set to not print in the layer properties)

– this way we can print as many or as few as we want, in whatever combination so we don’t waste paper/labels.

Thanks all for your help -the script idea would be good too... but unsure how to do that. I wonder if there's a way to import into fields from a Word file or something too..... 🙂

[try67 · Accepted solution]

Yes, that's certainly possible. In fact, I created a very similar solution for a client recently, which generates as many copies of the page as needed based on the input data, and populates the fields in it.

If you're interested in purchasing such a script feel free to contact me privately via [try6767 at gmail.com] and we could discuss it further.