Skip to main content
jimj28701019
jimj28701019
Participant
April 19, 2018
Question

Creating a variable content PDF to send to client

  • April 19, 2018
  • 4 replies
  • 1792 views

We would like to create an information sheet that our sales staff can customize with pre-prepared content blocks that our staff can select and then send the completed PDF to their potential customer.

Example Layout

Company Information sheet header, then a selection of optional configurations to our product that our sales staff can select with the company information on the footer and then the staff can submit the request and creating one PDF document that has the custom layout.

Our alternative is creating hundreds of layouts for all the possible combinations of options for the product.

The alternative is an un appealing option - Please let me know if there is a way to do this!!

Thanks in advance

This topic has been closed for replies.

4 replies

Document Geek
Community Expert
Document GeekCommunity Expert
Community Expert
April 23, 2018

How about this:

  1. Make a template page containing your company's contact information.
  2. List all the different options in one long comment (the Add Text Comment Tool).
  3. Then the salespeople can simply delete the options that they don't want.
  4. Then run the Flattenizer script to flatten your text comment into the document.

How may options are you talking about? Would it all fit on one page, or would you need multiple pages?

AnneMarie Concepcion
Community Expert
AnneMarie ConcepcionCommunity Expert
Community Expert
April 20, 2018

You need something running off of a central InDesign server (InDesign Server is a "headless" InDesign just for solutions like this). You upload templates, give users logon accounts, they log onto the server, then they use the UI to mix/match elements and output a PDF that they download or send.

Two companies that have put together solutions -- you don't have to buy/install your own InDesign Server -- that I know of:

Tweak.com -- very cool service, affordable. I demo'd this at a conference last year in my session of web-based layout options.

PrintUI.com -- higher end, I think, for higher volume. Very customizable. Don't know about pricing. I do know the company owners, they're wonderful, pure InDesign geeks too.

Hope that helps!

jimj28701019
jimj28701019Author
Participant
April 20, 2018

Thanks AnneMarie!

There is no straight forward DYI option for this type of document creation?

We would need the assistance of a third party developer?

AnneMarie Concepcion
Community Expert
AnneMarie ConcepcionCommunity Expert
Community Expert
April 21, 2018

Correct, if you mean,  there's no way you can do it in a straightforward way with off-the shelf Acrobat, Reader, and InDesign. There's no panel or script that lets Reader users choose from a menu of content blocks and then Save As a new PDF.

But that's exactly what those two services let you do. Give them a try! Both have free trials I believe.

AM

try67
Community Expert
try67Community Expert
Community Expert
April 19, 2018

Very difficult to achieve something like this in a PDF file, especially if the user doesn't have Acrobat...

    jimj28701019
    jimj28701019Author
    Participant
    April 19, 2018

    Thanks try67 - You are confirming my worst suspicions - Is there not some kind of content management system?

    I wonder if there is some kind of a web app that can do this?

    try67
    Community Expert
    try67Community Expert
    Community Expert
    April 19, 2018

    Maybe, but not in the form of a PDF file...

    jimj28701019
    jimj28701019Author
    Participant
    April 19, 2018

    As a supplemental - We are not able to have all of our staff have licenses to Acrobat Pro

    Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
    Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices