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sitravel
Known Participant
February 16, 2024
Question

Import CSV file

  • February 16, 2024
  • 3 replies
  • 3311 views

I'm trying to create individualized business cards with an individual's name and membership number on each card. I have a template with 40 cards on it and want to import a csv file so that I auto-populate the name and membership number on each of the 40 cards. I have managed to import a csv file and used the variables window to assign text to an object. The only problem is that it only populates the first data set from the csv so all 40 cards have the same name/ID. How do I populate so that a new data set goes into each card on my template?

Thanks for any help!

    3 replies

    Brad @ Roaring Mouse
    Community Expert
    Brad @ Roaring MouseCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    February 16, 2024

    If you are printing this yourself, and intend to do this a lot, the better tool is to use InDesign as it has the ability to do multiple records on one sheet. You could still create your main design in Illustrator (i.e. one base blank), and place that 40-up on a parent page in ID, then layer your text variables on top of it, and data merge as many 40-up sheets as your require.

    However, If all you have is Illustrator, then, yes, as mentioned by @Monika Gause, you only need one template and then export all the cards; You could still create a document where you PLACE all these individual PDFs onto a 40-up page for you to print... definitely not automatic, but less work than without the variable merge.

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      sitravelAuthor
      Known Participant
      February 16, 2024

      Thank you all for the advice. The main reason for using illustrator is that I know this program fairly well and I've never touched ID. The learning curve to do all this sounds a little daunting! It has to go back into illustrator in the end to get set up correctly for the RIP software so I think I'm just going to do 40 at a time!

      H
      hhas01
      Inspiring
      February 16, 2024

      Why do you want to put 40 different cards in one file? Who’s asking for that? What does your print provider require? Are they asking for 40 different designs on one artboard, or 40 different designs in one PDF file, or something else?

       

      As Monica says, Illustrator’s Data Merge feature is designed to generate 40 different artwork files, one file for each CSV row. The rest is an imposition problem.

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      sitravelAuthor
      Known Participant
      February 16, 2024

      I am printing on a Roland LEF300. I have a physical jig that holds 40 cards and so I want to print 40 cards at a time and not one at a time..... I have almost 300 to print.

      This client wants ID cards for every member of their company and each one has to have its own name and ID number.

      I have found a video that helps although it's not the ideal solution. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50WQPxTlVL0

      In this way I can create a picture file for each card and then I have to reimport 40 at a time to fit into my digital 'jig'

      Monika Gause
      Community Expert
      Monika GauseCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      February 16, 2024

      Then you have to take 2 steps: one for the creation of PDFs with a batch and then another one prnting those PDFs. Of use InDesigns Datamerge

        Monika Gause
        Community Expert
        Monika GauseCommunity Expert
        Community Expert
        February 16, 2024

        That is not how variables work.

        You make one template, assign the variables to the data and then all the cards get generated in a batch export.

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