Using an Existing AI File and using Batch to place Jpegs to save as separate AI Files

[ashleyf95338004]

Hello! We are a wide format printer and we have created a template for an order that our customer has been placing their jpegs into as needed.  However, we will be receiving between 100-1000 files at once and they have asked us to place each jpeg into our template.  Our template is a layered file, with a cut line that is required to have a spot color associated to it.  The Jpeg will need placed on its own layer.  We then save the file as an AI or PDF that is then taken into a software that strips our artwork on larger sheets for our printer/cutting table.

I have been messing around with Actions and Batch, but cannot seem to get the files to process correctly.  Does anyone have any suggestions?

We would like to automate the process rather than opening the template, placing image and saving each individually.  

Anything to help!  I have attached our Template and an image we are trying to place. Please remember, there will be upwards to 1000 files at a time.  I have also attached final artwork with the image placed for a better visual. 

[Ton Frederiks · Accepted solution]

Maybe using a template with variables and batch processing with an action?

https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/data-driven-graphics-templates-variables.html

[Silly-V · Accepted solution]

You could do batches of files via a mult-artboard document and variable data.

You may need a script, if you choose to go this way, to create the template by naming all the artboards and duplicating the template art. If all is set up, you can import CSV files with one or multiple row of theoretically up to 1000 columns - as many as you would have document artboards. As long as you can put all your image references into a CSV like that, you can import the data to instantly place all your images for a row. Then you'd go Export for Screens (which should really be named multi-asset export, I think, it's not only screens) and that will save the individual artboards according to their name (which is where you'd want that creation script to do some naming for you). I actually have not tried to do export for screens as a part of a batch-action process, but if it works then you can do batches of up to 1000 records without interruption.

[ashleyf95338004]

Thanks for the input.  We tried using a multi-artboard, however, our software for printing/cutting does not recoginize the multi-artboard.  We have to phyically have separate files.  Thansk!

[Silly-V]

Yea that's why you'd use export for screens.

[ashleyf95338004]

Still doesn't work! We tried that as well!  Thanks!

[Silly-V]

Hmm, I didn't notice this before - but the screens export outputs an RGB Pdf - is that causing your issue? Cause otherwise it outputs separate PDFs, so I don't see why it wouldn't be working.