Automating Large-Scale Lottery Ticket Layout in InDesign

[a._1955]

Hello! I have created some lottery tickets. There are ten thousand different tickets, and I need to arrange them on a sheet that measures 32 x 45 cm. Is it possible to do this automatically in InDesign, adding the crop marks? I need help; I'm really pressed for time with this.

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[James Gifford—NitroPress]

This is one reason numbering is usually done as a separate step for things like tickets. You print using a single efficient process, then run them through a numbering machine or press. Check with your printer to see if that's an option.

Are you really going to print some 500 unique sheets to get individual numbering? That's terribly inefficient.

And laying out the tix so that they each have trim or crop marks? Not really how it's done — the cut-down should be done with precision shearing, not by following printed markers.

It sounds as if you have not talked to the actual printer/bindery shop. You should.

Feel free to add details about your project/needs and ask any further questions. I suspect the solution lies in a different direction overall from what you're envisioning.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@a._1955

@James Gifford—NitroPress is right.

But if you really need a DIY solution - you need to know the number of different designs - and qty of each design. 

Then, you can use DataMerge - or a specially designed document - to add numbers. 

But in order to make cutting easy - you need to know required qty of each design. 

Let's assume, that you've 10 designs - and they'll fit nicely on one sheet - and you need equal qty of each.

Then, you would've to make numbering change from sheet to sheet - and the "technique" would depend on if you'll go for DataMerge or not.

In case of not equal final quantity of each design - things get more complicated - and the way you'll cut might have impact on the placement of the designs on the sheet(s).

[a._1955]

I'll give you more details, sorry but English is not my strong point.

I have to print the job myself. I have ten thousand lottery tickets with different numbers that I have to assign beforehand because they are a random code of numbers and letters. The lottery tickets measure 85 x 55 mm. So I could fit 25 on a 320 x 450 mm sheet. I don't know how to assign them so that when I go to print them they end up like the image.

I know I can do it in another program like Corel, but it only allows me 999 pages and I need 10 thousand. Can it be done in InDesign when sending to print? Are there other imposition programs? Thanks!

[Peter Spier]

I would do this as a Data Merge project, using two Master/Parent pages.

The first Parent page would be blank (or you could use the [None] parent page), the second would have exactly what is shown in your screen capture.

On your merge template file you would put one text frame sized to hold your largest lottery number in the position it would occupy on the ticket in the upper left corner position of your sheet, and no other objects of any sort.

Set up a Multiple Records per Page merge specifying spacing that will position the additional frames in the grid of tickets, then merge the numbers from a data file prepared in something like Excel as a .csv file.

After running the merge apply the second Parent page, the one with the ticket art and crops, to all the pages in the merged document.

A word of caution here about Data Merge. The Preview feature is buggy and frequently causes errors in the actual merge if it's used to check the layout and then you hit the merge button. This also corrupts the template making it useless. I generally advise simply running the merge to check (you can test on a small range of records for a large data set) make adjustments to the template as necessary and test again rather than using the Preview. If you HAVE TO use the preview, you must "undo" before actually merging.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@a._1955

So a SINGLE  design?

Then, as @Peter Spier suggested - or with a twist - you can print "blank" tickets in advance - on a cheaper to run full color laser or inkjet printer - even with larger / different format - then run through cheaper, Black&White printer just the numbers - on demand / in smaller batches / more personalised.

[Peter Spier]

Yeah, pre-printed tickets is a good idea.

[Eugene Tyson]

Terribly large files - where you only really need 1 page and 1 ticket - then print the file with sequential numbers

If we could see a dummy layout you could possibly do it without all the extra file size - possibly

https://community.adobe.com/t5/acrobat-discussions/sequential-numbering/m-p/12008393

I'm not promising anything, I'm a dreamer and hope to help by simplifying your process to add the sequential numbering per ticket per sheet on output - rather than generating a huge file. 

Maybe my idea might work - would need to see more to know more 😄

[Peter Spier]

OP says ticket numbers are a random code of numbers and letters, so not something easily handled on anything without a VDP module, and it sounds like he doesn't have that capabilty in-house.

[Eugene Tyson]

Yeh but was thinking even to js in acrobat link to database etc. or generate random

Just an idea

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

Another consideration is to use Illustrator instead.

If you want to automate the number insertion, you can check out Illustrator's Variables (https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/data-driven-graphics-templates-variables.html). 

Note: Excel can give you a list of random numbers to insert. 

You can use the crop mark effect or make your own. You can create one ticket, make a symbol, and step-and-repeat.

[a._1955]

I'm so sorry I didn't reply sooner, but I was busy at work. I mean, what I was looking for was, once I had the numbering done (if I knew how to do it), to be able to automatically layout it in InDesign without using an external program or doing it manually. I ended up using another program that allowed me to input both data and finalize it. Thanks so much for the advice, everyone. Best regards!

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@a._1955

Maybe you could use it next time - my table solution: 

https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/using-data-merge-with-columns-for-roll-printing/... 

Instead of numbers - you can use your list of unique codes. 

[Peter Spier]

..I ended up using another program that allowed me to input both data and finalize it.

By @a._1955

Would you mind telling us waht that program was? It could help other users.

[a._1955]

Corel Draw. You can make the imposition right there before print

[Peter Spier]

Interesting. I haven't even looked at Corel Draw in twenty years.

[a._1955]

I think it's much faster in Corel. Look:

In the first video, it's automatically numbered, sent to print, and in addition to layout, you can organize them so that after the 1, the 2 goes, like this, all the way to the second column.

In the second video, you can see how to enter numbers you already have, codes, or other similar formats. They must be in text format, and it's recommended that the first line be the file title, such as "codes." 

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

I have CorelDRAW 2019 and it is an under-appreciated program.

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

Like most of a certain vintage here, I used Corel for years when it was pretty much the only full-power tool for the Windows platform. My perception was that it faded to a keystone role in the printing, production graphics and RIP segment, the default front end/graphics tool bundled with every press, t-shirt printer, embroidery system and the like. I am not surprised it has print/imposition/layout/numbering features better suited to the OP's task than a general app like ID.