Printing mail merge booklets.

[KR24257751tlmf]

I have an 8 page booklet. With mail merge I have 75 booklets. Printer tries to print all 75 as one book. How do I get it to recognize 75booklets folded and stapled at each new address? Thanks. Now I have to print each one individually. Ricoh 3000 printer with finisher. 

[Peter Spier]

This sounds like it really needs to have the addressing handled on the printer through a VDP plugin rather than as a Data Merge in InDesign.

[KR24257751tlmf]

Thank you. Clueless to what a VPD plugin is.

[Peter Spier]

VDP = Variable Data Printing. This is essentially the same thing as running DataMerge in InDesign, but it is handled on the printing device so you send a single instance of your document to the device with the neumber of copies selected, and the VDP plugin pulls in the data from your data source to change for each copy.

[KR24257751tlmf]

Thank you. I found the VDP and they wanted $1000 for it. I individually printed 74 copies. The Ricoh is fast. I'm not on any time restraints. My labor of love. 

[defaultl2dcn3pi5o8u]

assuming the booklets have the addresses added to the covers. i'd mail merge the covers separately and join them together in preparation for printing and finishing.

[Peter Spier]

Yes, a very good strategy.

[rob day]

Hi @KR24257751tlmf , just to clarify—page 1 of your 8-page document has the mail merge fields and when you run Create Merged Document... you get a 600 page document that your Ricoh then tries to impose and bind as a 600 page doc?

If that’s the case you could script sending the 75 books to the printer.

[rob day]

Now I have to print each one individually.

Hi @KR24257751tlmf , You are welcome to try this script, it would send the 75 books to the printer as separate print jobs bypassing the Print dialog.

Test it on a small doc first—it will send 75 jobs to your print queue for a 600 pg doc. Dialog lets you pick a print preset, and number of pages per print.

https://shared-assets.adobe.com/link/15ec1477-3835-4e09-5744-3e0a288e3d93