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Data Merge: Cannot get multiple records per page

Community Beginner ,
May 04, 2010 May 04, 2010

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I am working with a client who is trying to do a directory in Indesign. There are about 1,800 people with information like address, title, employer, phone, etc. This info is on an Excel spread sheet. I made a text, tab delimited and a CSV file from the spreadsheet. I set up a two column text box on each page and want these entries to fill the columns. I am only able to get one person's information per page. Multiple records per page yields no different result. I also had the multiple records option grayed out on a couple tries. I have tried this many times, even tried setting up a simple spread sheet with 9 items. No luck. HELP! I'm brand new to this feature.

Chris

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correct answers 1 Correct answer

New Here , Dec 14, 2016 Dec 14, 2016

I was having this same issue with InDesign CC 2017 and just figured it out. It's not like Word where you create all of the records and simply link them by using <<Next Record>>. I needed to create labels 8-up to an 8.5x11 sheet. Instead of creating multiple text boxes and placing them within the page, and adding the merge fields to each one, you just create ONE text box. Then in the Utilitities/Data Merge window select Multiple Records (instead of Single Record). Then go the the Multiple Records

...

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New Here ,
Dec 09, 2016 Dec 09, 2016

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I tried to make this on the master page instead of the 1st page and I am seeing results.

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New Here ,
Mar 04, 2020 Mar 04, 2020

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Thank you for coming back and updating! This has been driving me bonkers!

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New Here ,
Oct 03, 2020 Oct 03, 2020

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This made all the difference for me. Put your template on the Master page. Fixed my problem. Logged in just to give it a like. Thanks!

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Explorer ,
Jul 26, 2023 Jul 26, 2023

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THANK YOU!!

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Explorer ,
Jul 26, 2023 Jul 26, 2023

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I was also having trouble with 'extra items' (a line and logo) placed on the page that were not part of the fields I wanted to data merge. I put my data merge fields onto the master page - 'cut' the extra items - data merged the multiple record - then pasted the 'extra items' back onto the master (parent) page of the merged document, and that seemed to work. 

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New Here ,
May 05, 2021 May 05, 2021

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Thank you.

You are my new hero.

 

dave

 

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New Here ,
Dec 01, 2023 Dec 01, 2023

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quote

Data merge works with everything that is on the page  

@SJRiegel

 

This little sentence just saved me. I thought I'd be smart and put an automatic page number at the bottom of the sheet, to keep things organized during printing. And InDesign included it in every label ^_^;

 

The good news: I moved the page number to the master page and it doesn't count towards the repeating layout. Guides thankfully also don't count either.

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Adobe Employee ,
Dec 15, 2023 Dec 15, 2023

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Hi dpgchris.

 

Thank you for sharing the solution that worked for you. I am sure it will help other community members. We appreciate your participation here.

Thanks

Rishabh

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New Here ,
Jun 24, 2016 Jun 24, 2016

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I had the same issue, I'm doing a postcard (4up on a 19x13 canvas)  / all the postcard had to have a difference address (for a mailout).

I made it work. I had to make a 1up document (9.5"x6.5" / quarter page of 19x13) - make my mail merge and export as PDF.

Once I have this file made, I use a plugin in Acrobat called "Quite impositioning plus 3" (I'm sure there's other out there)

and make "n-up page" (2 collomn and 2 rows = 19x13) - same Idea of making a booklet, it's sorting the page for me and making the 4up.

Voilà, I got my file ready to go.

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New Here ,
Sep 20, 2016 Sep 20, 2016

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I had the same dilemma trying to merge a 287 piece list into an Avery 5395 template (sticky name badges) I created in InDesign CC2015. I finally figured it out by using part of Sergio's method above (1 up document the size of a single label). After merging the data file, I went to Impose Online - Free Online Imposition Software and did a manual imposition using the margins & gutter dims of the label. Using this method make sure that you do the math... I had 287 unique records and with 8-up on each label you only need to create 36 forms. Finish the steps and import the final merged document into an ID 8.5x11 page. I had previously imported a generated pdf of the actual label itself from MS Word to that page. Found a slick trick on how to do that HERE. Worked like a charm!

Let me know if this helps you out.

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New Here ,
Dec 14, 2016 Dec 14, 2016

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I was having this same issue with InDesign CC 2017 and just figured it out. It's not like Word where you create all of the records and simply link them by using <<Next Record>>. I needed to create labels 8-up to an 8.5x11 sheet. Instead of creating multiple text boxes and placing them within the page, and adding the merge fields to each one, you just create ONE text box. Then in the Utilitities/Data Merge window select Multiple Records (instead of Single Record). Then go the the Multiple Records Layout tab within that window. Use the settings there to position multiple text boxes. Then when you merge, the records will move to the next one instead of adding the same information on one page multiple times.

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Explorer ,
Dec 09, 2017 Dec 09, 2017

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I was having this problem as well. None of the above solutions worked for me. It turns out my problem was that I had pasted a template (for mailing labels) into the document. The techs I ended up chatting with could only solve the problem by starting over from scratch without the template in there. Deleting it from the original did not help. I was able to use the template, just had to delete it BEFORE trying to create the merged document. Hope this saves someone some time and frustration!

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New Here ,
Dec 17, 2017 Dec 17, 2017

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nrgini, this is the EXACT same issue I had. I had to start over without the underlying template on the page and then it would finally work. Thank you for your post!

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New Here ,
Feb 28, 2018 Feb 28, 2018

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Wow. This is super helpful. Spent two days with colleagues and IT trying to figure this out - managed it on the first try after reading the post.

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Community Beginner ,
Sep 26, 2018 Sep 26, 2018

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Thank you so much I have struggled with this and now I know! 

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Community Beginner ,
Nov 19, 2021 Nov 19, 2021

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My problem (and fix) was that I was only getting one mail merge per page, no amount of adjusting margins etc would help.

Turns out, there was a white text frame in the background layer that was causing me grief. Merge was attempting to duplicate this per entry (I assume).  Removing the background text frame and the multi-merge worked close to expected.  

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Community Beginner ,
Feb 16, 2023 Feb 16, 2023

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Hi. I am having a similar issue. I am on a MacBook using ID 18.1.

We have an INDD document with three vouchers. 

The data is coming from a CSV file from Excel (comma separated values). This data seems clean to me. 

 

The INDD doc is one page only. The first voucher only populates the information, the other two do not.

I do not receive errors. I will attach what I am seeing in my settings. Not sure what is wrong or how to fix it. I have been reading other posts on this as well.

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Community Expert ,
Feb 16, 2023 Feb 16, 2023

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Remove the two extra vouchers from the template page. DataMerge reproduces EVERYTHING on the page, not just the fields, so you don't have any extra room for multiple records as it it is set up.

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Community Beginner ,
Feb 16, 2023 Feb 16, 2023

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Genius! I did not realize that. Thank you so much!

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