Requirements

• The placeholder text can be located in any text frame, along any other text
• You can choose any text you like (a-z, 0-9, _-)

Make sure that even the longest text from your datasource will have enough room in the text frame provided, or overset text will be produced.

This is the most effective approach to apply multiple records to one layout (with one or more pages). To tell MyDataMerge where your records should go in the layout you need to  create multiple groups of the same instance.

Example – Multiple business cards with front and rear side

You have a business card that you want to have 8 times on a sheet including their rear sides. First of all, layout one business card with all placeholders you need and group it. By grouping it, MyDataMerge knows now that all the placeholders inside the group belong together.

Next, duplicate (or copy/paste) the group to create another business card. Arrange it on your sheet in the order you want the data to be merged. This can be from left to right like in the below example [1 to 4] or right to left, or up to down …

Now on the next page you arrange groups of the rear sides of the business cards, but as the rear side is mirrored you need to start from right to left [1 to 4] with arranging groups:

Remember: The groups tell MyDataMerge which placeholders belong together and the order you arrange the copies with represents the order the records are merged.

A text placeholder will inject text from various sources into your layout in the merge process.

These sources can be one or a combination of:

• Datasource content (Changes for each record)
• Static text (Always the same)
• Sequence (Different types of counting numbers)
• Automator workflow (for editing outside of MyDataMerge – learn more here)
• Custom (java-)script (learn more here)

To add an element, open the placeholder by double clicking it (or click the pen icon), then add an element by clicking the plus icon:

Add the element and the appropriate editor will open (e.g. datasource element):

Once you selected or entered the required data, the element becomes valid (green check)

Once every placeholder is valid, you are able to export.

Notes:

• You can combine different elements here by adding them (plus icon above the eye icon) and drag & drop them up or down. The result will always be shown in the preview on the right.
• Additionally every element has some settings (gear icon) which will provide a wide range of tools to transform your data (e.g. strip whitespaces, add space before or after and so on)

If you want to export to Adobe InDesign files go to export > filetype and select the preferred filetype from the dropdown.

You can set a static filename in Export > Filetype > “Static filename” field.

With static filenames, every file will get the same name and a counting number will be attached. For example if you define static filename to be “mydatamerge” then files will be named like this:

• mydatamerge_1
• mydatamerge_2
• mydatamerge_3
• and so on

Please note that static filenames only allow a-z, 0-9, – and _ characters. Other characters will be removed or replaced.

Cut and stack assistance is an advanced sorting algorithm, especially for pre-print operators. It becomes available if you have selected “Multiple records per page (layout provided)” [1]. Then click the button [2] and enable the assistance [3]:

Understanding cut and stack assistance

By default (without cut and stack assistance) multiple records are merged continuously in the order you arranged the copies on a sheet:

With cut and stack style impositions you can configure how records are sorted for cutting:

To make it more clear let’s have a look at the sheets when they are placed on top of each other:

All sequencial records are below each other so that after cutting the sheets, the printer receives 4 stacks with all records in the right order. Once enabled you can apply a few settings:

• The number of layouts per set
• The number of sets in a (paper-) stack
• How to handle the last stack

“Last stack is” option

When the total size of database records don’t divide into equal size stacks, the size of the last stack can be calculated in one of the following ways.

Given a database with 200 records and the following settings:

• Records per layout: 3
• Layouts per set: 10
• Sets in a stack: 5

The following Excel will explain the behaviour to you. The blue represents the first stack, green the last stack.

Full stack height (First example):

The last stack will be forced to the full stack height (equal to the other stacks), so records below each other are filled up until the stack height is reached. This will lead to equal height stacks but increases paper usage as parts of the sheets might stay empty.

Full set height (Second example):

The sets of the last stack will be filled with records so that sets are filled up, even if the stack doesn’t reach the same height than the other stacks. It still has some waste of paper but if the printer e. g. uses backing sheets they will be in the right place.

Optimize sheets (Third example):

This will optimize paper usage but is not recommended if e. g. backing sheets are used as they will not be at the right place.