Data merge is a really cool feature that allows you to merge data from a spreadsheet or database into your InDesign document. It enables you to create multiple variations of a document by combining a single InDesign layout with variable data.
Here’s a step-by-step overview of how data merge works in Adobe InDesign:
1. Prepare your data source – I’m using a CSV file. Each field (column) represents a unique piece of information that you want to merge into your document.
2. Create a template: Design your document in InDesign, including the static content that remains the same across all variations (e.g., layout, images, and formatting). Leave some sort of placeholders, where the variable data will be inserted. You could type something related in there, or leave it blank, doesn’t really matter because you will have to insert the data fields to the insertion points anyways.
3. Importing data: Now, go to the "Window" menu and select "Utilities" > "Data Merge." This opens the Data Merge panel.
Use the panel to import your data source by selecting the appropriate file or database connection.
Once selected, you will see the Data Source Import Options panel where you can configure your file specific settings of your data source. Keep in mind, InDesign does the detection of delimiter and encoding automatically, so even if you don’t change anything, it should work just fine.
4. Mapping fields: Once your data source is imported, InDesign will display the fields available in your data. Map each field to its corresponding placeholder in your InDesign document. For example, you would map the “Name” field in your data to the placeholder where you want the names to appear in the document.
5. Previewing and adjusting: Preview the merged data to ensure everything is correctly aligned and formatted. If needed, make adjustments to the design or mapping to achieve the desired result.
6. Merging the data: Click on the icon in the upper right section of the Data Merge panel to generate a new InDesign document with the merged data.
This document will contain multiple pages or instances, each representing a variation based on the data source. After that, the "Create Merged Document" panel will popup, where you can adjust your settings to your liking. Clicking OK, will create the merged document in a new tab.
7. Done. You can now fine-tune, review, export or make any necessary refinements on the merged docs.