Data Merge in Indesign: speed up a tedious job!

Learn how to merge documents in InDesign and streamline your workflow! In this comprehensive class, graphic designer Els Ruiters reveals how to efficiently process large amounts of data using InDesign data merge with Excel. Discover how to quickly create personalized materials like business cards, admission tickets, name cards, and company badges.

This tutorial demonstrates how to leverage your own data lists or utilize provided data, such as Excel files, to organize information effectively within InDesign. Even experienced InDesign users often overlook the power of data merge – let Els show you how to avoid tedious manual data entry.

Example: See how to generate numbered tickets (1-150) in minutes by exporting data from Excel as a CSV file and importing it into InDesign's data merge feature. Eliminate time-consuming typing and ensure accuracy.

Who is this class for? This class is ideal for individuals with existing InDesign experience, comfortable with document setup, styles, and basic adjustments.

What you'll need:

• A computer with Adobe InDesign.

Resources:

The resources section provides downloadable zip files containing:

• InDesign example files.zip: Includes templates for business cards (various versions: basic, text-only, with images, multiple text-only).
• SourceFile_text-only.zip: Contains Excel files (.xlsx) and corresponding CSV files with sample text data.
• SourceFile_with_images.zip: Includes Excel files (.xlsx) with data and associated images (passport photos, logos), along with the corresponding CSV file.

Note: The class utilizes the Myriad Pro font, which is part of the Adobe Suite and can be activated via Adobe Fonts. The tutorial is conducted in InDesign 2025 (build 20.2) on macOS, but the data merge function is also available in InDesign for Windows.

Don't have your own data? Use the provided InDesign example files to practice.

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Disclaimer: All names and data used in this class project are AI-generated for illustrative purposes. Images are AI-generated and logos are from Freepik.com (paid account).