I need to number 20,000 tickets in InDesign and have them in order when I cut them

[Guest]

I need to number 20,000 tickets in InDesign and have them in order when I cut them, I know there is a way to use data merge or something. I just can't get it to work. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I saw a post similar, answered by Peter Spier which explained this, but I still can't get it to work.

[Scott Falkner]

Ask your printshop about “Crash Numbering”.

[p_taz]

What previous poster says applies to offset print, but if you are looking to digital print:

You could set up a series of numbers in excel and save as 'csv' (comma separated) data which you could then add to a doc using data merge.

Say you had 20 on a page, you could sort the numbers into 20 columns in excel with the first row being 1,1001,2001,3001 etc and so on to 19001 with 1000 rows.

Then you name each column at the top as 'a' 'b' 'c' etc

then your Indesign page would be set up with 20 tickets on a page with <<a>> going in position one and <<b>> in position two, then your first page after merging would contain each of the ticket numbers in the first row, the second page would contain the second row numbers and when printed and cut down, the stacks would be in order.

Hope that makes sense...  that's how I would do it without scripting.  Very achieveable for the average user!  ( I don't know what your level is )

[Scott Falkner]

This can be done digitally as well. Not all digital print shops can do it, but any decent one can (so not Kinko’s). I assume they will handle the cutting as well, so they can determine the best way to arrange the numbers.

[mckayk_777-PN6kWE]

What about Auto Page Numbering to number the tickets for you.

How many tickets per page have you got.

[Jongware]

mc, Auto Page Numbering works only in one way: one number per page. So in this case you'd need one ticket per page, and 20,000 pages.

[Peter Spier]

I'll run throough my method one more time to see if it helps.

The first thing you need to know is how many tickets you plan to put on a page. That determines the number of columns, or fields, you need in the data file. Next you need to divide the total number of tickets (20,000 in this case), by the number of tickets per page. Round up to the next whole number. This is the number of rows, or records, in the data file. Each record represents a single page in the merged file.

To make the data file you fill the first column starting with the first number in the first row and put the second number in the first columen second row, and soforth, filling the column downward in in consecutive order until the correct number of rows is reached, then you start with the next number in the first row of the second column and work down again. This should make it clear that every row represents a stack of ticket. A spreadsheet like Excel can auto-fill the grid for you once you have enough numbers in place to establish the pattern, generally three in either direction.

After the grid of numbers is done, you need to insert a new row at the top to hold the field labels (Stack 1, stack 2, stack 3... or whatever) and then save as .csv or tab delimited text to use as the Data Source file for the merge.

Set up your tickets as a full grid on the page in ID and drag one field name into each ticket, then do the merge as a Single Record per Page.

[East Bay Printing]

Awesome Awesome

Thank you sooo muxh

[Jeffrey_Smith]

There is a good chance that the digital printer that you will use, has a cut and stack imposition method. This is a method that replicates Peter's description, except it is done at the RIP and automatically. If this is the case, all you would need to do is supply a file from your data merge (20,000 single pages), and the imposition is taken for you.

[macinbytes · Accepted solution]

If you figure how many you have on a sheet that will be printing and the location it is pretty easy. I just do a quick round of numbering with Excel so the stacks come out in order. I haven't found a way to get InDesign to do this, but I regularly have to do this for a couple of tickets and gift certificates.

Information you need: Number of tickets one a sheet. Number format (need leading zeros?)

It's pretty easy in Excel. Take your number of tickets you'll get on a sheet, divide 20000 by that number. That will be your number of rows. Type a 1 in the A1 cell location, type =(A1+1) in the A2 cell location. Paste that in as many rows as you determined. Copy the last cell in your first column. Paste that in cell B1. Copy B1 and paste in as many rows as you had in Column A. Copy column B and paste in column C. Copy C and paste in Column D. Repeat as many times as you have tickets on a sheet until you have enough columns as you do tickets on a sheet. Save as Tab deliminated text and bring into data merge on an imposed sheet. Data merge should be able to build you a document easily with as many sheets as you need and on a 1 knife trimmer you should have neatly stacked tickets in order.

[Guest]

This is all helpful, but I still have yet to get it to work. I am printing them on one of our Xerox 700 Digital Presses, I will be cutting them with a shear cutter. Our main work is Large/Grand format digital printing.

I have 12 tickets up, and 1667 sheets. I have done numbering before, but they were 1 thru 12 on sheet one and had to be hand sorted. But that was 3,000 tickets. I have 4 versions of 20,000 for 80,000 this time.

I have the .csv file created, with all the numbers in it, 12 columns, 1667 rows. I am not sure if I did the labeling correctly, or exactly what to do to merge it.

Any more tips on what I am missing would be great.

Thank you.

[Peter Spier]

You only need to answer once . All responses are posted on the web and go to all who are subscribed.

Did you remember to add a row and the field labels to your file? They need to be in the first record...

[Jeffrey_Smith]

727Designs wrote:

I am printing them on one of our Xerox 700 Digital Presses

What is the DFE or RIP to this device? I bet it is either an EFI or Creo and probaly has cut and stack imposition.

[macinbytes]

you need to put in a heading row. just do A B C D…etc and make another row directly below it that is A1 A2 A3 etc for dummy numbers. That 2nd row can be your first sheet and let what I affectionately refer to as "cutterboy" do his/her setup.

Then just assign each of the letters to where you want in the layout. You will see <<A>> <<B>> in each of the spots where the letters are. when you do you merge make sure that you have the page as the sheet size that you are using and do not use multiple records per sheet.

All the remaining pages should pop off just how you want it. If you continue to have issues and want me to look at it you can pm me a link to the file and i'll steer you in the right direction. You are 95% of the way there.

[Chiefs420]

HOLY COW!!!!! That's exactly what I've been after for a year now. TAB DELIMITED, not CSV. Worked like a champ!!! Please accept my thanks from 8 years in the future

[cprsc_nm]

Thank you!

[Colin Flashman]

I have also prepared a script that assists with cut and stack style impositions and numbering. Have a look at this video to see the technique in action: Episode 9: Cut and Stack Assistant script - YouTube

[Quite_CJ]

Quite Imposing Plus does Cut Stacks and Double cut stacks.

Check out our tech sheets on the subject at www.quite.com/imposing/techsheet

Just go to Shuffle pages for imposing...

Put in a group of 12

And a RULE of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

then do n-up pages.

Here is a temporary number to test drive us live:
Quite Imposing Plus
  Expires end 11/2010  Serial 4626-8727-8912-4682  Code 6456

cheers,

Charles

Charles James

Technical/Marketing Director

Quite

USA

858.581.9143

charles@quite.com

help@quite.com

www.quite.com

[seuzo-kBgjTJ]

The same problem gets into the news also in Japanese Blogs now.

I wrote a Script :

http://d.hatena.ne.jp/seuzo/20101029/1288287509

1. Select target Text Frames on Master Page.

2. Run the Script.

3. Input start and end number.

[chriscctx]

The easiest way to number would be to use the data merge function in indesign. This will require a data merge file. One of the easiest to use is Number-Pro.

It can be found at http://www.number-pro.com

This application can create a data merge file quickly that can be used with Indesign's data merge function. You can check out the video tutorial on there website. Hope this helps.

[joet082964]

I have been through this exact scenario.  It's a pain unless you can impose them for north-south stacking and cutting.  I ended up having a local printer impose my single-page files, then send me a print quality PDF at my desired page size, then we printed them, and sent them back to the printer to cut.  Worked like a charm and I didn't week trying to make it work.

Granted, this has to be a printer you have a good relationship with as you are basically cutting them out of the place they make money - paper and printing.

Let technology work for you. 🙂