How can I use DataMerge, multirecord, and double sided?

[mmower]

Hi.

I am trying to understand how I can use DataMerge to print 24 double-sided cards. While I am prototyping I am printing them at home on my Laserjet M252dw. Once I have a 'final' set I will be sending them to a printer.

The cards are for use as part of a business system I've created called ASPECT. Right now there are 24 cards and I'm using DataMerge to populate the front-face. This gives me a 3x4 layout across two pages.

Now I want to move to double-sided and I hit a snag as the multi-record doesn't appear to do double-sided. I can use single-record but it seems very wasteful to use 22 extra sheets of paper for each test run.

However my understanding is that there is maybe a way although I am not sure if I have misunderstood.

What I think is the solution is to have two InDesign "master" documents. Let's call them front and back. Each document has an identically sized card layout but using different DataMerge variables respectively. Then use multi-record DataMerge on front to create a new document front-sheet with a 2-page 3x4 layout for the card fronts. Then I DataMerge back to create back-sheet with a 2-page 3x4 layout for the card backs. Now I "interleave" front-sheet and back-sheet to produce a final document merged-sheet that is composed of:

front-sheet/page1 back-sheet/page1 front-sheet/page2 back-sheet/page2

Such that when I print merged-sheet I get the cards printed double-sided with the correct content on each face.

Have I understood the process correctly?

If I have, my understanding is that the interleave is possible using an InDesign script. Is that right?

Thanks in advance.

Matt

[Abambo]

Up to my understanding, the data-merge feature is very basic. If you need a full-fledged application for database publishing, I would think to look into more complex packages. You will, at least, need to do some scripting yourself.

[Loic.Aigon]

It depends on what will stand on the back. Is it something static or does it host customized data too ? Abambo​ is right to point the limitations of InDesign's datamerge engine but you could always find a way to cheat and get the job done.

However I feel like you may be overcomplicating stuff here. Just datamerge front and back aside (given the backs host dynamic data) and let the printer know that they are related.

Or if it's static, just output one back file and let the printer know the back has to be used for every single card.

Or just get in touch with the printer at first and see what suits him best. When I was a designer and did business cards for my company staff, I just generateds two PDFs, one for the fronts with customized infos and one with the back and…let the printer know.

Never got any issues.

[mmower]

Both sides are dynamic. Solving the problem when I get to a printer is, as you say, probably not a problem.

My problem is that while I am still in the prototyping process I need to print these myself and don't want to waste a lot of paper.

Does the approach I have outlined sound like it would work, if I can solve the technical challenge?

Thanks.

Matt

[mmower]

Right, but will the approach I have outlined work? Even assuming I have to do the scripting myself.

[Loic.Aigon]

What you can do for prototyping is creating a group with front and back so they are on same page. You can do so they are collated by the edge. Then you merge on one page and once printed, you can fold the sheet to have a feeling.

[mmower]

That's a helpful suggestion, thanks, unfortunately I am prototyping with real customers and while I am happy for them to play with something home printed I'm not comfortable with a folded card.

I guess I will just have to learn this one myself and see if I can either find, or write, a script to do the interleave.

[Loic.Aigon]

Pretty certain Acrobat allows that but will double check.

[joet082964]

Two separate ideas here, I think.

1. For your prototyping, your plan should work, granted there aren't too many pages to mess with. Manually interleaving those could be cumbersome.
2. Are your records set up as front/back/front/back, or all fronts then all backs? For your final output, either can work easily by creating either single-, or multi-record pages, and letting the printer handle imposition, with your instruction.

[mmower]

At this point I can get them into two sheets per face, the next version will be a little bigger and a few more cards so probably 3 sheets per face.

At the moment I only have a single face so I have a single InDesign card template that I'm using multi-record DataMerge on.

I need to add the second face (card back) now and that's where I am right now. So I think I am going to make a copy of my front-face document and design the back face on that. DataMerge both of those and start experimenting with interleaving.

I've seen a couple of InDesign scripts that seem to handle page interleaving. I could it it manually but its definitely going to cumbersome and slow me down. Of course writing the script could take some time but it feels like a more useful approach

Thanks.

Matt

[Abambo]

For only a few pages, I suggest shuffling the pages after creation in Acrobat.

[mmower]

Abambo​​ that's a reasonable suggestion given I'm probably talking about 6 pages, I guess Preview will let me do that. Thanks.