8 Replies Latest reply: Jan 20, 2011 6:49 PM by mrdior RSS

    Printable gift certificates

    mrdior Community Member

      Is PS4 the best tool for the following job?

       

      I need to generate personalized gift certificates... and aside from the means to automate the process of creating them, I will need to email the certificate to a recipient who will then print them out for use.

       

      It seems easiest to use PS because I know an image will be received as designed. However, I would like the certificate to print crisp / clean (like a vector). Does anyone have any recommendations for resolution / image size that won't result in the gift certificate breaching 500KB, and yet it will still print well?

       

      I guess the alternative is to use AI and export as HTML... but then I'd have to worry about how my HTML would display, in particular, in webmail apps like Gmail, Hotmail, etc. Any recommendations for going the AI route?

       

      B

        • 1. Re: Printable gift certificates
          p taz Community Member

          I would use PDF and keep as vector type etc, if the file is well constructed it will display and print correctly and easily.  I suggest making any 'arty' components as simple as possible (ie minimal transparency) like a flat backdrop then text as vector text on top and best to create pics in photoshop and add text in InDesign and export as PDF maybe experiment with a couple of output settings and that will be the most stable and smallest file, IMHO.

          • 2. Re: Printable gift certificates
            Tom Murray 1 Community Member

            If you have the application Pages (in iWork), use the certificate template and export as a PDF.

            • 3. Re: Printable gift certificates
              mrdior Community Member

              Yes, I have thought of PDF as a possible way to go. Only thing that has stopped me is the fact that the certificate would not be a part of the email body -- visible immediately upon opening. I need to think about this...

               

              RE InDesign... I have it but I've never used it. Why use InDesign instead of lllustrator?

              • 4. Re: Printable gift certificates
                mrdior Community Member

                Thanks Tom. Though not a bad idea (to use iWork), I need to automate the process of generating these certificates. So I will have a CSV file that will need to be read by what ever application I use to create the certificates. I know I can do this with PS. Does anyone know if I can automate InDesign in this way?

                • 5. Re: Printable gift certificates
                  p taz Community Member

                  That is precisely why I leaned to InDesign, it supports data merge easily and exports a mean PDF.

                   

                  If you put the variable data into a form field, it won't show in the email preview but will show in Reader. I think that is the behaviour you are hinting at?

                  • 6. Re: Printable gift certificates
                    mrdior Community Member

                    Thank you p taz. You've inspired me. I will check out InDesign... form fields, data merge and PDF exporting... immediately. If that's the way to go then I'll come back and mark this answered.

                     

                    One more question though... Why not AI?

                    • 7. Re: Printable gift certificates
                      p taz Community Member

                      Yes, it is all pretty easy... not 100% on the form fields, it might even be something you can set in the PDF but I noticed that when I compose a form and email it, some fields don't appear in the preview in emails but appear normally in acrobat reader.  I am sure someone more brainy than me will chime in and tell us... Bob? Dov?

                      • 8. Re: Printable gift certificates
                        mrdior Community Member

                        Actually, I've noticed that as well... the form fields of PDF docs not appearing initialized in the preview (though in OS X's finder). I admit, however, it is a real concern if the certificate appears to be blank in those email clients that preview a 1-page PDF (like Mac Mail). Someone might not even bother opening it, presuming it's corrupted or unusable.

                         

                        I have worked with form fields in Acrobat 9... but not programmatically filling them in automatically and saving.

                         

                        To do this in InDesign or Acrobat... I guess that's another question. And if anyone should have first-hand experience overcoming the PDF preview problem, please share!! It will def. help me determine best path forward.