Badges / Multiples

You can create badges, which are duplicates of a design, where new text can be substituted into each badge from a text file.

Variable Data Wizard

Creating Badges

1. Create an initial design with graphics and text objects.
   
   Note: Do not group text objects and ensure text is not converted to line art.
2. Prepare a text data file with the variable information for your badges and save as a .txt file.
3. Create the badges using Layout > Badges, using the Badge Setup dialog table as guidance.
4. Choose the substitute text using the Replacement data file checkbox and locate the .txt file.
5. Highlight the variable text in the Replacement items / text field.
6. Enter all other selections in the Badge Setup dialog (see below) and click OK.
   If you selected one or more text fields, the Text Substitution dialog appears.
7. Once all data is entered and serialized, click OK again to create the badges.

Editing Data in the Text Substitution dialog

1. To select column content, click the column header.
2. To edit the data, use the following functions:
   

   Function Commands

   Shortcuts
   F2	Copy selected cells
   F3	Paste selected cells
   F4	Cut selected cells
   F5	Delete selected cells

   
   The Text Subsitution dialogue also contains a "Clear Row" button. This works while at least one row is selected. Multiple rows can be cleared at once by using shift +click to select additional rows. The row itself is not deleted, only the contents of the row are removed.
   
   
3. Click Serialization.
   The Serialize dialog appears.

Serializing a column

1. Enter a Start value (default is initial data).
2. Define the Increment and Repeat value.
3. Select an option to define the series as numeric or alphabetic.
4. Click Set as Base.
   The variable text portion is highlighted.
5. Click OK.
   The Text Substitution dialog is updated and column data is serialized.

Repeats

The repeat option in the text substitution window allows users to repeat each substitution a specified number of times. To repeat data in the text substitution window, select the cell(s) with the data you would like to repeat. Once selected, navigate to the repeat box, and enter the desired number of repeats. Press the Enter key while still in the repeat value box, and the selected cell(s) will be repeated accordingly.

Any data below the repeated cells are shifted down to accommodate for the repeated data. The repeat cannot exceed the number of copies specified in badges setup window.

The example above has the number of copies set to 10. When repeat 4 is used for each cell, the last set gets cut to 2 as it cannot exceed the total number of badges.

Repeats can also be applied to entire columns or rows. Simply select the desired columns or rows (shift + clicking each desired row or column), and then apply the repeats the same as before.

Badge Setup Dialog

Badge Setup Dialog

Use the table to configure
Number of copies
Max copies per page
Drop-down list	Select crop marks or lines.
Use plate
Color
Blank
Custom size
Height
Width
Top margin
Left margin
Bottom margin
Right margin
Spacing
Vertical
Horizontal
Replaceable items and text
(highlight text to be changed)	Select variable text.
Create Clones	When enabled, each created badge is a clone of the original object selected for the badge process. See Clones for additional information.
Group each badge	Enable badge grouping.
Page preview
Position radio buttons	Select a starting position for badge arrangement.
Horizontal	Enable horizontal layout.
Replacement data file	Enable a replacement file.
Blank field	Enter the file path, or use the Browse button.
Data drop-down	Select the delimiting character of the data file.
Total number of pages	Enter a value.

 

Page control

Use the buttons at the bottom of the workspace to move between pages after creating badges.

Page 0 is the default workspace. When there are multiple pages, objects on Page 0 are visible on all pages.

Click to add, collapse, or delete pages.

Note: When collapsing pages, the offset value is in addition to the size of the blank (offset = blank size + offset value).

Note: If you have selected Do not allow page 0 objects to be modified on other pages on the General Options tab of the General Preferences dialog, page 0 objects are locked on other pages.