Variable data in Quark 6.5???

[jessica85]

Hi everyone.

My friends and I have compiled a 5000 name mailing list for the club we work at and want to print personalized postcards from Quark 6.5 on a Mac. I found programs like DesignMerge and PrintShop Mail but they cost $1000-$5000! Does anyone know an easier or cheaper method to print variable data in Quark 6.5?

I would be very grateful to anyone who can help me.

Thank you!

 

[IMacQuarker]

Hi jessica85
Where is this data stored now? and what does it consist of?
You could use FileMaker Pro to set up and export that data into Quark.
I can use FileMaker to set up a form possibly for one side of your postcard such as: Hello (Name Here) etc. and spit out 5,000 pages for that, then the other side could have the fields for Name, Street, City, State, Zip or whatever.
Also it may be that Appleworks could organize and export that data.
If you get FileMaker and need help setting up the fields for the data come back and ask.
Hope this helps
IMacQuarker

 

[blueark]

Are you printing them yourself? I wouldn't advise it. I'd suggest just save your data as a tab-delimited text file, put some placeholder text in your Quark document, and send both files to a digital printer. Most of them can merge the data for you using their own software if you instruct them where you want the fields to go.

Alternatively, you could give QuarkXClusive a go, as it's free:

http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/23361

However, I would recommend that you talk to a professional printer who will advise you accordingly. It's more efficient to RIP a single Quark file and personalise it on press than it is to RIP a 5000 page file!

 

[jessica85]

Well, I already have the list in an Excel spreadsheet and I saved it as a CSV file to be imported into Quark. The variable info is the name and address which will be used for a greeting on the front and the mailing info on the back. I'm not familiar with FileMaker but I'd be willing to use it. Is it for creating a database or for page layout?

I set the cards 8-up on an 11x17 layout which we will print to our copier. We'll be doing these on a steady basis which is why I hope to do these myself. We are willing to invest but not the expense of the programs I mentioned.

I tried QuarkXclusive but isn't it only compatible with Indigo? And exporting to a multi-page pdf from it takes forever!

 

[blueark]

Yep, Indigo only, other than the PDF option. You could leave it run overnight I suppose, or in sections, but if you're doing it yourself, it's less than ideal (although the price is right!).

FileMaker is a database program. You may be able to write an AppleScript to import the data, either from Excel, FileMaker or a text file, but it's a very difficult thing to do.

Personally, I'd never do a job like this in house any more. It usually looks unprofessional, takes forever, and costs more than you think. If nothing goes wrong (which it will!), it's 625 sheets of postcard stock, enough ink to print them, and then having to cut them all out afterwards, not to mention your own time. Shop around, and a you'll get someone to turn the whole job around in about a day or two for $250-300.

 

[IMacQuarker]

Hi jessica85
FileMaker Pro can be set up to export data to QuarkXpress 6.5 using QuarkXpress tags to format the text as it is imported into Quark. However it is not extremely simple and easy to do.
I see several problems with your 8 up setup.
If one side has a message like Hello (Name from Data base) etc. and the other side has the address for that Name then you would have to print 625 sheets then turn over and print again to back up and hoping that your printer does not mess up.
Also your first layout would be from left to right and down and your second layout would be from right to left in order to back up correctlly when the sheets are flipped over.
Another thing is if you use prepaid postage for your postal discount then you might have to sort the postcards according to zip code and that would be hard to keep track of if they are 8 up.
Your best bet might be to print them 1 up on the exact size card, and you might be able to get a decent printer for a couple hundred $ to do that.
Come back and let me know how this works out. or if you need more help
Hope this helps
IMacQuarker

 

[jmgalvin]

I thingk you're going a little overboard here. WE used to have to do similar work, but only running about 2-400 cards.

We used the database function of Appleworks (and Clarisworks before it) for the adresses which we would import from Excel (that's how we got the list) using Maclink Plus.

Then we'd use the word processing with a mail merge (for the names and adressess). The word processing function supports insertion of images (as does Word) so you can use them if necessary. If you're on a mac, you might have Appleworks, but you can do the same thing - mail merge - with Word and Excel.

We just ran them off on and Epson inkjet. We used single white postcards and just reinserted for the other side. They had to be hand stamped because we were using a decorative stamp. They came out great. These were professional and actully went to editors and reporters at glossy mags and newspapers. We also did short run invitations (same group of recipients) using Appleworks.

Unless you're printing to a high end postscript printer, Quark or any other page layout app isn't going to help you much.



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