Creating Files for Personalized, Variable Printing

In digital printing, variable or personalized messages can be created using color
in text or by interchanging variable images. The process is simple:

1. Create a print ready file.
2. Indicate on a hard copy print which elements will be
   variable.
3. Supply a database (basic excel .csv
   file) of names or images.

Velocity’s
variable print experts will do the rest. We’ll create the file that changes the
type or image for each name in your database prior to printing. This process is
much like a simple mail merge in a Microsoft Word file.

Some design concerns to consider:

• The use of a person’s name within text will be of
  variable length, therefore the placement will affect sentence or line
  length. If the name is long, the paragraph may overflow, so you may want
  the name to be on its own line or leave room for overflow in you design.


• Letters within one field, word or name from the
  database should be in the same color.

Example: JIM would not be possible unless every letter of every
name in the database was in its own field or cell.

• The database should contain each name in a single
  field and be created just as if it were a mailing list file.
• Images can be variable and placed just as a name
  would by linking an image file name in the database to a name. We’ll do
  that for you!
• Variable
  words created with Photoshop effects are possible, but require special
  setup on our end. Use of Photoshop effects should be reviewed on a
  case-by-case basis.