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VDP Booklet Mailer - Multiple Records, Multiple Addresses - Solution?


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We have a variable data project we're about to embark on, and I'm wondering if there's an easier solution... Here goes...

 

The job is a 28-page booklet for 200-some different insurance agents. Each agent then has a list of people to which they will be sending the booklets. Is there a way I can compose ONCE, chunking the files by insurance agent and their mail to addresses? Or, do I manually have to compose 200-some times, switching out the data input file each time?

 

I've searched through the forums and found some similar solutions:

 

"25 Different Versions" - http://forums.printable.com/showthread.php?t=1168

 

"External Data File Sample - Very Simple Statement" - http://forums.printable.com/showthread.php?p=1247

 

The "25 Different Versions" solution seems doable, however, if I have 200 different agents for a 28 page booklet, that's 5600 pages I'll have to create in my template. :(.

 

The "External Data File Sample - Very Simple Statement" solution also seems viable, however I'm just not sure how I'd compose to different files. I'm certain each agent will have a different number of addresses to send to, so "Output to multiple files" and specifying a number won't work. Well, it will, but not as I'd need it to.

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We're working on adding support for grouping variable numbers of output records into multiple output files (we call this "arbitrary chunking" internally) for FusionPro 8, for exactly this kind of job. This will also allow arbitrary stack sizes for imposed jobs. But the new version won't be available for a least a month, and unfortunately, there's no easy way to do this kind of thing now.
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Ah, bummer. At least I'll be kept occupied, manually composing the files :D

 

And that's good to know "arbitrary chunking" is in the pipes... I can imagine that ability will be very beneficial to a lot of folks.

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If each book has no variable, I would say it comes down to your time and the presses time for ripping each AGENT's book qty.

 

We just did a similar project. Around 250 agents with over 4,000 books.

 

-Printed the 4,000 books

 

-GROUPED the records in excel to show the QTY for each agent. Extremely easy to do in 2007 Office.

 

-Hand Bindery has the Grouped Records excel data file PRINT-OUT to show them how many books go with each group(or in your case, each agent).

 

-Shipping gets a file with each AGENT's address to print the FedEx labels out and checks qty. against printed out data list.

 

If you have a pretty big hand bindery dept. to put the correct qty of BOOKS in shipping boxes for each agent, I would go that route.

 

If you need clarification on the Excel Grouping feature, let me know.

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Is each agent getting ALL of their clients books shipped to them?

 

I'm actually not sure if we're handling the mailing to the Agents' lists, or if we're mailing in bulk to each Agent.

 

So each agent has different QTY.'s depending on their client list, correct?

 

Correct.

 

What is variable on the printed piece?

 

There are a few pages with Agent contact info, and a couple pages that either do or do not feature the Agent's head shot with their signature. One of the pages itself is also variable, depending on whether or not the headshot appears. The back of the booklet also has an Agent's client's mailing address on it.

 

If each book has no variable, I would say it comes down to your time and the presses time for ripping each AGENT's book qty.

 

We just did a similar project. Around 250 agents with over 4,000 books.

 

-Printed the 4,000 books

 

-GROUPED the records in excel to show the QTY for each agent. Extremely easy to do in 2007 Office.

 

-Hand Bindery has the Grouped Records excel data file PRINT-OUT to show them how many books go with each group(or in your case, each agent).

 

-Shipping gets a file with each AGENT's address to print the FedEx labels out and checks qty. against printed out data list.

 

If you have a pretty big hand bindery dept. to put the correct qty of BOOKS in shipping boxes for each agent, I would go that route.

 

If you need clarification on the Excel Grouping feature, let me know.

 

Nah, unfortunately each Agent's book is personalized so I don't think this would work. Thanks for the suggestion though!

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Nah, unfortunately each Agent's book is personalized so I don't think this would work. Thanks for the suggestion though!

 

 

If the data file had the agent's info and then in the same row, had the QTY. that needed to be printed for each agent, FusionPro could output the file correctly for each agent.

 

Let me know if you want the code or more clarification?

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If the data file had the agent's info and then in the same row, had the QTY. that needed to be printed for each agent, FusionPro could output the file correctly for each agent.

 

Let me know if you want the code or more clarification?

 

I'm afraid I don't quite grasp it. Could you clarify?

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Is your data file setup similar to what is attached? sample.txt

 

Just seeing if your data file has the qty input that is requested for each agent. If so, FP can output each agent correctly based on the QTY input.

 

It is basically like that, yes. Except that, assuming John Smith and Barb Thomas are Agents, there would be additional columns with mailing addresses. And if John Smith is ordering a quantity of 25, his name would be on the list 25 times, with each instance having a different client mailing address. Does that make sense?

 

You know, as I actually type out my intended approach, it does seem like complicated overkill, haha... But everything is ideally done digitally inline, e.g. we'll have a PDF file for each agent with all their client's addresses already placed. We wouldn't be printing a bunch of flat sheets and then later inkjetting all the info on.

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We wouldn't be printing a bunch of flat sheets and then later inkjetting all the info on.

 

This seems to be a hand bindery(mail match) insert type of job.

 

I would print a sequence number on all corresponding variable print pieces and have hand bindery manual create all the books. I would believe this would be done anyway like this and by you ripping each agent, would just add to the overall tedious time.

 

You could print off the excel document to show bindery where the breaks are and the sequence numbers are for each agent. That way if it gets out of order(jams, mis-placed pages, etc...), bindery has something to go on.

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This seems to be a hand bindery(mail match) insert type of job.

 

I would print a sequence number on all corresponding variable print pieces and have hand bindery manual create all the books. I would believe this would be done anyway like this and by you ripping each agent, would just add to the overall tedious time.

 

You could print off the excel document to show bindery where the breaks are and the sequence numbers are for each agent. That way if it gets out of order(jams, mis-placed pages, etc...), bindery has something to go on.

 

The problem is that we don't........ how do I put this politely.......... we don't often have the most talented individuals in our bindery. Instead, we frequently have temps from a very limited pool who help in our bindery area. So the more I can sort everything from my end and simplify the bindery process, the better off we'll be. We do have a camera system, so using a sequence number for tracking won't be a problem.

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We do have a camera system, so using a sequence number for tracking won't be a problem.

 

 

I hear ya on the bindery.

 

Do you know what camera system you are using(company and setup)?

 

I would be interested in pitching that to our bindery manager to see if that would automate some processes here.

 

Thanks!

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I honestly had nothing to do with the implementation of the camera system, I just know it's a "VIVA Camera System". I searched Google and didn't see anything about it on the first couple of pages, haha. I'll PM you with contact info for the company we purchased from.

 

We purchased the system in preparation for a HUGE [and our very first] variable print job, so we had to learn it basically on the fly. Not the smartest approach, but that's...... Eh, I better leave it at that. Fortunately, the only variable info was an address, IMB code and return address.

 

The job consisted of 1.3 million 16-page books, and I tell ya what, the camera system worked beautifully. I had to break the job into 13 different batches, and each batch was chunked into 500-record PDF files. The system had a single data file (.txt) to which it referenced all 1.3 million records. I'm not sure what the bindery had to do to prep each batch prior to binding, but at the end of each batch, a .txt file containing all missing records (i.e. records not passed through the camera system) would be generated and placed in an easily accessible "rework" folder. I'd then take those .txt files, re-process the missing records, send them to the press and that's it.

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