Variable data printing
One print design fed by a data file so every copy can carry a different name, image, offer, address, barcode, or QR code.
See it
What it is
Variable data printing uses one layout plus a data source to produce a different version for every record. Names, offers, images, addresses, barcodes, and QR codes can all change while the fixed design stays put. Adobe InDesign Data Merge is the familiar entry point; production systems such as XMPie add rules and conditional content.
Reach for it when a mailing, ticket run, certificate batch, or label job needs individual content without building hundreds of files by hand. A clean CSV and stable asset filenames matter as much as the template.
Gotcha: the shortest record is not the test case. Long names can overflow, empty fields can leave stray punctuation, and one broken image path can repeat across a whole run. Proof the extremes, validate every generated barcode or QR code, and keep personal data out of shared proof files.
Ask AI for it
Build this personalized postcard as an Adobe InDesign Data Merge template driven by a UTF-8 CSV. Map FirstName, Offer, and Address as text placeholders, and name the image columns @ImagePath and @QRImage so Data Merge places files instead of printing their paths. Pre-generate one QR PNG per record at ISO/IEC 18004 error-correction level M and reference it from @QRImage. Set Records per Document Page to Single Record, set Fitting to Fit Images Proportionally, add a fallback for empty names and offers, flag overset text, and export one print-ready PDF with bleed.