Variable Data Printing

With this node you can execute VDP.

It has the following configuration options:

Input file: here you can define the VDP input file that was prepared in PACKZ and linked with variable elements. This can be a 1up file or a Step&Repeat file. Select the pencil to open Expression Builder.
Note: See the PACKZ manual for more information about Prepare VDP.

Database Settings

Override CSV file: here you can define a CSV file in case you want to override the CSV file that is linked to the single design.
Assets folder: here you can define a folder that contains resources that are used in VDP. For example external PDF files, external images...

Divide Parameters

Start from Item: here you can define from which record onwards you want to generate output files.
Number of Output Items: here you can define the number of records you want to output. If the number is higher than the number of items (records in the database), blank pages/documents will be generated.
Create: here you can define the type of file you want to create. Options:
- Single File: if you select this option, each record will exist as a separate page in a multipage PDF.
- Multiple Files: if you select this option, each record will be output as a single PDF file.
- Multipage Multiple Files: if you select this option, multiple multipage files are generated, based on the number you enter in the parameter Split document after page count.
- Single File Part: if you select this option, the output result will be similar to the result in case you select Single File, but the output is divided into parts, which allows you to perform parallel processing. See Calculate only for more information. Make sure to use the Join Pages node later to join the PDF files again.
  - Divide Document Into Parts: here you can define in how many parts the output file will be divided? For efficiency reasons, this value should be the number of PACKZFLOW workers that are available for VDP execution.
    Example
    There are 4 PACKZFLOW workers available. The Repeat node creates 4 workables (this can be variable) and the output file is divided into 4 parts. This means that every workable will do an execution task. Consequently, for a 1up file with 400 records, every workable will do execution of 100 records.
  - Select part index to output: here you can define the part index. This will be the variable repeat.index, since every workable needs to have a different task, they cannot output the same records.

See Partitioning VDP for an example and more detailed information on this topic.

Settings

Calculate Only: if you select this checkbox, the Variable Data Printing node will not execute the VDP, but you will get information about the output VDP. The node will create a variable that contains information about the number of items in the database and number of pages that are going to be output for the full database. See Calculate only for more detailed information about this parameter.
Output Results to Variable Name: here you can define the variable name that will output the values that you can use to create your parallel execution.
Max Concurrent Workers: here you can define a maximum number of concurrent workers that are used to output the VDP file.

Fill Parameters

Output Method: here you can select how the VDP items are organized on the output file. Options:
- From file: if you select this option, the node will use the parameters that you defined in the PDF file in Prepare VDP window in Packz.
- Sheet fed: if you select this option, the output is organized by sheets called frames.
  - Start: here you can define the start of the sheets. Options:
    - Top to Bottom: if you select this option, the first printed sheet is the start of the database records. This means that the sheets that go on top will have higher numbers. The top one will have the highest record number.
    - Bottom to Top: if you select this option, the first printed frame will contain the last records. Consequently, the top of the printed stack will contain the first record.
  - Item Start: here you can define the corner of the frame where the first record will be placed.
  - Item Filling: here you can define the flow direction of the subsequent records.
  - Priority: here you can define the fill priority. Options:
    - Horizontal: if you select this option, the subsequent records will first fill one frame, and then the next frame.
    - Vertical: if you select this option, the subsequent records run throughout all frames in one vertical column.
- Web fed: if you select this option, the output is organized by blocks, a continuous roll containing a selected number of rows.
  - Block size: here you can define the size of one block.
    Note: This number does not have to be equal to the number of vertical repetitions in your Step&Repeat page. A block is seen independently from your current page. A block can contain multiple pages.
    Options:
    - Complete Job: if you select this option, the number of rows is automatically determined by the number of records in the database.
    - Rows: if you select this option, you can define the number of rows in one block in the number field on the right.
      - Gap between Blocks: here you can define the number of empty rows between the blocks.
      - Start: here you can define the start of the blocks. Options:
        
        Top to Bottom: if you select this option, the first printed block is the start of the database records. This means that the blocks that go on top will have higher numbers. The top one will have the highest record number.
        
        Bottom to Top: if you select this option, the first printed block will contain the last records. Consequently, the top of the printed roll will contain the first record.
  - Item Start: here you can define the corner of the block where the first record will be placed.
  - Item Filling: here you can define the flow direction of the subsequent records.

Output: here you can define the output path. Select the pencil to open Expression Builder.