Xara doesn't have this feature - any workaround?

[hissho]

Hi all,
New to this forum. Actually just registered. Found it when researching if there's any solution to a particular problem I'm facing:
I'm ready to buy "Xara designer pro x10" but after double-checking with Xara, I won't be able to do what's shown in the following two websites using Xara:
http://www.richmediacs.com/user_manu..._EXTERNAL.html
http://onwired.com/901/

Basically I want to be able to pump out many banners as fast as possible once the basic design has been done.

Is Photoshop my only option in this case?

Would be great if anyone could show me a work-around using Xara designer pro X10...

even if that's not possible, would it be possible to use Xara to do the banner design, and export it to Photoshop to do the trick (pumping out many banners with different headlines, images, call-to-actions etc) using datasets?

any help would be much appreciated!

[pauland]

Xara doesn't do data-merge type operations.

Nothing stopping you creating artwork in Xara and using that with data merge in photoshop.

I doubt that anyone on the forum is pumping out banners as fast as possible. Good job too.

[hissho]

thanks. It's just for the purpose of efficiency...it's just way too time-consuming to do it manually one by one...

I even asked Xara support if I can create the artwork in Xara and export it to Photoshop and then do the magic in PS. Reply was I better export it in pdf instead of PSD format.

here's the new question: would I still be able to do the magic in PS if the exported file from Xara is pdf instead of PSD file?

Xara doesn't do data-merge type operations.

Nothing stopping you creating artwork in Xara and using that with data merge in photoshop.

I doubt that anyone on the forum is pumping out banners as fast as possible. Good job too.

[pauland]

I think once PS imports artwork then the format is immaterial.

[Egg Bramhill]

Welcome hissho. I'm not sure what you mean by

Basically I want to be able to pump out many banners as fast as possible once the basic design has been done

but it is possible to link Xara to a spreadsheet via placeholders in a certain manner, but I don't know whether this meets your needs.
http://parkeston.com/!database-idea/index.htm

[Scotty]

Hi,
I have also manged to create a a similar idea as 'Egg" by using comma d eliminated(sp) file. but not the images. I was wondering how he got that in his sample. I did it for my own curiosity tho' and it only had fifty names.
Jim
p.s made a comma delinate text file for the experiment.

[Albacore]

If I was in your shoes I would use a DTP programme. There's a few free one that you can use and my favourite to do any mail/photo merge is Serif's PagePlus X8 which you can buy for £45. Over the phone this could be bought cheaper if you hummed and hawed at bit over buying the product any way you can get your money back within 30 days if you want. Although it has a GU that's a bit clunky but with a rock solid import/export of PDF's and it has the ability to design in either RGB or CMYK how can you go wrong. It's certain cheaper than any Adobe products that you could do that in.

[pauland]

If I understand the OP correctly:

He wants to feed text to a graphics program and have that text transformed to the appropriate style and with effects applied, then the graphics are spat out as an image. This is repeated multiple times.

So, he creates a text/CSV file cranks up the graphics program and voila, 50 banner images appear, correctly sized.

I would think PS does this with actions automating the process.

Can anything else do this? An import from Xara won't and I'm not sure that a desktop publisher will.

[theinonen]

Like Albacore suggested, I would also use DTP software for something like that.

Mail Merge should do it just fine and besides of text should also handle images when used with referenced pictures.

[hissho]

thanks everyone for offering your kind help.

Sorry I didn't put it clearly in my original post so I'll try to explain it better here.

this is what I'm trying to do: design a layout template and then create different variations of it and the end result is dozens of banners in jpg or png format (not PDF).

e.g.
I've decided the following as my layout template:
---use light blue as the background
---there's a headline on the top (maximum 60 characters)
---under the headline there's a hero image on the left and three bullet points and short lines on the right
---under the hero image and bullet points there's a call-to-action button such as "click here now"

By variations, I meant each of these "elements" has a few different versions. There're four versions for the headline, 3 hero images to be used, slightly different copies for the bullet points and different words for the CTA button.

Let's take auto insurance for illustration...
Different versions for the headline:
1) "Just bought a new car?"
2) "Special deals for new car owners"
etc

and different versions of CTA button:
1) "click here now"
2) "find out more"
3) "more info"
etc etc I guess you've got the gist...

The end result I want is dozens of banners (of the same size, e.g. 300x250px) made of different combinations of the "elements" in jpg or png format.

It would take too long and cost too much if it's done manually one by one.

Seems Photoshop can do this (as shown in the links I included in my first post) and I'd like to know if Xara can do this as well.

In the case that Xara can't do it like PS does, would I be able to get the basic layout template done in Xara and then export it to Photoshop and do the efficient job there?

Hopefully I've explained my questions clearly this time. I'm not a professional in this field so my apologies if I did a poor job again in explaining everything.

Any help would be much appreciated!!