How to produce PDF from database?

[2001 JI Open Discussion]

By: nick - nikolay_g

How to produce PDF from database?

2005-10-21 09:52

Hi all!

We have a trouble with catalogue printing. On the one hand, we have a paper product catalogue (250 pages); each item in the catalogue is presented in a block containing a picture, text description (5-30 words), and a table with characteristics. All the blocks are of more or less the same type Blocks are presented on the page in 2, 3 or 4 columns. This catalogue is reprinted every quarter, with about 75% of old information and 25% of new. On the other hand, we have a database where all the product details are stored. The database is also updated every quarter for web presentation of the stuff. So, we have to do one and the same job twice: updating the database and updating the files for print in PageMaker, the latter is much more time-consuming than the former. We would like to automate this process. Does anybody know any special software, which can convert the information from the databases into printing format, PDF or something? Or is there any method in PageMaker, Illustrator, Quark or any other publishing software, which allows to update the files for printing automatically from the existing database? We'd like to find a solution, which enables either to export the figures for the tables, pictures and descriptions from the database to the existing blocks, or even to create the new blocks of the same type for the printing page. Do you have any ideas how we can implement automation of this type? Thanks!

 

 

 

By: Pierre - pir_

RE: How to produce PDF from database?

2005-10-26 13:38

Hello,

 

If you can easily use PDF or RTF generated files, to produce you catalogue with PageMaker, then it is not that much complicate to produce such files, with pictures and data coming from a database. it is of course a bit difficult to give you a complete solution, but this can be easily done with java and few libraries (like jasperreport). I am still surprise that PageMaker does not allow you to do it directly from inside the program. Neverless, if you would like to have a hand on this, send me more details on the db and the ouput wanted.

 

Yours.

pir_