Variable data in the sand

[aaroncorson]

Is there any way to do variable text so that it looks like it was spelled in the sand? Like if I was to spell my name with my finger in the sand? Can this be done with fusion desktop? Thank you!

[invaricconsulting]

I've seen two examples of this being done with FusionPro however it's not currently a feature that is built into the product, so you would need to create all of your letters in a program like Photoshop, make sure they all blend seemlessly into your background, then use some JavaScript to display the appropriate letters/images.

[-Lisa-]

There are programs out there such as XMPie that can do this. I'm not too sure how they integrate with Printable but I do believe they can be integrated.

[mhilger]

There are a couple of ways to achieve this type of output which we call "Image Personalization".

 

One option is to create all the letters in the alphabet in a program like PhotoShop. These can then be treated as variable graphics in FusionPro with some JavaScript to return them. This method is decently effective but there can be a big up-front cost in making the alphabet.

 

A better option is to look at using a package that specializes in Image Personalization and use that in conjunction with FusionPro. Printable is partnered with a company called DirectSmile that makes such a package. Unlike Photoshop plug-ins, DirectSmile was built from the ground-up to specifically create these personalized images. It's the same approach we have taken with our VDP products (we have our own VDP engine instead of hijacking InDesign or Quark's engine to make the output).

 

With DirectSmile, you create a template that's referred to as an Imageset. With this imageset, then, you can associate a database and output a series of personalized images. These personalized images are then associated with FusionPro as variable graphics.

 

This 2-step workflow (make personalized images first and then merge with FusionPro) is described in a document we created which can be found here:

 

http://forums.printable.com/showthread.php?t=40

 

Also, check out DirectSmile's website which has additional info as well as a free downloadable eval version of their CreatorPro package. This is a fully functional eval that will produce watermarked output.

 

http://directsmile.de/index.php?id=253