When beginning your next variable data printing project, your printer will ask for your database in a “comma or tab delimited” format. The terms refer to the way that your database will be exported.
There are many brands of database software. Because most databases can export and import comma delimited format or tab delimited format, these formats are commonly accepted ways of exporting or saving database records between two different companies’ databases.
What does a comma or tab delimited format look like?
Simply put, it is a digital file where each piece of data is separated by a comma or a tab. The comma or tab tells the computer where one field stops and a new one starts. Each related set of records is on a separate line in a comma or tab delimited text file. Here’s an example of a comma delimited format:
Smith, Joe, ABC Corp, 1 Main Street, Richmond, Virginia, 23236
Jefferson, Thomas, Monticello, Post Office Box 316, Charlottesville, Virginia, 22902
As you can see in the above example, each piece of data is presented with a comma behind it: Last Name, First Name, Company, Street Address, City, State, Zip.
When your printer prepares your variable data job for printing, it will link the data from the comma or tab delimited database to the areas in your page layout document where you want the data to be displayed.
Am I limited to using just text?
No. You are not limited to just text, you can also import images. All you need to do is include the name of the image in the data string. Here’s an example of what this would look like:
Smith, Joe, ABC Corp, 1 Main Street, Richmond, Virginia, 23236, citylogo.tif
Jefferson, Thomas, Monticello, Post Office Box 316, Charlottesville, Virginia, 22902, countrylogo.tif
How do I prepare and export my comma or tab delimited format?
Most database programs have a built in exporting process that will walk you through the necessary steps of defining the fields that will be exported and indicating if the data is tab or comma delimited.
