How to Automate Layouts with Data in InDesign
Learn how to take data from a source file and automate a layout in your next InDesign project.

In this InDesign video, Julie Shaffer shows how to take data from a source file and automate a layout in her InDesign project. She constructs and fills out a sample of the design then—using InDesign’s data merge function—sets the data to populate that design. Julie is able to set text with styling, put image frames in place, drag and drop data placeholders, then she puts the automation in motion.
This video is an excerpt from Julie’s “Turning Data Into Design” session at CreativePro Week 2022.
This article was last modified on August 29, 2025
This article was first published on October 16, 2022