There is a better way – InDesign scripting! T+S developed a custom InDesign extension to connect Adobe InDesign directly to Microsoft Dynamics NAV. The custom InDesign extension allows graphic designers to build up weekly advertisements faster and flawlessly with up-to-date prices, product images, and article descriptions on page templates for a more uniform look.

Using the extension, the graphic designer logs in to a web service that accesses a Microsoft Dynamics NAV database. The panel in the extension immediately displays current and released article images, article prices, and article descriptions. After choosing a campaign, the designer can drag and drop the displayed prices, images, and descriptions directly from the panel into predefined templates in the InDesign document. The sales circular is thus built up rapidly and uniformly using current material approved for publication.

The graphic designer can choose to place article data on preformatted model pages or drag and drop article images and accompanying text onto initially empty pages. Alternatively, models for articles, fetched from libraries, can be inserted onto pages and then modified with prices, images, and text as needed.

This extension has enormously simplified and accelerated the creation of weekly ads. The error rate has also plummeted.

Prices are always up to date and approved for advertising production. Previews are loaded and displayed for images. Defined main images are played automatically. The graphic designer simply drags additional images onto the pages as desired.

If a quick last-minute price update is needed, via a switch, the designer determines which information is to be transferred from Microsoft Dynamics NAV during the update. Prices can be updated with even more recent prices shortly before printing without overwriting manual text adjustments of the article description.