darrenfry Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 Hi All Just wondering if anyone know of some software for easily creating PDF files (or similar) from a selection of database records? Basically we want a database of our products with price info, photos, descriptions etc. We can then select the relevant items and create a nice looking, branded PDF file for emailing out to clients. Yes we could just make them up each time from templates etc but a database and selection method would be much quicker. I guess it wouldn't be too costly to get this created by a software company but surely there is something out there for this purpose.... although I am struggling to find anything on google! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IRW Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 Hi All Just wondering if anyone know of some software for easily creating PDF files (or similar) from a selection of database records? Basically we want a database of our products with price info, photos, descriptions etc. We can then select the relevant items and create a nice looking, branded PDF file for emailing out to clients. Yes we could just make them up each time from templates etc but a database and selection method would be much quicker. I guess it wouldn't be too costly to get this created by a software company but surely there is something out there for this purpose.... although I am struggling to find anything on google! Thanks! If you are already using a database, can you not simply create a series of reports displaying the relevant records in a nicely presented way? I've not done much work in Access for a while, but back in the day I'm sure I could have produced something like this quite easily! Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ynot Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 Not sure if this will do what you want, but wouldn't a bespoke pdf creator work?I use CutePDF whenever I need to do that - it basically sets up Cute as a virtual printer on your PC so if you tell it to 'print' to that option it gives you a 'save as pdf' window. And it's free :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 IIRC, the design house I used to use for catalogue design used Quark Xpress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mac.calder Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 I would look into Crystal Reports or Jasper Reports - basically you create a template, link it to the database and it basically does a "mail merge" type effect and will render out your data. It is not for the faint of heart though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart91 Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 Filemaker Pro has layout tools that would make something like this reasonably simple to pull off. It has its limitations though. Maybe worth downloading a demo and having a play around? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alistermorton Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 Is there already an existing database, or is this a blue sky project? If there's already an existing database it might limit the report generation options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrenfry Posted October 24, 2014 Author Share Posted October 24, 2014 Thanks all! No current usable database - which s both good and bad! I have discovered a world of catalog creators on the net which looks promising. Ian - We could go down the access road, however I don't really have the time to sit down and start re-learning my basic knowledge and setting up brochure templates! It is also to be used by a group of other less computer literate people so a nice, simple piece of software should be a bit more user friendly. I will check out the one that Brian mentioned now. http://www.blue-room.org.uk/public/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 ...used by a group of other less computer literate people so a nice, simple piece of software should be a bit more user friendly...I will check out the one that Brian mentioned now. I'll save you the trouble... Quark Xpress is a serious high-end piece of software; it's not the sort of thing you just use after a couple of hours playing with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junior8 Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 Serif Page Plus does everything most people need at a fraction of Qwark prices including producing cmyk PDFs if required. You can download a free trial version at their website. It is very easy to learn and imo should be the package of choice for the small business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.