Creating a Variable Data Campaign takes patience and determination. Having a thorough plan is key and understanding the customer base will assist in devising the course of action in regards to design and execution. Spend the time necessary to review the data and figure out how to communicate with each individual in the target audience.

The following programs will help to execute a successful variable data campaign. A program that can design a layout to include variable data and a program to edit a database will be necessary.

Microsoft Office Excel

The standard in database and spreadsheet creation. Contains many useful tools that make it easy for anyone to manage important data.

OpenOffice Calc

Completely free (open-source) software available for download to anyone for personal or commercial use. It has many of the features and functions found in Excel. You can save your database in Excel (.xls) format.

Adobe Indesign

Created for print layout, this software can handle all the tasks necessary to build a variable data artwork file complete with data fields. Used in combination with Photoshop and/or Illustrator, a work of art can be designed for a successful one to one campaign.

Quark

A great alternative to InDesign, Quark has all the tools in one software to design your next marketing hit. Variable data implementation requires an additional plug-in.