In practice, sequential numbering often needs to be generated and printed – either sorted or randomly arranged – on pre-designed templates. This serves the purpose of unique identification. The data source for the serial numbers can either be created in an external application beforehand and provided as a CSV file Therefore, the data source for the serial number can either be created beforehand in an external application and provided as a CSV file, or it can be generated directly in the VDP Editor without the need to upload a CSV file. Serial numbers are required for the following use cases:

• Batch numbers – unique numbers for raffles, lotteries, etc.
• Lot numbers – creating combined number ranges with consecutive numbering.
• Vouchers – creating a unique number for promotional vouchers.
• Machine numbers – creating unique numbers for labels used to identify machines or spare parts.
• IDs/Tags – creating consecutive numbering for IDs or access tags.

You would like to create consecutive numbering on a sticker, based on the following parameters:

• Seven-digit numbering
• The smallest number should start at 100, and the largest number should be 9,999,999
• Centered horizontally within the designated space provided on the sticker
• Calibri Bold with 8 pt font size
• In a color that matches the design

To implement this setup, proceed as follows:

1. Open the relevant Article or the intended Print Item in the VDP Editor.
2. Select the VDP Text Tool [1].
3. Draw a horizontal line from the left edge to the right edge of the available space on the Print Item [2]. The line defines, on the one hand, the start and end positions between which the serial number will be placed, and on the other hand, the baseline from which the serial number is generated. The X and Y positions of the serial number can be adjusted at any time. The red color of the line immediately indicates to the user that the serial number is placed on the VDP layer at the topmost level [2].

Figure 1: The Print Item while drawing the text position with the Text Tool

4. After releasing the mouse button, the placeholder text Sample Content is generated in a predefined font size and style and displayed to the user.
5. Next, open the tab Content [3] and, select the Serial Number [4] under the option Data Source.

Figure 2: The Print Item after defining the text position using the VDP Text Tool and selecting the Data Source "Serial Number"

6. By selecting Serial Number as the Data Source, five input fields become available, each serving the following purpose:
   • Start [5] – defines the initial value of the serial number.
   • Start again after [6] – if a value greater than the start value is entered, the numbering of the serial number will restart from the start value once the specified number is reached.
     Example:
     • Start=100 | Start again after = 105 | Width = 7
     • Outcome: 0000100, 0000101, 0000102, 0000103, 0000104, 0000105, 0000100, 0000101, 0000102, 0000103, 0000104, 0000105, 0000100, 0000101, …
   • Increment [7] – defines the increment used to generate the next number.
     Example:
     • Start = 100 | Increment = 105 | Width = 7
     • Outcome: 0000100, 0000105, 0000110, 0000115, 0000120, …
   • Repeats [8] – specifies how many times the same Serial Number is repeated before switching to the next one.
     Example:
     • Start = 100 | Increment = 105 | Repeats = 3 | Width = 7
     • Outcome: 0000100, 0000100, 0000100, 0000105, 0000105, 0000105, 0000105, 0000110, 0000110, 0000110, 0000110, …
   • Width [9] – sets the total number of digits in the serial number. Leading zeros will be added if necessary. (See also the warning message below the figure.)
7. To apply the given task, enter the value 100 in the Start [5] input field and the number 7 in the Width [9] input field. Leave all other input fields with their default settings. To verify your input, check the Preview [10] area. It shows which Serial Numbers will be generated for the current and the next data records.

Figure 3: The Print Item with the defined parameters for the Serial Number

8. After defining and verifying the serial number sequence, you can proceed to configure the graphical formatting. To do so, switch to the tab Format [11] and open the Text Settings [12] section.
9. In order to center the serial number horizontally within the designated free space, select the entry Align centered in the option Horizontal Alignment [13]. The functions of the other parameters in this Settings Area are described later in the Article Create Serial Number on Arc/Path. For this particular example, the other two options are not relevant.
10. In order to format the text for the use case described here, open the section Font Settings [14]. In Font Family [15] select Calibri and Bold [17], and set the Font Size [18] to 11 pt. This section also offers the following additional formatting options:
    • Font Collection [16] – allows users to upload custom fonts, which will then be available for selection under Font Family. The procedure is explained in the article Creating and editing variable objects.
    • Horizontal Scale / Vertical Scale [19] – stretches or compresses the entire Serial Number horizontally or vertically. Typographers might frown upon this option!
    • Glyph Spacing [20] – adjusts the spacing between all characters. Selective spacing (i.e., spacing adjustments for individual characters or parts of the text) is not supported.
    • Stroke Width [21] – applies a Stroke to the Serial Number of text if needed. Enter the desired Stroke Width. For more information on creating Strokes around text, see the section Create a Serial Number with a Stroke.
    • Dash / Gap [22] – used to create, for example, dashed Strokes around text. A more detailed description can be found in the section Create a Serial Number with a Stroke.

Figure 4: The Print Item with Formatted Serial Number

11. As the last step of the procedure, we want to determine the color of the Serial Number. To do this, open the Color Settings area [23] and select the color picker [24] option. This allows you to select the desired color value simply by clicking on the color circle [29] and to transfer the color value as CMYK value [28]. The color can also be defined in other ways. The following options are available for defining a color (for a more detailed description, see the article Creating and editing variable objects):
    • Color Picker [24]- When this option is enabled, different colors can be assigned as follows:
      • CMYK colors [26] – Allows a color to be defined by entering a CMYK value [28].
      • Spot Colors [27] – Allows the desired Spot Color to be selected and used from the list of system-wide defined Spot Colors.
      • Color wheel [29] – The color circle represents the used color value. However, users can also double-click on the color wheel to select a color value and transfer the resulting CMYK color value to the CMYK input fields.
      • No color – By clicking on the X symbol the object is displayed without color (transparent). This only makes sense for texts or serial numbers, when at least one stroke is created for the text or serial number.
    • Data Source [25] – When this option is activated, the color value can be taken from a CSV file or generated by creating dynamic color values using serial numbers.

Figure 5: The Print Item with colored Serial Number

12. When the serial number is provided with a Stroke, the color value and the fill color can be determined in the Stroke Color Settings [30].
13. Close the finished dialog by selecting the Save menu item.

In connection with Serial Numbers a few special features are available. The following description deals with these special features. All options that can be used for serial numbers are described here.