In practice, for creation and printing, sequential numbering must be generated either sorted or randomly arranged on previously prepared designs - this is in order to achieve clear labelling. 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 created in the VDP Editor without uploading a CSV file. Serial numbers are needed for the following cases:

• Lot numbers - Unique number for raffles, tombolas, etc.
• Batch numbers - Creation of combined number ranges with consecutive numbering.
• Vouchers - Creation of unique number for promotional vouchers.
• Machine numbers - Creation of unique numbers for stickers which are used to identify machines or spare parts.
• Identification/badges - Creation of consecutive numbering for badges or authorization badges.

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

• seven-digit numbering
• the smallest number should start with 100, the largest number is 9999999
• centered horizontally within the space provided on the sticker
• in Calibri Bold with 8pt font size
• in a color matching the design

In order to carry out this intention, proceed as follows:

1. Open the desired Article or the intended Print Item in the VDP editor.
2. Select the VDP Text Tool [1].
3. Create a line from the left edge to the right edge of the free space on the Print Item. The line indicates, on the one hand, from which start position to which end position the serial number will stand and on the other hand, from which baseline the serial number will be created. The X and Y position of the serial number can be changed later and at any time. The red color for the line immediately indicates the user that the serial number is placed on layer VDP on highest level [2].

Figure 1: The Print Item when creating the text position using the VDP Text Tool

4. After releasing the mouse button, the Sample Content dummy text is created in a predefined size and font and displayed to the user.
5. Then open the Content tab [3] and select the Serial Number [4] entry in the Data source option.

Figure 2: The Print Item after dragging the text position with the VDP Text Tool and selecting the Data Source Serial Number

6. By selecting Serial Number in the Data Source option, five input fields are offered, which present the following functions:
   • Start [5] –  Define the start value of the serial number.
   • Repeat after [6] – By entering a value - a number greater than the start value - the serial number will start numbering again, beginning with the start value.
     Example:
     • Start=100 | Repeat after = 105 | Width = 7
     • Outcome: 0000100, 0000101, 0000102, 0000103, 0000104, 0000105, 0000100, 0000101, 0000102, 0000103, 0000104, 0000105, 0000100, 0000101, …
   • Increment [7] –  Defines at which interval the next number should be generated
     Example:
     • Start = 100 | Increment = 105 | Width = 7
     • Outcome: 0000100, 0000105, 0000110, 0000115, 0000120, …
   • Repeats [8] – Defines how many times the current Serial Number will consecutively remain the same before switching to the next Serial Number.
     Example:
     • Start = 100 | Increment = 105 | Repeats = 3 | Width = 7
     • Outcome: 0000100, 0000100, 0000100, 0000105, 0000105, 0000105, 0000105, 0000110, 0000110, 0000110, 0000110, …
   • Width [9] – Defines the number of digits which are to be generated and therefore filled with leading zeros. (See as well the warning message after the figure)
7. For the execution of the task, enter the value 100 in the Start [5] input field and the number 7 in the Width [9] input field and leave all other input fields unchanged as set by default. For checking your inputs, inspect the values in the Preview [10]. There, the Serial Number which would be generated for the next and the after next data set is displayed.

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

8. After defining the serial number sequence and according review, it is possible to define the graphical implementation. To do this, switch to the Format tab [11] and open the Text Settings [12] settings area.
9. In order to place the serial number horizontally centered in the free field, select the Align centered entry in the Horizontal alignment [13] option. The function of the other parameters in this settings area is described below in Create Serial Number on Arc/Path serial number on arc/path. For our example, the other two options are not relevant.
10. In order to format the font for the here described example, open the Font Settings [14]. Select Calibri [15] and Bold [16] in Font Family and set the Font Size [17] to 8 pt. For other purposes the following more options are available in this settings area:
    • Font Collection [18] - Allows users to upload their own fonts which can be subsequently selected in Font Family. The procedure for this is described in Creating and editing variable objects.
    • Horizontal / vertical scaling [19] - Distort the font for the entire serial number either horizontally or vertically. Typographers will scold us for providing this option!
    • Glyph Spacing [20] - Increase or decrease the letter spacing between all letters. Selective spacing of parts of a Serial Number or defined text is not possible.
    • Line Width [21] - If, for various reasons, the Serial Number or text needs an outline, this can be done by entering the line width. For a more detailed description on how to create a outline for a text, see the section Create a Serial Number with Outline.
    • Dash/Gap [22] - Use this to create a dashed font outline, among other things. A more detailed description can be found below in the section Create a Serial Number with Outline.

Figure 4: The Print Item with formated 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 pressing the X symbol the object is displayed without color (transparent). This only makes sense for texts or serial numbers, when at least an outline 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.