Your catalogs should build from PIM
Teams that manually copy product specs, descriptions, and images into InDesign templates for catalogs, sell sheets, and spec sheets enter that data twice. Once to enrich it and once to publish it.
That redundancy is costly. Errors can creep in. Catalogs can go out with specs from a previous revision. Field reps can sell off outdated sell sheets, and every product update requires the same manual round trip.
Print automation connects your PIM directly to your print production tools. The data flows automatically into pre-built templates, so product launches that used to require days of layout work get done in hours. Updates happen in a single sync.
What Ntara builds for print automation
We set up the full workflow from PIM to finished output, including:
Template design and setup: We build your templates and structure them to accept dynamic data fields from PIM. We can also work with your existing InDesign layouts.
Data flow configuration: We configure the integration between your PIM and your print automation platform, so the right attributes map to the right template variables, every time.
Automation rules: Our logic handles real-world complexity, from product families that share a template but differ in specs to conditional fields that only appear when a value is populated, from image selection rules based on product attributes to multilingual outputs from a single data source.
Team training and handoff: We train your team to manage updates, run new templates, and handle exceptions. That way, you’re not dependent on outside help every time a product changes.
What this looks like in practice
A global motor manufacturer had a catalog process that relied entirely on manual work, including paper reviews, Excel updates, complex approvals, and external printing. By the time catalogs were printed, they were often already outdated. And when the long-tenured catalog manager retired, all the institutional knowledge went with her.
Ntara connected its PIM system with print automation software through an API integration. Data now refreshes daily. Catalogs are generated in 24 hours from a button click. New products are added simply by updating PIM, and the company now produces multilingual catalogs in English and Spanish simultaneously—all without external translation agencies.
This manufacturer manages 6,000+ products and 600+ attributes across catalogs that are now reliably accurate, up to date, and delivered in both languages by default. Editorial pages that the team had long assumed would always require manual effort are now fully automated.
Where print automation creates the most value
- Seasonal catalogs: Hundreds of pages updated multiple times per year. Manual production is a bottleneck, and automated production is a competitive advantage.
- Field sales sell sheets: Reps need accurate, current product data. Automated sell sheets ensure they’re never selling off a spec that’s three revisions old.
- Distributor line sheets: Channel-specific outputs must match exactly what’s in PIM. Automation eliminates the reconciliation step.
- Trade show materials: Custom brochures for specific applications or customer segments, generated when you need them.
- Compliance documents: Where a wrong spec in a printed document is a liability, automation with PIM as the source of record is the safest path.
What you get
- Configured integration between PIM and your print automation platform
- Template setup or migration from existing InDesign layouts
- Data flow and automation rules documentation
- Team training and a handoff runbook
Ready to stop copying product data into InDesign?
Let’s scope your print automation project. We’ll start by mapping your current catalog production process and identifying where automation creates the most immediate value.
