Good design is very important when producing variable information applications. The most successful designs are those that keep the static and variable portions of the document separate. For example, if a document has a set area into which text must fit, it would be very difficult to increase the amount of text without changing the design of the document. Several additional lines of text may interfere with static portions of the document. For this reason, the document must be designed to accommodate the longest possible text entry in the database so that it doesn't interfere with the static portions of the design.

Each document of variable data applications may share some of the same elements and each document may have unique elements. It is best to store common or static information such as the document format, photos, and graphics in one location so that it can be processed through the RIP ahead of time and retrieved when it is time for the output.

Variable data for a print project is stored in a separate location known as a Data Feed. The information can be pulled from the data feed and matched with the static information when it is time for the output. If the amount of variable data for each document is large, portions of the information can also be pre-RIPped and stored in a separate location in order to save time during the output. If none of the static or variable elements are RIPped ahead of time, the printing speed of the digital equipment will be greatly reduced.

Elements such as photos and text blocks require proper preparation before they can be printed. For example, the sizing of photographs should be consistent from one document to the next in a variable application. If the same photograph is sized differently from one document to the next, extra RIPping time will be required for each document, which slows up the printing process. If the digital photo is the same size for every document, it can be pre-Ripped to save time.

The preparation and validation of text is also important before printing to avoid the production of documents with missing or inaccurate records. There are tools available that will skip documents during output that if printed, would have incomplete or inaccurate text.

Steps must be taken to ensure accurate production runs. With variable imaging, every document in a production run is unique and must be accounted for. A different name and address may be on every piece. When the print job run is completed and one or two documents are missing, there must be a way to find out which of the many different records are missing. One method is to mark each piece with an identifying barcode. The barcodes can be read as the documents pass through finishing equipment, allowing the missing documents to be identified and reprinted.