Competitive Analysis

Well, How Did I Get Here?

If you are reading this page, then you probably arrived here after entering “FusionPro” into a Google search. You see, the use of trademarked product names for online advertising is absolutely permitted by Google, but honestly this practice has been frowned upon for years, especially in the software industry. It’s just kind of an unspoken rule among techy-types.

Well anyway, those kind folks over at FusionPro recently started using our very own DesignMerge® registered trademark to snag Google traffic for customers searching for more information about our software. So we were really left with no choice but to fight back with our own Google advertising, and here we are. On the bright side, this does allow us to provide you with an honest assessment of why DesignMerge is far and away a superior product for variable data printing and VDP automation!

We Understand…

If you are already using FusionPro for your variable data projects, we totally get what you are dealing with. Our team has conversed with and converted so many FusionPro customers over the years that we have a deep understanding of the drawbacks and pitfalls you are facing on a daily basis. You see, although FusionPro can produce relatively simple VDP work, there are just certain quirks that make it a very difficult and incredibly frustrating product to use. Please read on for more details (or click here to view the comparison table below).

Doesn’t Work with Adobe InDesign

The first thing to consider here is that producing VDP with FusionPro (FP) is fundamentally different than with DesignMerge Pro because unlike DesignMerge, FusionPro does not work directly with Adobe InDesign. Rather, you have to first create your background canvas using a PDF file, and then use the completely separate FusionPro app to overlay your variable data on top of that canvas.

Don’t be confused – there is a plug-in component that is offered by FP for Adobe InDesign, but it is designed only to assist the user in creating proprietary FP templates. Once an Adobe InDesign document is prepared, it must then be exported to a format that only the FP application understands. And that’s where the frustration begins.

Incredibly Limited Design Features

Because you are forced to export the InDesign layout into a proprietary format, many of the InDesign features are simply lost in translation. On top of that, more advanced editing (especially for conditional logic, which must be hand-coded using the JavaScript language) must be performed inside of the FP application. Yikes!

As a result of this approach and the limitations of the FP application, the vast majority of the composition, styling and design features available in Adobe InDesign are simply not supported in FusionPro. Examples include support for fonts (such as Adobe and Variable fonts), custom colors, typographical control, tabular composition, runarounds, anchored frames, transparency effects, multi-page documents, drop-caps, type on a curve, and so many other features. Quick example: try creating a specific underline style in Adobe InDesign and then attempt to match it in FP – we wish you luck.

DesignMerge has no such restrictions – you just select any element in the InDesign document, and Make it Variable™.  All of the Adobe InDesign features are fully supported, so if you already know how to use Adobe InDesign, then you are going to love using DesignMerge software!

Variable Data ≠ Static Data

Another significant difference between FP and DesignMerge is that FP uses its own, rudimentary text processor to produce the variable data. This means that although the static portion of the document (which you saved as a PDF) looks correct, the variable portion “just looks different”. And if you want a variable item in the middle of a paragraph on your canvas – forget about it! The only workaround? You must recreate the entire paragraph or story, containing both static and variable text, using the FP application. Whew!

With DesignMerge, if you need variable data in the middle of a paragraph (or anywhere else in the document), just select the text and mark it as variable. That’s it! When you do the merge, the variable data will be updated, and Adobe InDesign will automatically handle all of the text reflow. The end result is perfect alignment of both variable and static data with everything looking nice and matchy-matchy.

Professional VDP Features

Beyond the differences listed above, consideration must be given to the overall feature set of the two products. FP has no interactive Rules building and testing capability, and provides nothing like the DesignMerge Pro CopyFit (automatic adjustment of long/overset text), MPS Tags (embedded style codes), or GroupPicture (variable groups and layouts) features.

Did we mention conditional logic (if/then/else rules – absolutely critical in VDP applications)? Well, this feature is supported in FusionPro, but you must use JavaScript programming for everything. Not with DesignMerge! Our software features a totally menu-driven, point-and-click conditional logic interface that requires no programming skills at all, and provides access to Adobe InDesign-specific features such as variable Style Sheets, Layers and Parent Pages.

More advanced features such as the DesignMerge Pro customized Data Record Ranges (important for VDP proofing), Longest and Shortest Line Reporting, full VDP Preflight Reporting, and Overset Text Checking are critical to any successful VDP application. All of these are standard features for DesignMerge Pro.

Automation Anyone?

If you are looking for full VDP automation, your options are pretty limited with FP (or they are going to cost you big time). On the other hand, our DesignMerge Automation (integration with Enfocus Switch) can completely streamline and fully automate all of your VDP processes. This powerful integration opens up many additional options, such as automated processing of PDF files using Enfocus Pitstop, or ultra-fast VDP imposition using DesignMerge PDF Imposer software.

Technical Support is NOT Important…

Said nobody – ever! Please have a look at the testimonials and accolades on our web site and you will see that they all share one common theme – everyone raves about the level of support they receive from the team at Meadows! We are experts in variable data publishing, and in fact that is all we do (and we’ve been doing it since 1991). Our support team actually cares and wants to make your VDP projects as successful as possible. We feel that our support is the best in the industry, and continually strive to improve it. So why not give DesignMerge a try and find out for yourself?

Please Compare

The following product comparison chart lists some of the major features included with your purchase of DesignMerge Pro, and compares them to those offered by FP. If you have any questions on the available features, please contact us for more information, or to obtain a trial license of DesignMerge Pro software.