# Bulk create designs from spreadsheet rows in Gradiently

[Canonical HTML page](https://gradiently.design/guide/bulk-create-from-spreadsheet)

Forty property listings, a term of class times, a menu that changes weekly. When the layout stays the same and only the words change, a spreadsheet should do the typing.

## The short version

- Bulk create in Gradiently turns one page and a spreadsheet into a set of pages, one for each row.
- The spreadsheet can be a CSV or TSV file of up to 1 MB with column headings in the first row, or data pasted straight in.
- You connect each column to the page's text, images, shape labels or table cells, then review every version before creating anything.
- The new pages appear after the source page, and one Undo removes the whole batch.
- Your spreadsheet stays in the browser; only the pages you create are saved to your design, and bulk create is part of Pro.

To **bulk create designs from spreadsheet** data in Gradiently, design one page, open Bulk create, add a CSV or TSV file (column headings in the first row, up to 1 MB) or paste your data, connect each column to the text, images or tables on the page, review every version, then create the pages. Each row becomes its own page, laid out exactly like the original. If anything looks wrong, one Undo removes the whole batch. Bulk create is part of Pro.

## When bulk create is the right tool

Bulk create is for sets where the design stays the same and the content changes. If you find yourself duplicating a page and retyping three fields, again and again, the spreadsheet should be doing it.

| You are making | One row is | Typical columns |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Property listings | One home | Headline, area, price, bedrooms, photo |
| A class timetable | One class | Class, day, time, teacher |
| Event speaker cards | One speaker | Name, talk title, time, portrait |
| Weekly specials | One dish | Dish, description, price |
| Quote cards | One quote | Quote, name, role |
| Name badges or place cards | One guest | Name, table, organisation |

Good fits for bulk create. For the content planning side, see [batch creating social media content](https://gradiently.design/guide/batch-create-social-media-content).

If instead you want the same words in many shapes, a post, a story and a banner, that is [resizing for every platform](https://gradiently.design/guide/copy-to-sizes), not bulk create. The two combine well: bulk create the set, then copy it to other sizes.

## Prepare the spreadsheet

Any spreadsheet app can export what Gradiently needs. Keep it simple: one row per page, one column per field, headings in the first row. Export as UTF-8 CSV, or TSV if your content is full of commas.

```text
Headline,Area,Detail,Photo
Just listed.,Harbour Quarter,"Two bedrooms, river views",flat-12-harbour
Open house Saturday.,Old Town,"Three bedrooms, garden",house-4-old-town
Price improved.,Northfields,"One bedroom, parking",flat-7-northfields
Under offer.,Harbour Quarter,"Penthouse, two terraces",penthouse-harbour
```

A four row CSV for an estate agent. Cells with commas are wrapped in double quotes; the Photo column names image layers already in the design.

### Causes errors

- A comma inside a cell without quotes around it
- A quote mark inside a cell typed once
- Rows with more or fewer cells than the heading row
- Image web addresses in the photo column
- A file larger than 1 MB

### Works first time

- Wrap cells with commas or line breaks in double quotes
- Write a quote inside a cell as two double quotes
- The same number of cells in every row
- An image ID or unique image layer name from the design
- Split big sets into several files

> **How image columns work** External image links are not imported. Put the photos in your design first, give each image layer a unique name, then use those names or image IDs in the column. A blank cell keeps the page's original image.

## How to bulk create designs, step by step

1. **Design one page** Make the page exactly as every version should look, with placeholder words in each field. Make sure any text, image, shape label or table you want to fill is not locked.
2. **Open Bulk create** Choose a CSV or TSV file, or paste your data with the headings on the first line.
3. **Connect columns** Match each column to a field on the page. Fields you leave unconnected keep their original design. Search by layer name or content when the page has many.
4. **Review every record** Step through each version with Previous and Next. Check long text and image crops; your type sizes and positions stay as you set them.
5. **Create the pages** The new pages follow the source page. Your existing pages stay where they are.
6. **Undo if needed** One Undo removes the entire batch, so fixing the spreadsheet and running it again costs nothing.

A portrait estate agent post reading Just listed, Harbour Quarter, two bedrooms with river views, on a gradient Mark

Row one of the spreadsheet, as a page.

The same estate agent layout reading Open house Saturday, Old Town, three bedrooms with a garden

Row two: same layout and Mark, new words, created in the same batch.

## Writing for a template you won't see every time

The page you design has to survive every row, including the longest one. Before you build, sort the spreadsheet by the length of the headline column and design around the longest entry, not the shortest. A layout that fits "Under offer." may not fit "Reduced, and ready to move into."

- Keep headline columns short. Aim for under six words, and put the rest in a detail column.
- Leave room in fixed boxes for the longest value, then check it in review.
- Use one column per field. Don't pack a price and a date into one cell.
- Keep the background doing the brand work. On a Mark, Auto ink picks light or dark type for each version, so changing words never breaks legibility.

## Limits, privacy and what gets saved

| Question | Answer |
| --- | --- |
| File types | CSV or TSV, or data pasted in |
| File size | Up to 1 MB |
| First row | Column headings |
| What can be filled | Text, images, shape labels and table cells |
| Where new pages go | Straight after the source page |
| Undo | One Undo removes the whole batch |
| Your spreadsheet | Stays in your browser; only created pages are saved |
| Plan | Pro |

Bulk create at a glance. A design also has a maximum number of pages; if a batch won't fit, the tool says how many more it can hold.

Because the spreadsheet never leaves your browser, client lists and private data stay on your machine. Once the pages exist, export them together, or use them as the start of a week's posting plan from your [social media content calendar](https://gradiently.design/guide/social-media-content-calendar). Estate agents will find more layout ideas in [real estate social media posts](https://gradiently.design/guide/real-estate-social-media-posts).

## FAQ

### Can I create designs from a CSV file?

Yes. Gradiently's bulk create takes a CSV or TSV file of up to 1 MB, or pasted data, and makes one page per row.

### Can I add images through the spreadsheet?

Yes, using an image ID or a unique image layer name from the design. External image links are not imported, and blank cells keep the original image.

### Is my spreadsheet uploaded to Gradiently?

No. The spreadsheet stays in your browser. Only the pages you create are saved to your design.

### How do I undo a bulk create?

One Undo removes the whole batch, and your existing pages are untouched.

### Is bulk create free?

No, bulk create from a spreadsheet is part of Gradiently Pro.