I need 30 signs that are identical except for the name. Which method should I use, and what can each one not do?

Three ways to do it

1. Plate Production (merge from a list). Built for exactly this job. You draw one master plate, type text variables wrapped in double exclamation marks (for example !!name!!), calculate the toolpaths for the master, then open Plate Production with the master vectors selected. Import the list with Import from file..., pick the Separator (Comma, Tab, Semicolon or Space), check First row is column names if the file has a header row, and assign each variable to a column. A variable can also be a counter with its own Number Format, which suits serial numbers or room numbers. Click Calculate and every plate and its toolpaths are created.

2. Copies you edit by hand, then Recalculate All. Lay out the copies, change the text on each, then run Recalculate All Toolpaths, which exists for the case where the artwork behind the toolpaths has changed.

3. Document Variables. These hold values for calculation edit boxes (depths, sizes, offsets) and can be exported to a text file and imported into another job. They are for numbers, not for the wording on a sign.

What each one can and cannot do

• Plate Production lays plates in a regular grid driven by Sheet Margins and Spacing, and the plate size is the bounding box of the master. Every plate is the same size and layout. It needs toolpaths on the master before it can create toolpaths for the copies.
• When the list needs more than one sheet, Mode decides where the overflow goes: Layers puts each sheet of plates on its own layer, Sheets creates real sheets in the job. Toolpaths are named S1 - Name, S2 - Name and so on, one set per sheet.
• Hand-edited copies allow different sizes or layouts per sign, but every name is typed manually.
• Document Variables change dimensions across a job in one place. Use them alongside either method when the product comes in several sizes.

Pro tips

• Build the list in a spreadsheet and export it as a delimited text file so the separator is predictable.
• Test the master with the longest name in the list before running the batch, and check the preview of every sheet, because a long name is placed with the same text settings as a short one.
• See the entries on Plate Production and on Document Variables for the field-by-field detail.