About the Author

The story behind exportPDF — from manually copying names to an automated tool that saves hours every day.

✓ In daily use since 2025  ·  ✓ 6 users in 2 companies  ·  ✓ Built for our own production

Who is behind exportPDF

My name is Aleš Ulrych and I have been developing exportPDF since 2025. I work as the head of the graphic department and IT administrator.

How exportPDF was created

The script was born out of my own need. Every day, my colleagues and I manually filled in player names, numbers, sponsor logos and nicknames on dozens of jerseys. An order of 200 jerseys meant 4 hours of copying and a constant risk of typos.

First, I tried Illustrator's built-in feature — Variable Data and Datasets. I quickly hit its limits: programmatic reading of values did not work (I reported the bug to Adobe — no response), batch export was missing, and there was no support for graphic numbers or diacritics. So I started writing my own solution.

I started simply — with automatic number filling. Gradually, I added more features: names, nicknames, two-line texts, graphic numbers, logos in numbers, diacritics for fonts without Czech localization, management of multiple sizes and products. Over months of intensive development, a simple script turned into a full-fledged automation tool. Today, that same 200-jersey order takes 10 minutes.

The CorelDRAW version

One day, the owner of a printing company called me — he immediately recognized the potential of the tool, having been a graphic designer himself. He asked if there was a version for CorelDRAW. There wasn't one. But his enthusiasm (and offer to pay for the development) convinced me to take it on. After several months of work, a fully functional CorelDRAW version was created, which his graphic designers use daily.

My approach

I develop and test every feature in real production — on actual orders at our company. That is why exportPDF solves problems you encounter in practice, not just in theory. I work on every bug until it is fixed, and I take every user feedback seriously.

In addition to script development, I also specialize in color management — from monitor calibration to print profiles, network administration, and web development.