Adobe Creative Suite 3 has fantastic tools for minimizing the drudgery of
graphics production work:

The key is to make your computer and Photoshop,
Illustrator, and InDesign do rote tasks for you. And although the concept of
automation may sound intimidating, it doesn’t have to be. Learn what
automation is, why it’s as natural as breathing, and how it can take over
routine work, freeing you up to be creative.

• Combine customer data with graphics for personalized communications
• Customize hundreds or even thousands of illustrations or layouts in
  one pass
• Record tasks with macro-like Actions in Photoshop and Illustrator,
  then reuse them with multiple files
• Learn how scripting languages like AppleScript and JavaScript can
  automate complex workflows, even ones with varying conditions