Imprint: Frequently Asked Questions

Imprint works strangely when I use Panther (Mac OS X 10.3).

Be sure that you're using the latest vesion of Imprint. Version 1.3.2 is the first version of Imprint to be tested with Panther.

If you are using Panther and you find a bug in Imprint, please bring it to our attention by writing to us.

The license key I got from Kagi isn't working!

The license key you received in the Kagi e-mail is created for you based on the name and e-mail address you give Kagi during registration. For Imprint to accept your license key, you must enter your name and e-mail address exactly the same way (including capitalization and punctuation) as they are printed in the e-mail.

If your name contains marks that do not appear in English (such as umlauts or tildes, your license key may have been generated incorrectly. Please e-mail us at imprint@ampersandbox.com so we can correct this for you.

If your name as it appears in the Registered-To: field of the Kagi e-mail is less than 5 letters long, Kagi generated your license key using the name on the credit card used to purchase Imprint.

Here's a hint: copy and paste the information from the registration e-mail into Imprint, don't try to retype it. The license key is long and probably has at least one capital "i" (I) that looks like a one (1), or vice versa. Copying the license key out of the e-mail saves you the tedium of retyping it and probably will save you a few typing mistakes.

If none of this works, you can try removing your preferences file. This seems to help in particularly difficult cases. Here's how to do it:

  • Make sure Imprint is not open
  • Open a New Finder Window (File menu, "New Finder Window")
  • Click on the Home icon (it's on the left side of the window in Mac OS X 10.3, and on the top in 10.2)
  • Open the Library folder
  • Open the Preferences folder
  • Drag the file called "com.ampersandbox.Imprint" or "com.ampersandbox.Imprint.plist" to the Trash
  • Start Imprint again

Kagi has never produced a license key that didn't work with Imprint (as far as we know), so the odds are that your key does work. However, if you try a few times and still can't seem to make the license key work, let us know and we'll be glad help you out.

The text on my return address labels is way too small. How can I make it bigger?

Imprint automatically sizes fonts when it thinks the size you've chosen will be too large to fit on the label. If you're printing on a sheet of return address labels with 80 labels on it (4 columns, 20 rows), the biggest font size that fits on those labels is around 7 point. None of the font sizes in the list will change the apparent size of the text.

Many fonts that ship with the Mac look strange at small sizes--Helvetica, for instance, looks very cramped. This happens not just in Imprint (you can see the same effect in TextEdit). However, Lucida Grande and Courier New continue to look good even at small sizes. You may want to try one of those.

(New for 1.4.0) You can also get bigger text on your labels by choosing smaller label margins. The standard margins are 0.125 inches, which are probably too big for very small labels. We have found that changing the margins to 0.075 inches works well for smaller labels. You can do this by choosing "Preferences..." from the Imprint menu, then clicking on the Labels button. The margin settings are near the bottom of the window.

How can I print the same address on a whole sheet of labels?

If you're using the Address Book, select the address you want to print, then choose "Fill with Selected Address" from the Tools menu.

If, instead, you're typing the text directly into Imprint, simply type the text into the text box, then choose "Fill with Selected Address" from the Tools menu.

Why is "Unregistered" printed across my labels and/or envelopes?

The copy of Imprint you can download from our website is a demo version. It has all the capabilities of the full version, except that a watermark of "Unregistered" will appear on all of your Imprint documents until you choose to pay for a license key. Once you purchase a license and enter it into Imprint, the watermark will go away.

When I print envelopes, the addresses don't seem to print in the correct locations on the envelopes.

(New for 1.4.0) Imprint 1.4.0 is much better than previous versions at handling certain printers (including, but not limited to, the Epson C80 series). If you have a printer that has had trouble with Imprint in the past, please upgrade to this new version.

Many printers print envelopes just fine with the default Imprint settings. However, Imprint needs to be configured before some printers will work properly. To configure Imprint:

  • Select Preferences... from the Imprint menu
  • Click the "Envelopes" icon in the window that appears.
  • At the bottom of the window, you'll find the Positioning menu: select the "Manual" setting
  • The buttons to the right of the menu will become active. At this point, you can choose the button that is right for your printer.

Here are some setings we know about at this time. If your printer isn't listed here, but you think you've found the approprate setting, please let us know at imprint@ampersandbox.com.

Printer Setting
Epson C80 series Upper-right button (envelope is in bottom right corner of paper)

The country name doesn't show up when I print labels or envelopes. / Imprint prints addresses incorrectly for a particular country.

Imprint only prints the country name on addresses that appear to be from a different country than the one the computer is in. For example, if you live in Canada and the address you are printing is a Canadian address, Imprint won't print Canada at the bottom of the address. However, if the address is a French address, Imprint will print "France" at the bottom of that address (or whatever country name you typed there).

Imprint assumes that all addresses are from your country unless it knows differently. To choose an address format for a particular address:

  • Open the Address Book application
  • Find the address entry you want to modify (e.g. John Smith) and click on it
  • Click the Edit button below John Smith's address information ion
  • Click once on the "home" or "work" label next to the address you want to modify
  • Choose "Choose Address Format" from the menu that appears
  • Choose the appropriate country from the submenu that appears

Imprint will now recognize this address as being from the country you selected.

Imprint knows how to print addresses in the following countries:

  • Austria
  • Australia
  • Belgium
  • Canada
  • China
  • Czech Republic
  • Denmark
  • France
  • Germany
  • Greenland
  • Indonesia
  • Ireland
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • Luxemborg
  • Mexico
  • Netherlands
  • Norway
  • New Zeland
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Spain
  • Singapore
  • South Africa
  • South Korea
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Turkey
  • United Kingdom
  • United States

If your country was not listed in that list, please contact us at imprint@ampersandbox.com.

The company name doesn't show up when I print certain addresses.

Imprint only prints the company name for "work" addresses, not "home" addresses (or any other kind). You can mark an address as a "work" address from within the Address Book application, using the same menu that allows you to select the address format. There's a screenshot of this menu in the answer to the previous question.

You can change the format of work addresses in Imprint's preferences.

I can't find any Imprint items in the services menu.

  • Make sure that Imprint is in the Applications folder
  • Log out, then log back in