Common questions
The things people ask us most
Answers to what comes up once the software is installed and a job is on the screen. Buying questions are on the pricing page.
Using it
While you are working
The print button will not open. What is it waiting for?
A design check has not passed. The banner on the plate says which one, and the Plate checks panel at the bottom lists every item it is waiting on. The button opens as soon as the last one clears — it is deliberately not something you can override, because the check is the thing standing between a mistake and a wasted blank.
My printed plate does not match what I see on screen.
That is almost always calibration rather than the design. Run the calibration wizard against the blank you actually use, not a sheet of paper, and save the profile against that printer. Scale and offset are stored per printer, so a second machine needs its own run.
Can I use the software on more than one computer?
Design and preview on as many as you like. Producing final printable output needs a Production Licence on that specific computer. Licences belong to your business rather than to a named person, so anyone at that machine can use it.
I have replaced a computer. How do I move the licence?
Paste your key into the new computer and stop using the old one. Nothing needs deactivating and nothing needs to be asked of us, including when the old machine has failed — your key is not tied to a particular computer.
Do I lose my work if my internet goes down?
No. Everything is stored on your own machine and the application never contacts us at all. An outage cannot stop production because there is nothing for it to interrupt.
Where are my projects, templates and printer profiles stored?
On the computer you installed on, not on our servers. That means they survive a subscription ending, and it means they are yours to back up. The backup and restore guide covers moving them to another machine.
Something is wrong with the software. Is it worth reporting?
Yes, and we pay for it. We add time to your subscription for a reproducible fault — up to a month for anything that stops production or lets bad output through. The report-a-bug page sets out the tiers.
I bought through a supplier. Who do I contact?
Your first-line support may sit with them. The application shows the correct support route for your licence, and if you reach us instead we will point you the right way rather than leaving you to work it out.
01Licences and billing
About your subscription
The same answers as the pricing page, kept here so you do not have to go looking.
What is a Production Licence?
Permission for one Windows computer to create final printable output. It belongs to your business rather than a named employee, so any of your staff can use that computer. Every subscription includes one, and you can add more at any time.
Can I cancel the 12-month plan paid monthly?
No. That option is a twelve-month agreement whose payments are collected monthly, and the full term is payable. If you want the freedom to stop at any point, choose Monthly Flex instead, which is a rolling monthly subscription with no minimum term.
Can the price change while I am subscribed?
Not during a term you have already paid for. At renewal you renew at the price published at that time, and we will tell you at least 30 days before any change applies.
Can I upgrade from Core to Essential later?
Yes. Checkout calculates the pro-rata difference, your entitlement refreshes, and the Show Plate and Sign workspaces appear. There is no reinstall and no printer setup to repeat.
What happens if I stop subscribing?
Your local files stay on your machine and remain openable and editable. What stops is new production output. Nothing you have made is taken away or held hostage.
Does the software need to be online?
No. Plate Software works entirely offline — there is no activation server and no periodic check, so an internet outage never stops you working. You only need a connection to receive your key by email and to download the application.
Is macOS supported?
Not yet. Plate Software is a Windows application, and there is no macOS build. If you work on a Mac, do not buy it expecting to run it — that is the one incompatibility we cannot solve for you.
Is this DVLA-approved software?
No, and no software is. Plate Software is designed for UK number plate production and supports road-use layouts and BS AU 145e production workflows, but the material, printer, process, markings and finished plate all matter. Responsibility for the finished plate rests with the manufacturing business.
Do I have to buy my blanks or printers from you?
No. Bought direct, Plate Software is supplier-neutral, with no forced consumables contract. If you receive your licence through a supplier partner instead, any commercial conditions attached to it are the partner's, and they are clearly identified as such.
Still not sure? We answer our own support.