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Make-Merch Work For You – Troubleshooting

After running make-merch for just a few months now, we’re starting to see some patterns in the kinds of support issues we get questions on.

This post is an attempt to try and give you the initial tools to try and fix it yourself so you can enjoy make-merch quicker.

Make-Merch runs as a Software-as-a-Service. This means that the software is running in the cloud and you’re using it within a Web Browser of your choice (e.g. Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer). As you use make-merch, your selections and the text you’re entering create the design in realtime using features of your browser, your computer’s operating system and our servers on the Internet. These are a lot of “moving parts”.

If any part of make-merch is not working for you, we’d like to understand early on in the process whether the cause is something relating to the environment (brower, computer, operating system, etc.) or to something not working quite right on the Make-Merch site.

Have you watched the tutorial?

Please watch the tutorial that can be found in the Help and Tips page: https://make-merch.com/help-and-tips/

You can assist by carry out the following quick tests if you experience an issue with make-merch:

1. Does it work on another computer?
   Yes – ok, so the problem relates to something on your computer, can you please try the next steps below
   No – are both computers connected to the same internet connection? It might not be working, might be a slow internet connection. Please try on an alternative Internet connection. If the problem still exists on another computer on another internet connection on another browser, please contact make-merch using email support@make-merch.com or via chat.
2. If the problem is just on one computer and the internet connection is fast and working properly, please try the following:
   1. check that popup windows are enabled in the browser (sometimes if these are blocked, you cannot download an image from make-merch)
   2. try another browser
   3. try clearing your browser’s cache (google how to clear cache for your particular browser)
   4. try running your browser in “incognito mode”
   5. try disabling any specific plugins/extensions you may have on your browser
3. If the problem is with only one make-merch template or with only one particular image, please inform accordingly

What to do if downloaded images are blank or the graphic is missing:

1. The most common cause of this appears to be a conflict with an extension in your browser. Typically if you try another browser (chrome, firefox are recommended) this may solve the issue. If it does, you may want to disable extensions or re-install your browser
2. Another common cause is lack of internal memory on your computer available for the browser. We recommend having at least 8 GB of internal (RAM) memory. If your computer is struggling with available memory, you should consider adding more memory. You can also try: reboot the computer, open only one browser tab with make-merch and download your design there
3. Please check that pop-up windows are enabled in your browser
4. The issue may be with the internet speed where you are working from. Some users have reported that they find the images don’t download at home but do download when they work from a faster internet connection at the library
5. If the problem is with one particular graphic but other graphics download ok, please report to support@make-merch.com as the image may be faulty on our side.
6. For images that you upload, please check that image size is not too big. Test with a smaller image file

Minimum System Requirements and Supported Browsers

1. We recommend Chrome and Firefox and have not had good experience with Edge and Internet Explorer. Other browsers may also work well.
2. Make-Merch is a “heavy” graphics oriented software running inside your browser. This typically means that sufficient internal memory is required (we recommend at least 8 GByte). Note that internal memory is not the same as available space on your hard drive.
3. Iphones are typically not supported for image download on Make-Merch.com. Some users have reported success on Android devices and on Chromebooks.

What information to provide when asking support for assistance:

1. Which browsers have you tested with?
2. Is the problem the same on all browsers you tested with?
3. Have you tried another computer?
4. If issue seems to relate to specific designs or design characteristics, please provide the saved design link

The best way to contact support is by clicking on the chat icon on the bottom right of your screen or by emailing support@make-merch.com.

Thanks!