Imprint

This keyboard ROCKS! Super comfy, great tenting hardware, great software support! Would buy again!

I have used several ergonomic keyboards, including the Moonlander, Keyball 39, Pteropis, Svalboard, and Glove80. Imprint is the last one I purchased, and I believe it’s the best among all of them.

I’m writing this review not right after I received the Imprint, but after using it for almost a year (about 10–11 months). I have found no issues with it during my use.

Nowadays, you can find lots of different ergonomic keyboards, but in many cases they’re trying to build one particular layout—a common layout that can fit most people’s hands. But that also means you have to adapt your hands to the specific keyboard layout. Although most of them are comfortable to use, I have never felt a keyboard could be this comfortable before trying Imprint.

It’s very different because it’s built just for you. They measure your hands to get the size right for you, which is more than I expected.

My first idea for trying Imprint was the dual trackball setup. I’ve tried ergonomic keyboards with a trackball, and I found that having only one is not really good because you must have a way to change its mode while using it. If I have to press a key as a toggle or hold a key as a trigger to make the trackball scroll, I find that very unsatisfying. I wanted two trackballs, and that’s why I found Imprint.

So, the keyboard measuring my hands was never my first priority, but after receiving it, I was really surprised. It’s really nice compared to the best keyboards I tried before Imprint.

I found the Glove80 very, very good to use. It’s pre-made in one size, trying to make a shape that works for everyone, and I think it’s actually quite nice. The only issue I had with the Glove80 is that it’s still a little large for my hands, especially for the thumb clusters. I cannot rest my thumb on the top row of the thumb cluster; I can only rest it on the bottom row. That makes it slightly difficult because you need more motion to reach the top row if your thumb is resting on the bottom row.

With Imprint, my hand naturally rests on the keyboard. The big difference is that my thumb rests on the top row of the thumb cluster, making it very easy to reach the top row. If I just curl my thumb, I can reach the bottom row. That’s very nice.

Other keys are quite similar to the Glove80; they both have a key well design. Most finger keys are very easy to use.

The hand measurement really surprised me. I didn’t realize it would be so good, and I’m very satisfied with it.

Among other things, I also believe the build quality is very, very nice compared to other non-factory keyboards I’ve used. Moonlander and Glove80 are factory-built, with a pre-built shape, so everyone gets the same and the build quality is consistent. Imprint (and some others) uses 3D printing, and I didn’t have a great impression of 3D printing before.

But with Imprint, you can choose premium materials. I really like the material they use. It’s not like cheap layered 3D print; it produces a smooth surface. You can also choose a metal backplate, which is very nice. I strongly recommend it—it adds weight, so the keyboard won’t be easily pushed away.

Another thing that surprised me is that they use high-quality parts, even the anti-slip pads. After almost a year of use, none of the anti-slip pads have had issues. This may sound normal, but it isn’t always. For example, with my Moonlander, after about a year, about half of the anti-slip pads came off.

I believe everything on Imprint is really nicely built. The battery life is also great. They also include a nice switch to power on/off and a reset button. Those are all great.

Unlike other keyboards that can feel less like a product and more like something handmade—almost like a toy—Imprint really surprised me with its build quality.

The only minor point I don’t think is great is that it may not be as easy as other keyboards to take with you. It doesn’t come with a travel case or bag. For example, the Moonlander has a bag, and the Glove80 has a big, firm case.

That’s probably the only downside of Imprint. It’s a relatively large split ergonomic keyboard with a key well design, which adds extra height. It’s also not using half-height key switches like the Glove80, so it’s a bit taller. All of that makes it take up space, and it’s not really simple to take with you.

If you want to use it at home and also take it to work, I cannot recommend doing that. I would probably buy two—one for work and one for home—rather than take it with me every day.

Since Imprint is made for your hands and they measure your hands, and you can also customize the layout a little bit, I believe it’s difficult for them to create an official carry case. That would be a nice accessory, but it’s not necessary.

Other than portability, I’ve found no downside to this keyboard. It is really great and above my expectations.

Great build, still I find some of the keys harder to reach than in other split boards

Build quality feels fantastic, the layout is perfect, everything feels really comfortable.

Overall I'm loving it. Definitely delivers on the hot-swappable switches with decent space for fitting custom keycaps, shinethrough RGB, as well as curved ergo keywell columnar layout (which was what drew me compared to competitors as the only keyboard on the market that offers all these including trackballs 𝙰𝙵𝙰𝙸𝙺). I do think the trackball performance could be improved, but there is likely something I can tweak there with the DPI in ZMK to better suit my needs and dial it more precise and less jumpy, and I'm still experimenting with exact optimal for me mappings I want for the thumbclusters. The ZMK setup and config was not too bad though for someone tech savvy as me (compared to other flashing software I have used), and the 𝚠𝚢𝚜𝚒𝚠𝚢𝚐 𝘬𝘦𝘺𝘮𝘢𝘱𝘴‑editor by Nick Coutsos is super helpful and easy to integrate with one's config repo; I would highly and more explicitly recommend that one to your customers or even partner with him on developing 𝐆𝐔𝐈  editing option for the Imprint for the less tech savvy. Camera screw 1/4" mounts also clutch and not available on many other popular ergo keyboards. So yeah, definitely quite satisfied overall. One other area for potential improvement could be the palm-rests, with more secure attachment, particularly for use with mounting-screw setups rather than flat on desk, though they are more solid than some and I've found a way to make it work. However, a mounting plate that could connect them to the keyboard halves and work with the 1/4" screw mount would be an awesome add-on product for you to offer that I suspect could sell to many who bought the mounting option. Anyway, thanks for making this product.