Ordering custom keycaps with custom legends.

[Inxie]

Ok so this is a bit of an odd request/question, but I'm struggling to find someone who can make custom keycaps with custom legends (or fonts) on the keycaps themselves.

I want to have keycaps that are using the Hylian alphabet (I'm a big Zelda fan), rather than a latin alphabet. I can read it so use wouldn't be an issue for me, but the only 2 I have found on Google are just the wrong color, or add other details like art from the game which I don't want.

Is there any place where I can do this, where I can supply a TTF font file to be used for the legends itself? I do have the Hylian font in TTF format (for the specific Zelda timeline that I can actually read), just finding a place to do something specific like this seems like I'm not having much luck.

[inozenz]

Ok so this is a bit of an odd request/question, but I'm struggling to find someone who can make custom keycaps with custom legends (or fonts) on the keycaps themselves.

I want to have keycaps that are using the Hylian alphabet (I'm a big Zelda fan), rather than a latin alphabet. I can read it so use wouldn't be an issue for me, but the only 2 I have found on Google are just the wrong color, or add other details like art from the game which I don't want.

Is there any place where I can do this, where I can supply a TTF font file to be used for the legends itself? I do have the Hylian font in TTF format (for the specific Zelda timeline that I can actually read), just finding a place to do something specific like this seems like I'm not having much luck.

The only person i know who might pull this of is lispnick, but im not sure if he is doing custom stuff. Also what u request might get super expencive real quick

[Inxie]

I'm always willing to pay, price won't be an issue. I found Max Keyboard might be able to do it, but I need Adobe Illustrator knowledge for it which I do not have unfortunately.

[Delta Research]

It'll be expensive but you could try contacting Signature Plastics. KBM (KeyBee manufacturing) are also doing PBT dyesub keycaps but they might not take one-offs.

[Inxie]

I'll send them an email and see if they are willing to do it. I've already prepared my wallet that a supply and demand situation like this would be costly, but I really do want a keyboard to be unique to me, and nothing pre-designed, I really do want something now that fits me.

[kbdfr]

If DIY is an option for you, check the link in the first post of this thread:
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=27180

[lispnick]

Hi! I also think that Signatrure Plastics is the way to go for you. Currently, they charge 50 USD for custom legend on a 1U key. If I were you, I would invest into the tooling, make 50 keysets, leave a couple for myself and resell the rest. That would make the whole thing ‘reasonably priced’ but I guess there will be at least 1 year waiting time since the payment.

[kbdfr]

[…] they charge 50 USD for custom legend on a 1U key. If I were you, I would invest into the tooling, make 50 keysets, leave a couple for myself and resell the rest.

As a matter of fact, ordering more than just one set and reselling all the rest for exactly your buying price is just a zero sum operation (provided, of course, you succeed in selling all of them), while reselling them for a bit more than your buying price lowers the end price of your own set, but makes it more probable you won't be able to sell all of them.

But let's do a bit of math.

If only the 26 characters of the alphabet are needed, that would be 26*50=1,300 USD for the initial set. If each additional set is priced at just 20% of the initial set, it then costs 260 USD and the total cost is then 1,300+(49*260)=14,040 USD.

If you resell the additional sets for 280 USD and if you succeed in reselling all the 49 of them, you get 13,720 USD and your initial set will have cost you 14,040-13,720=320 USD. Sounds reasonable.

Now replace the values stated in the ifs with more probable values. Sounds less reasonable

[lispnick]

[…] they charge 50 USD for custom legend on a 1U key. If I were you, I would invest into the tooling, make 50 keysets, leave a couple for myself and resell the rest.

… each additional set is priced at just 20% of the initial set, it then costs 260 USD and the total cost is then 1,300+(49*260)=14,040 USD. …

Looking at one of my quotes from SP, the cost of additional keycap sets in qty of 50 is much more modestly priced that that. In the DSS profile, if was about 2 USD per keycap but, anyway, there does not seem to be many alternatives. Of course, one can have pad-printed it by WASD but it will turn yellowish in a couple of months.

[Muirium]

WASD is the most price competitive option. So long as you don’t intend to use the caps or leave them on a keyboard for long, you’re gold.

I’d dyesub it myself if I cared so much for something so purposefully niche. (This coming from a guy with a Sindarin set.) Homemade dyesub is definitely worth checking out if you are into long tail stuff like this.

The problem with double shot is twofold: astronomically high setup costs (dedicated molds must be made for all new legends), and it’s kinda crappy at sharp edges and islands (like those in OoAa and even Ee etc. etc.) as the plastic must flow through physical apertures. Double shot is great for white on black etc. colours but second rate for legend design. Dyesub is the other way around.

Me, I just like Helvetica. (Neue, with better alignment than Topre does but enough said of that already!)

[engr]

I went through all this process (trying to find places that offer custom legends for an affordable price) myself several times. I am trilingual (Russian, Hebrew, English) and my touch-typing skills aren't great, so I need all three legends on my keyboards. And did I mention that most of my boards use Alps-mount keys? Alps keysets with Hebrew and Russian sublegends are few and far between, and the Russian sublegends on the sets I have seen are super hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhiiiiiideous and are made for an old typewriter layout.

Custom dye-subbed, pad printed, or double-shot sets have a very high cost per set unless you don't mind ordering several dozens of them (one exception is dye-subbed keys for Model M or F - see below). WASD can make you a single set for a reasonable price but, from what I heard, the durability is low.

At one point, I found a small engraving business that made me one keyset with engraved and color-infilled legends, but that was years ago and that person has since retired (and the color infilling on that engraved keyset does not like cleaning, so at some point I will have to refill the grooves with paint). Other engravers I have contacted use lasers. Trying to laser ABS plastic releases toxic gases, and I was unable to find definite info on whether it is OK to laser PBT caps, so lasering keycaps in home/small shop conditions is not really an option.

So, aside from that engraved keyset, and the custom dye-sub Model F/M keysets that Ellipse made for me, all my keyboards have custom made stickers from this vendor. They charge a one-time design fee and then a small price per set (minimum order quantity is 20 sets). The stickers are not as durable as traditional printing methods, but are still pretty OK, just be careful when you clean the keycaps - see attached picture, I think they look good.

You can also contact these guys and ask them to make custom MX-mount keys with UV-cured acrylic printing. I think they mainly work with their uniprofile sets but maybe they will print you a traditional profile set if you ask? Their pricing seems OK and they say it's very durable but I don't have any experience with them.

[Muirium]

Dashing set! Love those triple coloured legends. Keep one set untouched in the cupboard for retirement and shine the others to oblivion in the meantime. Problem solved.

[engr]

So, I designed and ordered a custom dye sublimated PBT keyset through Yuzukeycaps.com, and so far I have been impressed. They have a fairly intuitive online editor that allows you to design and fine-tune your own keycap set (background color, legend language, color, sign, alignment, etc.). The printing process is reverse dye sublimation, and the OEM is Keyreative.

I have heard mixed things on GH and r/mk about keyreative’s quality, but so far (in the week or so I have used these keycaps) I have no complaints. Legends are sharp and well-aligned, black background isn’t quite as dark as on your typical double-shot black keycaps (unsurprising for reverse dye sub process) but still pretty dark - you can see the difference in the video below: alphas are the keycaps I ordered, and mods are double-shot PBT from PBTfans.

Limitations: right now they only offer Cherry profile MX mount keycaps; color, font, and language choices are rather limited, but they keep adding different options, and their customer service has been very responsive to my requests for customization.

So, (dye sub) color me impressed.

Video and sound test

[AndyJ]

Interesting! Do you have any pictures you can post here, or is there just the youtube thing?

[engr]

Interesting! Do you have any pictures you can post here, or is there just the youtube thing?

Sure, here's a close up photo.