IC/Discussion on beige set

[Muirium]

Indeed. The symbols I mean are arrows, essentially. The common cursor keys themselves, shifts, backspace and those in the navigation six-pack (home / end, etc.). I'll draw them up. They were standard legends on Apple's ISO keyboards until about 2007 when they peppered us with words, ANSI style. Similar thinking to IBM's ISO legends and Cherry's. And no logos required!

[woody]

Looking fine and clean without symbols, my remark was just a matter of coherency nit-pick.

[matt3o]

ATM the mockup is just for the colors, legends are to be defined yet. Thanks for pointing that out anyway

[Monkay]

I would love to get a set of black on charcoal thick dyesub PBT keycaps for the upcoming CM Novatouch. Basically the keycaps from a HHKB if I am right.

[matt3o]

I agree they are very nice, maybe for round two

[sean4star]

Another awesome group buy!

[lowpoly]

Where's that pic from? Got that keyboard last friday (iphone photo, colors are messed up).

[guilleguillaume]

picture

Where's that pic from? Got that keyboard last friday (iphone photo, colors are messed up).

I can't remember actually where I took that picture from. I had it on my computer and I think I saw it on DT time ago.

[matt3o]

I got the PBT spacebar samples. Just saying

[Muirium]

Pics! Especially of how flat / curved they are. My Ducky PBT space bars are both a little banana-shaped (curling up at the ends) the thicker one more so. This is the hard part about PBT in long molds, I hear: making it cool straight.

[matt3o]

Almost perfect. "banana" effect is present but bearable.



The spacebar is just a pinch out of standard (0.5mm smaller per side) but still within margins. The side stems are 0.25mm off center. It works flawlessly on costar, I have to double check on the other lame cherry stabs.

[Muirium]

Very nice. That colour reminds me of something. Hmm…

Not the same profile, though. Did you choose the colour? Got something else retro in mind?

[matt3o]

the color is lighter than round 4, but I must say that is veeery nice and goes very well with DSA Retro brown I did not chose the color, btw. that is what SP sent me.

[Muirium]

Know what code it is? (You have PBT and ABS colour rings, or am I imagining things?) I think your space bar is probably closer to the real space cadet. They look pale in all the pictures I've seen.

[Broadmonkey]

it's an acceptable spacebar considering it's PBT. Is it otherwise identical to the ABS version?

Regarding choosing a font for this set. Why not just go with the standard DSA font? it looks good and enables it to be mixed with other sets, which is not of small importance as the set is going to support different languages.

[matt3o]

it's an acceptable spacebar considering it's PBT. Is it otherwise identical to the ABS version?

Regarding choosing a font for this set. Why not just go with the standard DSA font? it looks good and enables it to be mixed with other sets, which is not of small importance as the set is going to support different languages.

yes it's pretty identical to the ABS version, just a pinch shorter.

the DSA font is nice but nobody knows where to find it. I might ask SP if they can give it to me, but it would be a first.

[Muirium]

The best thing about dyesub is the freedom to choose an authentically great font. SP's font (the same one they use on everything, just check my SA photo above with Matt's DSA) is passable, but I'd never call it great. I'd much rather a full Helvetica set than more bits and pieces in a hokey SP font puzzle.

[matt3o]

I agree, Muir, the idea was to match previous ABS sets, which wouldn't be bad.

[jdeblese]

Well, I just ran the font in Muir's photo through WhatTheFont and in my opinion there aren't any good matches, so it's a moot point unless SP's willing to share.

[matt3o]

SP told me the font name once, I just can't remember now, but let's make it The One keycaps set and just use the perfect font for it (whatever it is)

[Broadmonkey]

Apart from it being the hipsters weapon of choice (and bolstering about it quite hardily), I don't like Helvetica on a keycap. It's a sharp font which in no way follows the curves of the keycap, it's like putting square fenders on a car.

font on keycaps.png (1.48 KiB) Viewed 4375 times

[matt3o]

I believe Helvetica goes well on anything... BUT we most likely won't use Helvetica. I'd also like a slightly curved typeface... just I don't know which one yet.

[Broadmonkey]

Well, it's one of the most used and ordinary font in the world, so naturally it goes well on anything, there is just better choices. Hipsters gonna hate, but Arial rounded would be more suited for the task.
I still maintain it's pointless to pick another font than SP's (if we can use it), if it's not going to be a spectacular replacement anyway and Helvetica is far from just that!

A pixelated font would be in the category of spectacular!

[Muirium]

Hipster? Please. If it's good enough for 1980's IBM and the HHKB and Topre today, then it's good enough for me. Helvetica is the very opposite of retro/faddish. SP's current caps look much more befitting all that.

The reason why SP doesn't share its font is because it's some homespun creation that came together accidentally, without being digitally designed. They call it Gorton Modified. And here's the family:

I am not making this up.

Use your powers of taste, Matt. And try not to fall under the retro spell. There's a time and a place for that (literally every other SP GB ever) but a great font is timeless by design.

[matt3o]

Gorton Modified is actually a well designed font for aircraft panels. Can we find better? I bet we can.

[jdeblese]

To offer a few additional recent fonts: here's two slightly rounded sans serifs.

[Muirium]

Links to full samples of each, please. I'm particularly interested in the G and R. They're the toughest meeting of angles and curves. (Quan loses me on its fatty R, unfortunately.)

It should surprise no one to know that I have this in mind:

Rounded.png (129.76 KiB) Viewed 4601 times

The only difference between Helvetica Rounded and Arial Rounded is Arial's handful of mistakes.

[matt3o]

and the Q, don't forget the Q...

[Broadmonkey]

Just because the font is rounded doesn't mean it's retro. It's merely a matter of finding a font that looks good on a keycap and not necessarily on a homepage. Helvetica is good for the latter and ok for the prior, but it's just bland.

[Broadmonkey]

Helvetica Rounded is a good choice if we can't use SP's font, and better than Arial rounded I agree.