I would be down for a batch of them just because of this, this is definitely my favorite place in the MK world & I am down for anything that supports it! Although if you plan on donating the proceeds to KT, please make sure you keep enough for yourself to at least cover your time, materials, electricity used, etc. I & I’m sure everyone else loves the sentiment, but none of us would want you to do this at a loss.
2 Likes
Well this made my day.
@XTaran - I’d be sending them from the Eastern continental US in small card envelopes, with a piece of paperboard to protect the decals in transit. I forget what the envelope size is called at the moment, but they are smaller than the typical letter size. If it would facilitate lower costs to folks in other parts of the world, I’d be happy to send a box-full of these to someone more close-by if they were willing to distribute. I’m pretty new at this sort of thing so definitely open to suggestions!
@dwarflemur Consider yourself an official beta tester - ha!
@skepp It most likely would. The difference is that the design wouldn’t have a white background like the other two, which are printed and then contour-cut. Depending on how the surface of the wood is treated, they can be a little tricky to apply but they should stay there once they’re on. The comment about sticker-bombing was more about wrapping them around corners and edges of keeb cases. (You can, it’s just harder to do than with a regular sticker.)
Here is an instructables article about applying these to wood - their example has plastic transfer material, while I use paper, but the principles are the same. It’s not the most pro guide but it should give you an idea, and I’m more than happy to answer any questions.
@Manofinterests Awesome! I definitely want to make these. Vector files of the logos would be great - I can import those straight into the cutting software.
@Rob27shred I very much appreciate that. Once I have some prototypes made I’ll be able to estimate my costs. I’d like these to be inexpensive for the community, and I’d be all the happier if the KT folks and myself could get a few coffees or even a nice dinner or two out of the idea.
Oh, I think this will be fun. 
6 Likes
Sure. I’d takes some stickers. 
1 Like
@Deadeye, I’d be down for a couple stickers, perhaps one with the small logo, and one with the larger logo with word mark, both black.
@PHO, I also like the idea of die cut stickers, of just the logo no word mark, perhaps in small and medium sizes.
2 Likes
@PHO - I’m not sure what’s available in your local area, but another possible option is checking with a local sign shop about how much they’d charge for X number of these.
I learned to make the stickers I do now from my time in that industry, and most sign shops will have equipment that can quickly and easily produce a big sheet of contour-cut stickers. They can likely also add a lamination layer that will make them last a couple years out in the elements, say on a car window.
Either way Stickermule is a fine place to have them made - just always thinking of my signage bros. ; )
3 Likes
I would definitely pick up some stickers
1 Like
@Manofinterests Looks like at least a handful of folks are interested - when you have a chance to send those vector files, my email address is deadye@switchbox.design. I can have some prototypes ready this week. If you’d be interested, I could make some decals of your personal logo to send along with them.
Hey everyone,
sorry that there are no news from me the last months. New job, Corona etc. a lot to do 
now the whole situation relax a little bit and I got some free time. I will check the options for stickers soon and post it here in the thread. Maybe we can split the production for usa / europe etc to minimize the costs for shipping. I will think about it - and I am sure to find a solution that the costs will being low 
cheerz
3 Likes
Will you use vendors as proxies?
Do consider mk.eu, there are. A lot of GBs etc planned and shipping right now and I am sure people could just bundle the sticker into that without any additional shipping costs.
1 Like
Ah, that sounds like a lot of stress. Glad to hear it’s getting better again for you.
Yep, that thought came also to me. Would prefer that.
I’d probably go for small plotted ones in white (for going on my Thinkpad — black) and one or two bigger black ones for going onto the camper van (white; but maybe also some bigger white stickers if I want to put it on one of the windows), preferably sent from inside Europe. Hmmm, another nice place for such stickers would be the boxes (transparent “Really Useful Boxes” from the UK) in which I transport my keyboard collection to meetups.
Hey, all - I have an update on the plotted transfer stickers for you. Here’s a sheet of prototypes in navy blue:
A few notes about this sheet:
-
The lines around each sticker are trim guides for me and won’t be present on any stickers.
-
The white background on these is just a carrier sheet, also called backing paper, and isn’t part of the sticker itself - for this example, only the navy blue gets transferred to your desired surface.
-
For plotting (how these are made), any small details work better when removed from a larger piece as opposed to having a larger piece removed around them. Doing it this way makes them much easier to produce and apply, and also helps them last longer after application.
For this sticker, it’s the little keys I had to consider - so I chose cuts that will always have those keys as the background-material color, regardless of the vinyl color. That’s why the logo either has a stroke around it, or is inside a larger solid field in all four variants on the sheet. -
In the navy blue here, the logo may look “inverted” compared to its normal presentation - but a lighter color on a window or dark surface won’t.
-
I can produce small numbers of “non-inverted” ones in dark (or light) colors, but the emblem / monogram portion would have to be at least 3" wide for those little circles to be realistically viable as free-floating vinyl pieces.
-
For all normal colors, I use Oracal 651 signage grade vinyl - but there are all kinds of other neat finishes and patterns available if there’s interest. In the past I’ve had requests for wood-grain, various camo patterns, and the occasional chrome or iridescent finish.
Here’s what they look like with the transfer paper, after being cut-down:
Here’s me peeling the transfer paper (and sticker) away from the carrier sheet:
Peeling the transfer paper away from the applied sticker (hands be doin’ a SHAKE):
Aaaand here’s one on the bottom of a white aluminum keeb case (not sure if it’s paint or some other smooth finish):
Hopefully this presentation doesn’t deviate too far from the “brand standards” - but if it does let me know and I’ll make adjustments. Either way I’m super interested in everyone’s feedback on these prototypes.
I’ll update this post in the near future with some white ones! Any other color requests?
9 Likes
Thanks to @Manofinterests for suggesting this - here’s a quick poll for possible sticker color / finish options:
Thanks and have a good one, all.
2 Likes
Huge thanks for doing this!
1 Like
Who will be EU vendor? 
1 Like
@PHO more or less volunteered here.
But if so, it will be his own production of stickers, which might differ.
2 Likes
Hmmm, I kinda wonder when we will see the first r/mk sticker “in the wild” posted on Reddit with showing a Keebtalk sticker directly aside — doing some free advertising for our nice forum. 
1 Like
I feel like it needs a red key, but I always feel like that. lol
Since their cut from vinyl, an appropriately sized red dot, could be optional or included…
I’m ready!
@Deadeye do you have any references on what some of the more exotic color(s) look like? Such as frosted, camo, chrome, and woodrain?
Also, are the metallic colors like copper, silver, and gold, matte, or shiny? metallic look?
Alright! Got some good answers on the poll and the favorites are pretty clear;
- Navy, White, and Black tied for first
- Pink a distant second, with one or two votes distributed across most of the other options
So - I’ll definitely be making those first four colors.
@CosmicKira I’ll be glad to make some with red key(s) for you.
For any multi-color versions, the monogram element will have to be on the larger side, say at least 3" wide. It would def be possible to include a little sheet with some red dots, but alignment can be a real bitter biscuit - but pre-aligning it on my end isn’t tough, just a little time-consuming. Happy to do that on a handful for you, but I’d probably balk at doing a whole bunch. 
Really good questions @Manofinterests!
For the metallics, the answer is both. The standard has a diffused sheen with a somewhat glossy finish, kind of like you’d see with standard car paint. There are also very shiny chrome-like versions, and even metal-flake-look versions, in case you’ve got a speedboat or “sportscar” from the 70’s… Alright let me see if I can find good images of all these more exotic finishes:
-
Frosted Glass Style
-
Camo Patterns
Basically all the camo’s. Realtree branded camo. Mossy Oak branded camo. Jungle camo. Desert camo. Digital camo. About a thousand varieties of pink camo, such as this one:
If you can name a camo, chances are there’s a vinyl for it. -
Chrome Varieties
For the vast majority of exotic finishes I use car wrap material, so you’ll probably see a lot of cars here - but that should also help gauge the stuff at various angles. This next one’s called Laser Chrome:
This wild Japanese beetle looking stuff is sometimes called color-change chrome:
-
Woodgrain Varieties:
Much like the camo, there are loads of options for woodgrain. If you can name a wood, there’s probably a wrap for it.
They come in glossy, or more natural textures.
Natural colors, and otherwise.
-
Traditional Vinyl Metallics
These have a finish not too unlike standard auto paint - I use this silver for window stickers on my old silver Suzuki. There are other colors such as bronze and rose gold, as well. -
Sparkle / “metal flake” Vinyls
70’s boat, amirite?
This stuff also comes in loads of colors, including this one for when your levels of fabulous cannot be contained:
These are all really just a tiny selection of what’s out there - so if you have a personal request let me know and I’ll see what I can find.
So - I think what I’m going to do today is make a test sheets in each of the most popular colors I have on-hand. If anyone wants to get in on a sample or two for feedback, send me a PM with your desired color and an address or PO box I can send them to.
7 Likes