So I have what may be a weird question. Say I have an ABS SA keyset in stock Signature Plastics colors. It’s almost perfect, but missing a few keys that would make it perect - ISO support that was never available, for example.
I’ve read that SP will make and sell custom keys, for a price. But all of the information I’ve found is in sometimes contradictory, decade-old Deskthority and GeekHack threads. I’m not sure what’s still true, or what ever was.
My questions are:
Does SP still accept custom commissions for keys? The info I found said they had a $100 minimum order, and new molds cost $50 each. But that’s likely woefully out of date. I don’t mind a steeper cost today, I just want to know what to expect before I go in.
Would it have to be a full set, or does the cost of whatever keys purchased just have to come out above their minimum order amount? In other words, if I only need five keys, and two of those require new molds, is that enough? I don’t want to have to buy a bunch of keys I don’t need just to get the ones I do.
Are certain color combinations off-limits because they were used in popular sets in the past? What about seemingly generic colors, like WA white or NN black? Will SP just say nope, those were used in SA Obscurity back in 2011, we won’t make keys in those colors for anyone else?
How do I know what molds already exist? Say I wanted a R1 1u “Rub Out” key. If it already exists, is that available for anyone to use, or is it restricted to whoever originally had it created? If that’s the case, can I pay for my own duplicate of the mold, or is that legend off-limits to everyone else?
I guess my dream would be to add ISO support and a handful of retro novelty keys to an older set I really like, but came with spotty kitting, so I wouldn’t have to mix in mismatched keys from other sets anymore. But I’m not sure if this is even possible, or practical.
Through signature plastics, it’s probably not practical if you want double shot novelties. If you did a mini GB run or found a vendor to pick up the project, it could definitely much more viable.
If you’re okay with UV printing quality, I know WASD keyboards does custom pad print keycaps for individuals. In fact I’ve used them to produce Norcal Meetup keycaps in the past: Custom Art Cherry MX Keycaps - WASD Keyboards
Thanks! I’m not really into PBT, or keys with UV-printed legends. If doubleshot ABS isn’t possible (regardless of cost) then I’d likely just stick with the slightly mismtached keys I’m rocking now.
Short of it coming out to the cost of a small car, I figure I’ve spent so much already on my dream board, I’d be willing to go all in to get the perfect set of keys made for it.
Yeah, I’m working up the nerve to. I just don’t want to sound completely clueless, especially around whether the colors or legends I want are off-limits because they’ve been used by someone else in the past.
I found my email from october 2020 asking for a quote for 6u DCS spacebars. The minimum order value to go in production at that time was still 100$. It is also what’s advertised on their website Keycaps 101 – Signature Plastics rn. I don’t know about new molds.
And I am pretty sure that you can get keycaps in any generic colors you want.
Thanks, everyone! I did find some old threads, where it sounds they’ll make stuff in their stock colors regardless of whether they’ve been used in commercial sets in the past. (MiTo had wanted exclusive rights to the Pulse colors, and they said no). And everyone swears their staff are super nice, so I guess I’ll go ahead and do up a formal request, and see what they say. I expect it’ll be expensive and require a wait, otherwise more people would likely be doing this.
I personally wouldn’t go with wasd keyboards custom keycaps. I did it once but the keycaps do not feel great. Or good. They are ok. At best. But I guess they are the way to go if you “get into the hobby”.
I really need them to match my current SA keys anyway. Having them be a different profile, texture, etc. would be weirder than the mismatched colors I’m trying to fix now!
Ok. Sure. May I ask how you are going to communicate the potential manufacturer which colour you need? Are you sending them your keycaps? Or perhaps buy some pantone abs samples?
