Signature Plastics Update

[norbauer]

I'm completely with Garrett on this. Companies like his and mine (both of which are creative passion projects for us, first and foremost) couldn't have come into existence without SP having first fostered our community and this shared hobby of ours. For that, I cannot begin to express my gratitude for SP in general—and to Bob and Melissa in particular.

It's amazing for me to calculate that I been in this community for over a decade, and I remember back when SP was pretty much the only game in town. In those very early days, SP put up with the annoying, demanding, fussy, overly-obsessive requirements of us keyboard nerds despite our projects being infinitesimal in size and just generally financially not worth their trouble relative to the work required to make them happen. Yet Melissa valiantly put up with us, affording us all a creative canvas that was, in my view, principally responsible for the early growth of this hobby (more so even, in a sense, than Cherry). Every keyboard company now in existence, GMK included, owes much to SP.

Feeling a bit wistful today, I'll here share a video I filmed when I visited SP's factory back in 2019. I felt very privileged to have been welcomed by such kind and friendly people, and I'm wishing them all well right now, hoping they find what they're looking for.

[Rob27shred]

Sad news for sure, but I wish you guys the best! You helped foster this community & it would not be where it's at without that. Hopefully you can find a buyer who will continue to carry the torch so to say. Although I will cherish the keycap sets I got from you guys either way. Good luck in whatever you do next!

[kuangmk11]

I would never have gotten into keyboards without SP.

[chancellorr]

I first got into keyboards because I saw a photo of a Poker II with DSA Granite on it. I have to say, if it wasn't for SP and PMK I wouldn't be in the hobby at all. Hoping for some good news to come out of this in the end.

Thanks for everything Signature Plastics.

[xLeHoy]

o7

[mcmcmc]

this is very sad. this hobby wouldn’t be here without sp. wish you all the best with your journey.

[kevinlim]

It's really sad to see this post. Best wishes to your journey. Thank you for your contribution to this hobby.

[Sup]

Sad to see you guys go. DCS was one of the only keycaps that are high quality and not super thick. I guess aftermarket prices of SP keycaps are going to sky rocket in the future.

[tactilesbad]

everything ends, even legends.

[HoffmanMyster]

SP was truly foundational to this hobby. It's hard to properly put in context given the landscape today, but we would be nothing without SP's willingness to put up with a bunch of hobbyists and nerds.

Thank you all for everything you've done for us. I wish nothing but the best for your retirement and future endeavors, and selfishly hope that the legacy can be passed along to someone else in this space.

[SMKNGNZ]

I would like to make one other comment regarding sustaining the business that SP and the community has created. This is an appeal to the designers in the community. Melissa and I appreciate the fact that your incentive to create new keyset designs has been severely impacted by companies not respecting your creations and cloning them for their own benefit. This has basically destroyed the group-buy concept which previously was the vehicle that sustained this hobby. But to avoid the past ten years from becoming simply a passing era, we need the designers to reengage and once again share their works of art with the community.

[ItIsWritten]

With all due respect, but more than other companies not respecting copyright, I think a huge problem has been the long waiting times. It's not uncommon now to wait years, which does take a lot of the fun out of it.

Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-G986B met Tapatalk

[Piperaceae]

The wait times are much shorter again now - six to eight weeks, I think was mentioned? The only SA sets I know of pending are Green Screen, Metaverse (both due in a couple weeks) and ASCII. Haven't heard of anything coming after those.

[kuangmk11]

The wait times are much shorter again now - six to eight weeks, I think was mentioned? The only SA sets I know of pending are Green Screen, Metaverse (both due in a couple weeks) and ASCII. Haven't heard of anything coming after those.

There is a Hyper7 run in there.

[Sintpinty]

Following the release of DCS Lilly in August 2013, Signature Plastics has manufactured over 300 custom keysets for enthusiasts worldwide in the mechanical keyboard community. Ten years later, the company is now adjusting to several major changes in the marketplace and in the business.

Interest in group-buys, with their traditional long lead times, is giving way to customers wanting off-the-shelf products delivered to their door the next day, even though lead times for new group-buy keysets are currently only six to eight weeks. The post-COVID era saw the emergence of dozens of small start-ups eager to capitalize on the mechanical keyboard wave. Unfortunately, this resulted in many of the more popular keyset designs being copied, without designer approval, which negatively impacted the creative spirit that once flourished in the enthusiast community. The future of this unique art form is now in jeopardy as fewer designers are willing to have their creations compromised. Even though the market is being flooded with low-quality, inexpensive, keyset clones, interest in high quality double-shot keysets being produced by companies like GMK and Signature Plastics is still very strong.

One of the biggest challenges Signature Plastics will experience in 2024 will be a change in ownership as Bob Guenser prepares for retirement and Melissa Petersen, the Queen of Keycaps, contemplates new opportunities outside the world of keycaps. It’s been a great ride, and it’s not an easy decision, but we both feel the time has come to end this journey and move on. We are currently searching for buyer candidates who appreciate the role the company has played in the evolution of computer keyboards over the past 50 years, and who are also committed to preserving and continuing the legacy tied to that history.

If you are interested in owning/operating a small injection molding company, with a successful track record in the commercial and consumer keycap markets, please contact us.    bguenser@solutionsinplastic.com   mpetersen@solutionsinplastic.com

Thank you for your service

[ffn]

Logged in for the first time in a long time just to reply to this thread. Thank you Signature Plastics for supporting this community! I still have my DSA Dolch set from years ago that I love.

[WhiteRice]

I still remember how responsive Melissa was during the process of placing group buy #1. It was a pleasure working with her.

Wishing you all the best.

[hineybush]

omg

[Argan12345]

Worst news so far in 2024. SP is the best in the business for spherical keysets (my favorite). I don't think I would have even 20% of my collection if you guys weren't in production. Here's my list of SP keysets I acquired over the years:

• DSA High Contrast Granite
• SA Nuclear Data
• SA Danger Zone
• SA Godspeed
• SA Handarbeit
• SA Laser
• SA Mitospeed
• SA Genespeed
• SA Oblivion
• SA Symbiosis
• SA Spectra
• SA Mitolet
• SA Retro
• DSS Dolche
• DSA Overcast
• G20 Semiotics
• G20 Stealth
• DCS Clear
• DSA Penumbra
• SA WFK/NN (in the mail)
• DSA WFK/NN (just ordered yesterday)
• SA Geoma (waiting on Vala)

You had the best sets on the market, best texture, colors and consistency.

[Piperaceae]

I was going through my list after reading this, too. All SA, but I've got Retro, 8010, Fledgling, Symbiosis, Dasher, Godspeed, Carbon, Honeywell, Oblivion, Spectra, Copper, and Laser. Was hoping to eventually add some more.

[Surefoot]

Hi SP. Continuation or not (let's hope someone takes up the flame !) you guys changed our lives somehow, and defined a good part of a quickly expanding hobby.
Also you set the bar on how quality SA profile keycaps (and DSA too) should be made. As of today this bar has not been reached even by any contender on the market and the competition is fierce.

As many others here I have an unhealthy amount of keycap sets made by SP, including the SA Honeywell i'm typing this on which still receives compliments by colleagues when they see it.

[fatboycarney]

Very sad to hear this news. Got the pleasure to work with Melissa and I am honoured one of my creations received the SP treatment.

Hoping you are able find someone who can carry on the torch.

[romeo]

We - as mech nerds in VN community actually have a Grab bag group https://www.facebook.com/groups/grabbag with 20k members, looks what evolving around SP's grab bags below. I believe we're the main source of buying most of the grab bag in pimp website once they're available. We wish that you have a smooth transition, and please don't run the same set with the same colorway without the original designer involving. That'll kill off the creative of the community as you said.

Some samples of what grab-bag community do :
NN set

More

WCK alpha set


WFK set


Color block

[krikun98]

Wow...
SP has done incredible things for the hobby. Everything I have - from modern DSS to old Comptec DCS off a Wyse 85 - has been of the highest quality.
I'm immensely grateful for both the championing of spherical profiles and the willingness to work with the community even on small projects - few others have been so accommodating to 40%-specific groupbuys, for example.
Best of luck in your future endeavors.


P.S.: Feels like the last chance to ask - are you sure the SS molds were destroyed? Maybe there's some documentation on the profile left? Or at least a list of historical keyboards it was found on?

[hkf]

All the best Melissa, I have so many fond memories of SP over the years.

[krautcat]

That's overwhelming. Sad news, but life is moving on.

I relatively new in the keyboards, but I will always remember my first groupbuy, SA Laser R1.

And many other SA sets I own. Its' quality... It's something special.

Good luck.

[_PixelNinja]

Thank you for your contribution to this hobby over the years and godspeed!

[Rob27shred]

With so many people reminiscing I almost forgot to comment Round 1 of SA Godspeed was my very first high quality custom keycap set. I'll never forget how awesome it felt to get that set & just how impressed I was with the quality!

[phinix]

Hmmm... maybe lets come up with design of last and final SA keyset as farewell to SP King and Queen?

[opsecpanda]

Farewell, SP! DSA Scientific was my first real keyset and plunged me into the best hobby yet. Some of my favorite sets are SP sets. Including but not limited to:

• DSA Scientific
• DSS Drank
• DSA Red Velvet
• SA Recall
• DSS Hail Satan
• DCS Input

Retire in Peace <3 thank you for your contributions.

[Parva Ovis]

Like others, Signature Plastics keycaps were the thing that got me into keyboards as a hobby rather than just stopping at owning a mechanical keyboard. I even wrote a paper in college on SP (and got an A on it!). SA profile, while not my preferred one, still sticks out in my mind as the quintessential keycap profile.

Hopefully someone can pick up the torch, but even if not, I wish nothing but the best for the folks at SP.

[NoPunIn10Did]

I was so sad to hear about this. I wish you all the best, and I hope that you can find a buyer that has a deep respect for your company's history and its place in the community.

[mohawk1367]

Logged in for the first time in a long time just to reply to this thread. Thank you Signature Plastics for supporting this community! I still have my DSA Dolch set from years ago that I love.

2009 holy ****

[SeedyOne]

2009 holy ****

Seriously, that was back in the black/orange days, not a hint or red on the site yet.

[mohawk1367]

2009 holy ****

Seriously, that was back in the black/orange days, not a hint or red on the site yet.

i was barely a sapient being in 2009 i was 3 years old lol

[Emir]

Thank you for everything