Author Topic: Public Service Announcement - Doubleshot ABS and Custom Keycap Legends Cost $$$ (Read 5261 times)

CPTBadAss · « **on:** Thu, 21 May 2015, 15:45:52 »

Just a heads up everyone. If you do want to make a group buy with doubleshot ABS and have plans for customized legends, say Chinese characters, you will need to pay for a new mold. I don't exactly remember what the price for a brand new mold is. Part of me wants to say around $3000 but I'm sure someone will correct me.

I will say that when the Cherry Legends at SP were made, it cost $45 per keycap. So just in legend changes, the buy needed an extra $45*104 = $4680.

The reason I keep asking in threads if people are going to use dye-sub or doubleshots is that dyesubbing caps does not have the same legend fee. That is due to how the processes work.

If you are new to the scene and you want to make a keycap set, please keep this in mind.

If someone could correct me on the pricing, I'd be really grateful. I'm going just with numbers off the top of my head.

esoomenona · « **Reply #1 on:** Thu, 21 May 2015, 15:51:14 »

esoomenona · « **Reply #2 on:** Thu, 21 May 2015, 15:53:48 »

CPTBadAss · « **Reply #3 on:** Thu, 21 May 2015, 15:54:41 »

Cool thanks Moose. I don't remember what the breakdown on molds and insert prices are but I do know that anything custom for doubleshots will cost more.

blastoid · « **Reply #4 on:** Thu, 21 May 2015, 18:22:30 »

You're right, CPTBadAss. From an email convo with Melissa earlier this week:

Quote

...we don't actually need to make new molds for the legends, just new brass legend plates (this is very different from a mold). If you supply your own SVG files, legend charge is $45 per legend.
You are correct in your cost assumptions.

My cost assumptions being the same as yours, $45 x 104 = 4680. Now, I assume you can reuse Ctrl and Alt, and possibly the Shifts? Not sure on that one.

SpAmRaY · « **Reply #5 on:** Thu, 21 May 2015, 18:36:52 »

What about PMK's new system of making whatever sets get enough votes in there interest checks? Will they just build the cost into sets?

Joey Quinn · « **Reply #6 on:** Thu, 21 May 2015, 18:55:42 »

Quote from: SpAmRaY on Thu, 21 May 2015, 18:36:52

Will they just build the cost into sets?

IIRC that's how Booper did Deep Space.

baldgye · « **Reply #7 on:** Fri, 22 May 2015, 07:51:29 »

Hey guys I'm just starting this IC on a keyset I've wanted for YEARS it's red, green and blue and all the legends are like shapes, but not letters, it's cool. Just checking interest before I put it up on massdrop.

oh yeah and i have like 3 posts

Fire Brand · « **Reply #8 on:** Fri, 22 May 2015, 08:00:03 »

Just a question for you who actually owns the legends once they are bought, for example the cherry ones do you have to ask permission to have them used, or would it just be a check with those that ran the cherry replica buy to make sure everything is okay with the first, as I always loved the sanctuary keyset legends but am doubtful of it ever getting another rerun :c

CPTBadAss · « **Reply #9 on:** Fri, 22 May 2015, 08:05:18 »

I think as a courtesy you should ask hashbaz if it's cool to use them but you could just tell Melissa at SP you'd like to use them. And yes, you can build the cost of the new inserts into the set. I just wanted to put this out there so people realize that they need to do that.

Fire Brand · « **Reply #10 on:** Fri, 22 May 2015, 08:43:56 »

Quote from: CPTBadAss on Fri, 22 May 2015, 08:05:18

I think as a courtesy you should ask hashbaz if it's cool to use them but you could just tell Melissa at SP you'd like to use them. And yes, you can build the cost of the new inserts into the set. I just wanted to put this out there so people realize that they need to do that.

Okay I just wanted to know was all of course I would ask if I wanted to use them

blastoid · « **Reply #11 on:** Fri, 22 May 2015, 13:19:27 »

Quote from: Fire Brand on Fri, 22 May 2015, 08:43:56

Quote from: CPTBadAss on Fri, 22 May 2015, 08:05:18
I think as a courtesy you should ask hashbaz if it's cool to use them but you could just tell Melissa at SP you'd like to use them. And yes, you can build the cost of the new inserts into the set. I just wanted to put this out there so people realize that they need to do that.
Okay I just wanted to know was all of course I would ask if I wanted to use them

Melissa may not be able to grant permission. From the same email convo with Melissa:

Quote from: Melissa

We unfortunately do not have a guide for what legends are available - we have over 100,000 different legends just for the SA keycaps and it is all in a physical binder here in our office - not something that is electronically available (it probably wouldn't make much sense anyway).

We are able to re-use some legends from previous sets unless the images were provided specifically for that keycap set (i.e. custom graphics created by other users).

CPTBadAss · « **Reply #12 on:** Fri, 22 May 2015, 13:20:34 »

Quote from: blastoid on Fri, 22 May 2015, 13:19:27

Melissa may not be able to grant permission. From the same email convo with Melissa:

Quote from: Melissa
We unfortunately do not have a guide for what legends are available - we have over 100,000 different legends just for the SA keycaps and it is all in a physical binder here in our office - not something that is electronically available (it probably wouldn't make much sense anyway).

We are able to re-use some legends from previous sets unless the images were provided specifically for that keycap set (i.e. custom graphics created by other users).

Right. And hashbaz and others made the Cherry legends which are custom graphics.

Badwrench · « **Reply #13 on:** Fri, 22 May 2015, 23:53:11 »

Quote from: CPTBadAss on Fri, 22 May 2015, 08:05:18

I think as a courtesy you should ask hashbaz if it's cool to use them but you could just tell Melissa at SP you'd like to use them. And yes, you can build the cost of the new inserts into the set. I just wanted to put this out there so people realize that they need to do that.

Definitely do this. Also, make sure to offer any legends that you do have made for your set to hashbaz so that they can be used in the future (especially those relevant to the cherry set). He may not want them (as in the case of my alps gb going on). Also make sure to ask iMav for permission on the "geekhack" keys

KatzenKinder · « **Reply #14 on:** Fri, 29 May 2015, 13:02:25 »

Yeah this is clearly what's happening with Modern Selectric currently, as the mods base cost was $115, pretty crazy. A pleasant surprise though that they've tipped, and at the further price tiers it actually becomes more reasonable.

CPTBadAss · « **Reply #15 on:** Fri, 29 May 2015, 13:03:50 »

And that's fine if the GB wants to build the cost into the set. I just wanted to put it out there that there is the additional cost.

admiralvorian · « **Reply #16 on:** Fri, 29 May 2015, 18:44:25 »

Thanks for the info!

can we have another PSA that says

"GMK keycaps are expensive"
"Clacks are hard to get"
"Group buys can take a long time"
etc. etc.

Giorgio · « **Reply #17 on:** Sun, 14 June 2015, 18:15:19 »

How much would it cost to have a custom gmk legend? I'm thinking about one character per key, and another case where you have more characters in a key.

Photekq · « **Reply #18 on:** Sun, 14 June 2015, 18:17:42 »

Quote from: Giorgio on Sun, 14 June 2015, 18:15:19

How much would it cost to have a custom gmk legend? I'm thinking about one character per key, and another case where you have more characters in a key.

They have said they will not do new moulds for doubleshot legends. They instead offer high quality pad print.

mkawa · « **Reply #19 on:** Fri, 03 July 2015, 01:35:46 »

it's likely that their mold tooling is nowhere near as modular as SP's. SP also has a particularly brilliant molding expert running things.

News:

Author Topic: Public Service Announcement - Doubleshot ABS and Custom Keycap Legends Cost $$$ (Read 5261 times)