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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Manyak on Mon, 06 July 2009, 06:39:01

Title: Filco Printing
Post by: Manyak on Mon, 06 July 2009, 06:39:01

Quick question: What kind of printing is used for Filco's lettering?

Title: Filco Printing
Post by: Manyak on Mon, 06 July 2009, 17:37:59

Super duper sauce? lol

Thanks!

Title: Filco Printing
Post by: takasta on Mon, 06 July 2009, 18:44:50

I always thought it was laser etching, cause the letters on the boards don't seem to fade, the keys itself seem to be smoothed out.

Title: Filco Printing
Post by: talis on Mon, 06 July 2009, 19:10:15

Its likely just pad printing or something similar.

Quote

I always thought it was laser etching, cause the letters on the boards don't seem to fade, the keys itself seem to be smoothed out.

The only way to get white text on a black key using laser etching is if you mold the key either out of two layers of plastic, or out of white plastic then paint it black before etching away to the white underneath.

You can get black text on a white key using laser etching a lot easier.

Title: Filco Printing
Post by: skyian on Tue, 07 July 2009, 05:57:56

Most of the filco keycap printing is silk printing which is a very common used printing way. To avoid fading of the letters, Filco put another "COATING" on the top of the keycap. Hence the touch of the keycap is more smooth than other company's keycap.

However, there're some of the Filco keyboards are made with laser keycap, for example, as far as I could remember, Filco Bluetooth keyboard(made by Datatcomp) and the newly released Filco white 104 keys keyboard, US Layout are both made with laser keycap.

Title: Filco Printing
Post by: lowpoly on Tue, 07 July 2009, 06:05:36

Quote from: talis;101450

The only way to get white text on a black key using laser etching is if you mold the key either out of two layers of plastic, or out of white plastic then paint it black before etching away to the white underneath.

Black Cherry POM keycaps are different. It looks as if space for the symbol is lasered away and the remaining cavity (?) is filled with white plastic.

Title: Filco Printing
Post by: itlnstln on Tue, 07 July 2009, 07:36:17

Quote from: lowpoly;101500

Black Cherry POM keycaps are different. It looks as if space for the symbol is lasered away and the remaining cavity (?) is filled with white plastic.

While not the prettiest looking keycaps, I like the Cherry POM keycaps.  They are very durable, but the text on the legends looks blurry xusing their process (at lest on my 'board).

Title: Filco Printing
Post by: lowpoly on Tue, 07 July 2009, 08:08:59

Mine are not blurry. But the white plastic seems to be more solid in the middle of a line. And a little bit transparent at the edges.

We might be talking about the same thing.

Title: Filco Printing
Post by: itlnstln on Tue, 07 July 2009, 08:14:16

Quote from: lowpoly;101510

Mine are not blurry. But the white plastic seems to be more solid in the middle of a line. And a little bit transparent at the edges.
 
We might be talking about the same thing.

"Blurry" was probably not the best description.  Yours is much more precise.  "Soft" is probably a better description.

Title: Filco Printing
Post by: talis on Tue, 07 July 2009, 09:13:28

Quote from: lowpoly;101500

Black Cherry POM keycaps are different. It looks as if space for the symbol is lasered away and the remaining cavity (?) is filled with white plastic.

They could possibly laser sinter white plastic as well (apply a thin layer of white plastic powder, then melt it with a laser).