Author Topic: does anyone know how to get colour printed keycaps for Model M?  (Read 2757 times)

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Offline berserkfan

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Model M keyboards, as we all know, are awesomely lasting and a pleasure to type on.

Unfortunately they are not attractive.

I am wondering how some people managed to get their model Ms decked out. See
http://www.hooleon.com/products/ibm-model-m-keyboard-keycaps They look as though they have cool things for a Buckling spring keyboard.

Does anyone know how to get printed color keycaps for Model Ms? Customized legends and fonts not required - just standard US layout, standard fonts and legends on coloured keycaps.
Most of the modding can be done on your own once you break through the psychological barriers.

Offline 0100010

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Re: does anyone know how to get colour printed keycaps for Model M?
« Reply #1 on: Mon, 08 April 2013, 10:08:13 »
Unicomp can print them for you, subject to availability.

http://pckeyboard.com/page/Buttons/PRK
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Offline Tarzan

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Re: does anyone know how to get colour printed keycaps for Model M?
« Reply #2 on: Mon, 08 April 2013, 10:12:27 »
Model M keyboards, as we all know, are awesomely lasting and a pleasure to type on.

Unfortunately they are not attractive.

I am wondering how some people managed to get their model Ms decked out. See
http://www.hooleon.com/products/ibm-model-m-keyboard-keycaps They look as though they have cool things for a Buckling spring keyboard.

Does anyone know how to get printed color keycaps for Model Ms? Customized legends and fonts not required - just standard US layout, standard fonts and legends on coloured keycaps.

Unicomp will sell you any color cap you like.  They also do custom caps, your choice of color, font, etc. 

The nice thing about Model M's is the two-part key-cap, you can mix and match to your heart's content.  The pics below are for my Unicomp Model M, I swapped out the main 37-key set for beige caps from a vintage Model M 122-key, along with the number keys for the number pad.

18098-0
18100-1

Offline berserkfan

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Re: does anyone know how to get colour printed keycaps for Model M?
« Reply #3 on: Tue, 09 April 2013, 08:35:24 »
Thanks friend, I checked it out in the past already.

Problem is they don't print entire sets which would be cheaper. That means each colour keycap you specify is $1.50 (0.80 + 0.70 for colour). To replace about 80 single unit wide keys is already $120 which I can use to buy two model Ms! And they only custom print for single unit wide keys, so I'm still stuck with ancient, ugly, drab return, shift, space etc. keys. The nasty gray colour really reminds me of the 1980s and of huge, clunky old computers and (bizarrely) the Soviet Union and its apartment blocks. :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :( :( :( :(

Unicomp can print them for you, subject to availability.

http://pckeyboard.com/page/Buttons/PRK
Most of the modding can be done on your own once you break through the psychological barriers.

Offline fohat.digs

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Re: does anyone know how to get colour printed keycaps for Model M?
« Reply #4 on: Tue, 09 April 2013, 21:51:51 »
If you have time to spend rather than money, check out this procedure:

http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=35444.msg742090#msg742090
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