Trying to find a vendor for ~100 custom logo Esc keys

[Eugene]

I've tried searching through old posts for answers, but it's daunting. I'm looking for a vendor who can fulfill an order of about 100 keycaps with the silhouette below for members of my gaming community



(I have a higher res version)

Do any of the major names have MOQ that low for singles? I know I can have these pad printed on ABS at WASD, but I would probably prefer PBT and some other method of printing. A white/gray logo on a black key would be best. I guess that eliminates dye-sub unless someones willing to sublimate the image into a white cap and then mask/dye the rest black. Backlit ABS caps were brought up as something people would like as well.

Should I just not bother inquiring with Signature Plastics, GMK, IMSTO, etc. and look at smaller shops?

[suicidal_orange]

There's never any harm asking and I'm sure they would all be happy to make your caps - the only question will be how much they will charge.

Looking on the completed SP buys this doubleshot  SA ABS 1.75x is surely a custom design and it was $2.50 a cap if it got to 100.  Yours is only a 1x and I'm guessing you don't want a big SA cap so it should be cheaper

[Moralless]

Agree with suicidal_orange. I think your best bet is with Signature plastics, their customer service is great and you should be fine inquiring them about this since you're planning to order more than enough to meet the MOQ. It should be a bit cheaper than the buy that suicidal_orange linked since SA profile keycaps are generally more expensive compared to their other profiles. Also if you plan to make it a group buy which would be hosted on their website (if you're ok with other people not from the gaming forum to have the keycap) it's basically guaranteed that the MOQ will be met since you're already ordering 100 and any more orders will definitely make it cheaper for you overall as you might break more price points.

[Melvang]

Fair warning, SP might not do it.  For the reason of what the image is.  They might, and could probably turn it down due to copyright issues.  If that is the case than about your best bet is to get in touch with Imsto and ask him if he will dye sub them.  As he is not located in he US, he has done logos that other companies won't touch.

[Eugene]

I personally feel it's outside the realm of copyright since it's a hand-traced vector and a fairly generic silhouette, but we'll see.  But then again Coca-Cola Company gets militant over anyone using silhouettes remotely resembling its bottle shape...

[ideus]

Contact Melissa at SP, and ask her if they could produce your caps. Again, nothing to lose and you may get a nice PBT die subbed cap for your community. They just start doing PBT work in DSA and DCS recently.

[Eugene]

Contact Melissa at SP, and ask her if they could produce your caps. Again, nothing to lose and you may get a nice PBT die subbed cap for your community. They just start doing PBT work in DSA and DCS recently.

I was under the impression that light on dark wasn't something within the capability of dye-sub unless you cheat by masking a lighter colored cap. I'm only vaguely familiar with the printing types though. I wonder if laser+infill would look okay. Doubleshot would probably look best, but I hear SP doesn't do much doubleshot PBT? Doubleshot ABS would probably be fine in the end.

[rowdy]

Maybe IMSTO $3.90 each though (maybe you could knock him down a bit for 100).

http://imsto.cn/index.php?route=product/product&path=59&product_id=93

Maybe something from here (with the possibility to dyesub onto dark keys):

http://keycapdiy.blogspot.jp/

[Eugene]

Yeah, the second link is the DecentKeyboards guy I think? I ordered 4 samples from him. Hopefully making black keys isn't as painful as that blog makes it look.

[Eugene]

I'm still looking. I've e-mailed IMSTO and GeekKeys primarily, but their responses have been glacial...a week to respond at best, I'm not even sure they read my last replies. I'm assuming SP is one of GeekKeys' suppliers. As I'm almost sure I wouldn't have any luck getting official authorization from Blizzard, I'm assuming my best bet is still IMSTO or some other Asia-based seller? I just want to get these damn keycaps made for my forum members, haha.

I'm basically looking at blue/gray PBT keycaps with black printing, and possibly black-coated ABS backlit keycaps.

Also /wave at MissAlaire.

[sethk_]

Couldn't you pm sp?

[Eugene]

SP had IP/copyright concerns.

[Eugene]

Good to go with 50 backlit keys from GeekKeys. Just need IMSTO to get back to me about doing some thick PBT dye-subs.

[katushkin]

What is it a silhouette of?

[Eugene]

It's a Warcraft universe Tauren flexing/posing.

[Vectivus]

Good to go with 50 backlit keys from GeekKeys. Just need IMSTO to get back to me about doing some thick PBT dye-subs.

Don't give up on this dream

[Fusion]

I personally feel it's outside the realm of copyright since it's a hand-traced vector and a fairly generic silhouette, but we'll see.  But then again Coca-Cola Company gets militant over anyone using silhouettes remotely resembling its bottle shape...

Searching Google with your image pops up with a bunch of ElitistJerks links. It's pretty close to their logo. I couldn't call the Coca-Cola logo mine if I hand traced over it-it's still ripping off the logo.

[Eugene]

EJ is the community I'm talking about. It doesn't own the image, Blizzard does.