Not sure about making them yourself (probably need a 3D printer and paint or something) but Yuzu Keycaps allow you to design stuff on their website and they print everything for you. Answer from IevaDay on reddit.com
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Reddit
reddit.com โ€บ r/mechanicalkeyboards โ€บ i spent 2 years and $10,000+ to make my own keycaps โ€” and something far more interesting
r/MechanicalKeyboards on Reddit: I spent 2 years and $10,000+ to make my own keycaps โ€” and something far more interesting
March 4, 2024 -

Hi everyone,

The past couple of years have been quite a journey for me. I fell into the rabbit hole of mechanical keyboards while trying to create the perfect keyboard for both gaming and work. My journey led me to the Keychron K4 V2, which, after some modding, was almost perfect to me. Almost, because there was one thing that bothered me: the keycaps.

Thin ABS plastic, prone to shine after some use, and just not my preferred color scheme. Despite searching for a better keycap set, especially for my unique layout (96%, German ISO), I couldn't find anything that sparked my interest.

After giving up on the search, I remembered something: "Didn't LinusTechTips upload a video about making custom keycaps? I need to try that!"; So I did what every sensible person would do: spend countless hours of research, development, trial and error aswell as thousands of dollars in equipment and materials to start my own company. Thockfactory.com was born, an easy-to-use online keycap set configurator.

Thockfactory offers a variety of different keyboard layouts, ranging from 60% to Full-Size with comprehensive per-key configuration. Custom colors, legends, fonts and images allow for endless possibilities. The keycaps are thick PBT dye-sub keycaps and (in my humble opinion) of really good quality.

Now you can create your own custom keycap set just the way you want it and directly order it, everything consolidated in one shop. Order processing within 5 business days, no minimum order quantity and worldwide shipping!

Try it out today and leave some feedback!

Thockfactory keycap configurator
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Reddit
reddit.com โ€บ r/mechanicalkeyboards โ€บ diy - custom printed keycaps
r/MechanicalKeyboards on Reddit: DIY - Custom printed keycaps
July 12, 2022 -

I thought I would share the keycaps that I printed for my keyboard in case anyone else is interested in DIY keycaps. I wanted to make sure that they didn't fade before I posted them. It's been a year and there has been very little fading. The attached photos are from my main keyboard that I use everyday.

I've tried dry erase markers, plastic dye, and sharpies, but they all had issues. I have found Cricut Infusable Ink Markers to be the longest lasting and easiest to work with.

The process - I colored a keycap using an Infusable Ink marker. I placed the keycap in a jig I created. I used Inkscape to create images for each keycap and uploaded the images to my laser engraver software. The engraver settings (power and depth / speed) are different for each color, so its trial and error. Once the engraver is done, I wiped the marker off with nail polish remover.

EDIT: Added images in post.

Find elsewhere
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Reddit
reddit.com โ€บ r/keycapdesigners โ€บ what software do people typically use to design key cap sets and how do they go abojt getting them manufactured
r/keycapdesigners on Reddit: What software do people typically use to design key cap sets and how do they go abojt getting them manufactured
June 4, 2024 -

I know, I know. Iโ€™m an idiot, I donโ€™t know how to use google, search the sub, this has been posted a million times.

I know there is no amount of prefacing I can do to avoid receiving these comments when asking a question on Reddit but hear me out, I tried searching the sub and the few links I found were broken. I tried googling and the SEO is so bad on google I just get infinite pages of keycap advertisements.

Please someone help me, I donโ€™t need a whole primer, Iโ€™m just curious how people design and then get their keycaps manufactured? Or what can I put into google that can help me find more info about this? Thank you

Top answer
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I'm gonna jump in and say that Google is no help, and I've searched this forum as well as Geekhack.org. Any remotely relative threads, blogs, etc. really only point to KLE which I found painful to use and very limited in design ability.. so whatever the reason for asking, I feel your pain (and look forward to others contributing responses). For me, I've been using Inkscape and a template I got off GoblinTeckKeys.com to work on my design. It looks like dye sublimation is the only real way to make a set with full creativity unless you can get enough interest to get a large run made. I think the preferred tool is Adobe Acrobat but I'm too cheap to pay for a subscription and this is just a hobby to pass the time (for me). There's another tool (Blender?) to make renders to better show your set as a prototype to gain interest, but I haven't figured that out yet because I'm still playing with my design idea. I've come to realize that it'll probably cost me a few hundred $$$ to get a fully kitted set, but mostly because I like options (and I'm indecisive) and GoblinTech doesn't have any set kits they do.. they will whatever you want.. hence the reason I haven't pulled the trigger yet. The thing I liked about GoblinTech is they have a way for designers to sell their sets on their site and it's low/no cost to the designer.. There was another site I was looking at that did that too and it had designers selling sets with more knitting options but I can't recall the site name. The only thing coming to mind is KeyGeek.com but I'm not 100% that was the one.. Hope this helps.
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Blender 3D, utilize some of the keycap-specific design/render templates & the GMK or SP fonts (can't remember the name off the top of my head) from Github, or use "Open Cherry" - an open-source font for keycaps based on vintage Cherry keyboards , reading up on Pantone color codes and the IRL color differences between ABS & PBT plastics. Also look this stuff up on Geekhack & some of the artisan makers Discord server would likely help find resources for design & manufacturing specifics.
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Reddit
reddit.com โ€บ r/mechanicalkeyboards โ€บ custom key cap maker?
r/MechanicalKeyboards on Reddit: Custom key cap maker?
July 25, 2019 -

I really like 60% keyboards. My current keyboard is a pok3r model I bought 5 years ago. I've been waiting for a lag free wireless option, so I was really hype when I saw the Asus Falchion, but I can't find a key cap set for it. I like blank key caps as I touch type and I think it looks cool. Is there a maker or set I am missing that can achieve this with the falchion?

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Reddit
reddit.com โ€บ r/mechanicalkeyboards โ€บ i built a keycap designer that allows you to find keycaps with your desired color theme, profile, material and more! [keebfinder update]
r/MechanicalKeyboards on Reddit: I built a keycap designer that allows you to find keycaps with your desired color theme, profile, material and more! [KeebFinder Update]
March 11, 2023 - I'm excited to announce a new feature on my website that I think can be very helpful when it comes to looking for new keycaps. Based on your feedback and requests, I've added a keycap color designer that makes it easy to find the perfect color theme keycaps that match your needs.
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Reddit
reddit.com โ€บ r/olkb โ€บ how can i customize/print on keycaps for a game character's theme?
r/olkb on Reddit: How can I customize/print on keycaps for a game character's theme?
February 26, 2025 -

These are pretty common (example images from google):

So they include printed images on every side, keycaps colored in a specific palette and potentially a custom font for the symbols (but the first one is most important).

I found some sites like goblinkeys or diykeycaps that could work, but they don't quite offer exactly what I want: all options online deal with column-staggered keyboards, while I'd like an ortholinear one.

quick ortholinear example with Hornet from the hit game Silksong

So I expect I'll likely have to somehow do this myself.
(I haven't decided yet whether to use choc or MX keycaps - the former ones' sides are very small, which could distort the image ... or make the whole thing simpler to make.However, no one offers the character I'm interested in.)

Some options I've considered were:
- designing and printing out wide-cross-shaped stickers wouldn't be too hard (aside from mine not being sure how to stretch the image on the sides, exactly), but they might get dirty with use and feel not as nice as raw keycaps
- buying a dye sublimation printer and trying to use that, but I've heard the images printed on keycaps with that method wear out with time - this is fine if I were to just print icons on the keycaps, but likely unacceptable for a bigger artwork like this; and also, I'm not sure if they can be aligned properly that way
- printing them on normal paper and using "relegendable" keycaps, but they look quite ugly so probably not an option.

What could I do to achieve this? Have you had a similar project before? How do random sellers on etsy and such do this, without the images wearing off?
Any ideas? Help would be much, much appreciated!

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Reddit
reddit.com โ€บ r/ergomechkeyboards โ€บ truly custom keycaps
r/ErgoMechKeyboards on Reddit: Truly custom keycaps
May 9, 2023 -

I'm looking for a custom keycap configuration tool that includes layout and profile.

I want shine through PBT keycaps with a proper profile, not all OEM 3, or flat DSA or whatever. It looks like most people with Ergo keyboards, especially the most custom ones, are relegated to using a flat profile with blank caps.

It would require 4 times the moulds at most compared to a regular QWERTY set of moulds since every letter could potentially be R1-R4. Maybe you could do the same for numbers if you have a custom numpad layout. For all the special keys you could have blanks with a bit of shine through similar to ZSA's moonlander keycaps. It would also be nice to be able to buy those blanks in multiple sizes in bulk-ish. Like 16 1u, 1.5u and 4 2u or something and still be able to choose the profile perhaps. Since they're shine through, you'd also need to keep in mind compatibility with north and south facing LEDs.

I use the Workman layout on th ZSA Moonlander, but this would apply to any layout and board. You could start out with just 1 font to keep the # of moulds down, and increase to other fonts and special characters later.

I touch type, but my fingers aren't always on home row. I want the legends if I'm working on something esle and not facing my keyboard.
I have multiple layers that effect the colour. Shine through makes it easier for me to see what layer I'm in if I've made a misclick.

Is this a pipe dream? Can I not have my cake and eat it too?
Is flat profile better for ergonimics anyway and should I forget this dream?

Top answer
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Choose two out of three: Non-QWERTY layout Sculpted profile with correct rows for each key Correct legends Exceptions exist but are mostly limited to Dvorak and Colemak compatibility. (If you happen to need more than one set of legends, like Latin + Cyrillic letters where any of your preferred layouts differ from the de-facto standard, the combinatorics becomes impossible.)
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Okay, I wish I could give you a better answer but I'm looking to at least clarify some of this. As a builder I'm looking to "plug" some of these holes but I think you should understand better what you're asking for. Keycaps are made from a variety of materials but generally ABS and PBT.ABS can be laser marked, PBT sort of.ABS will give you shine through.PBT won't give you shine through. Shine through is accomplished in two ways afaik. Double shot (basically injection molding the keycap TWICE.) This is incredibly costly compared to the second way, and also incredibly expensive compared to other legended keycaps. Painted keycaps. As in cheap keycaps will sometimes have a colored coating applied over top; this is then laser etched off. They can chip and in general lack good wear characteristics. Legend keycaps are done generally 3 ways. Double shot. See above. It's incredibly expensive; requiring far more complicated molds and injection molding machines. I'm not kidding when I say the kit to do this is probably a decimal place different if not 2 compared to the next method. Commercial Dye sublimation. This is done with a couple thousand dollars worth of equipment. Generally done on PBT keycaps (so the best material). With the best equipment it allows for full color, on all sides, including intricate graphics. I do this for my shadow caps! Furthermore, I've done it on white keycaps with black sublimation ink, but it's a pain in the butt. No color; black on white only. Or in the case of my shadow caps, engraved wells on the caps. They last basically as long as true sublimation caps but lack the full color and easy of production. In no way do you get good shine through on PBT keycaps without double shot. (I'd bet the first shot that makes the letter is ABS btw). PBT isn't clear afaik and I can't find any (natural or translucent) PBT blank caps to even try. So, getting custom legend work, or unique key profiles with shine through is a pipe dream. I'd love to offer it. But current technology just isn't going to allow it. What I'm about to be able to offer is fully commercial quality sublimation keycaps of any MX (soon to be others too) profiles. This will be full color, (you can actually design your own and I'll do it for you) on all sides. Basically fully permanent and customized truly how you'd like it. I'm hoping to offer made to order and price well below currently "custom" keycap options that want 150$+ for a set. I will say that sculpted profile keycaps will be more difficult to produce as I'll have to register each key methodically within the sublimation machine but I doubt that will be super complicated.
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Reddit
reddit.com โ€บ r/mechanicalkeyboards โ€บ custom keycaps maker
r/MechanicalKeyboards on Reddit: Custom keycaps maker
March 1, 2019 -

So im soon going to purchase a new mechanical keyboard (a cooler master CK530) and I dont like that the keycaps with the letter are black as I much prefer the letter keys to be white and then the surrounding keys to be black. Sadly this isnt an option meaning I have to get custom keycaps. Only problem is that I live in sweden and finding keycaps with the right letters and layout is a really big pain.

But I did find one company that sells the right layout. The company is called WASD and from what I see they are really good. But is there any way to get the letters on the caps to be translucent bescause.

Is there also other companys like this were I could get keycaps because I think WASD are a bit expensive especially when i only want white keycaps without design.

Any help would be appreciated.

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Reddit
reddit.com โ€บ r/mechanicalkeyboards โ€บ thockfactory is back! custom keycaps ordering is now possible again โ€“ with better quality!
r/MechanicalKeyboards on Reddit: Thockfactory is back! Custom keycaps ordering is now possible again โ€“ with better quality!
April 27, 2024 -

Hi there!

It's been a while since my last update about Thockfactory, and a lot has changed since then.

For those who have no idea what I am talking about: I created an online custom keycap set configurator that allows you to design and directly order keycaps with your unique designs. I spent two years developing this project, and just two days after announcing it here on r/MechanicalKeyboards, one of my main machines for manufacturing dye-sub keycaps broke down. This happened about two months ago, and since then, my top priority has been to get the manufacturing process back on track.

My first goal was to fix the machine, but I was unable to do so. Getting a replacement would be quite expensive, and since all funding comes from my own pocket, I was hesitant to make such a large purchase. I brainstormed many solutions, but ultimately, I realized that manufacturing the keycaps myself was too big of an undertaking for a one-man company. Of course, I didn't want to abandon a project I've been working on for so long and have invested over $10,000 into.

That's why I decided to partner with my blank keycaps supplier to handle the manufacturing of custom keycaps. They specialize in reverse dye-sub keycap manufacturing and have more capacity and experience than I could provide on my own. This partnership ensures that the keycaps will be of higher quality and that there won't be any delays due to stock shortages or machine issues.

We optimized our processes for a long time and did extensive color and position calibration. However, please keep in mind that this is still a relatively new partnership, so there might be some issues to iron out in the first few weeks.

To put it briefly, you can now design and order your custom keycaps again!

What does this mean for the future?

First of all, no more month-long downtimes. Letting an experienced dye-sub manufacturer handle all the manufacturing allows me to focus on the things I am more competent in: the software. I will be able to add many more layouts, presets, and features to the configurator from now on.

Since my manufacturer is located in China, all shipments will originate from there as well. EU customers, rest assured! There will not be any customs duties; everything is taken care of. You just order, wait, and receive your keycaps! Shipping times will also not increase much; rather, the opposite. The average shipping duration will be ~7 days after dispatch. US customers rejoice: compared to before, you do not have to pay any customs duties anymore! Shipping times have also reduced quite a bit to ~8 days after dispatch.

Another major benefit of partnering with my manufacturer is that they produce keycaps themselves. This means that I can offer XDA, DSA, OEM, G20, and more profiles much sooner than anticipated!

What am I working on right now?

Since all major problems on the manufacturing side have been resolved (excluding any minor issues that may arise), I am focusing heavily on the configurator and online shop in general. Here are the things I am currently working on:

  • Tagging system in the configurator: You will be able to tag different legends, icons, and images so you can customize them as a group. This feature has been requested many times since the launch.

  • Major online shop design overhaul.

  • Sample images in the online shop: I bought a lot of photography equipment to take professional photos of my keycaps. Currently, only a couple exist here on Reddit, but to make the shop a bit more trustworthy, there need to be some good ones directly on there.

  • Community showcase section: This is an extension of the previous point. I want to add a Reddit-like up-/downvote showcase section where users can upload their designs from the configurator. This is a bigger undertaking, so don't expect it too soon. You can always upload your designs to r/Thockfactory until then :)

  • Adding many more language presets.

  • Many more smaller features...

TL;DR:
I partnered with my blank keycaps supplier to handle manufacturing, ensuring higher quality and no delays. This allows me to focus on improving the configurator and adding new features. Shipping is now more efficient, with no customs duties for EU and US customers. New keycap profiles will be available sooner than expected. Ordering custom keycaps is now possible again!

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Reddit
reddit.com โ€บ r/keyboards โ€บ premium custom key cap companies?
r/keyboards on Reddit: Premium custom key cap companies?
May 21, 2022 -

I want to get some custom keycaps made for my wooting keyboard that's coming in soon. So many options for companies online anyone have recommendations? I want an image behind or on the caps. Looking for something premium that will last. I think PBT keycaps are better right?

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Reddit
reddit.com โ€บ r/mechanicalkeyboards โ€บ how to get into making artisan/custom keycaps?
r/MechanicalKeyboards on Reddit: How to get into making artisan/custom keycaps?
November 15, 2015 -

Im interested in doing it as a hobby what materials should I use for durability and how would I go about getting into it?

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This has been asked a million times, please search in the future.

Any mold making tutorial online will show you how to make a mold, and making an artisan key cap is just casting a resin mold. Clay/wax to sculpt the mold, use an existing key as a base and build off of that to start if that would be easier for your first attempts. Make a silicone mold of your sculpt then cast it in resin (pour the resin into the silicone mold). That's literally it, it doesn't need to be expensive.

here is a basic approximate price breakdown from this thread: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=60403.msg1394043#msg1394043

Master Cap (GMK thick) $3 Modeling clay $10 Mold release (petroleum jelly) $3 Silicon (multiple batches) $30 Receptacle (Paper cups, tinfoil) $3 Resin (โ‰ˆ25 caps minimum) $25 Dye (3 basic colors, mix and match to get everything else) $6 for each color x 3 = $18

Initial cost: โ‰ˆ$92 for โ‰ˆ25 caps (a little under $4 per cap)

here are a few threads that might give you some more info as well: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=46284.0 https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=62696.0

But really, a small quantify of basic mold making supplies for just making a few caps for fun is pretty cheap and it's not a hard process.

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money, money and more money. Prepare to spend a LOT, even if you want to do it as a hobby. There's threads on geekhack that will get you started. You'll need resin to make the caps with, clay to sculpt a design from, and silicone to make a mold. gl!

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Reddit
reddit.com โ€บ r/mechanicalkeyboards โ€บ make-a-keycap-set?
r/MechanicalKeyboards on Reddit: make-a-keycap-set?
February 15, 2016 -

hello. I see the Miami dolchi and overcast keycap sets, and I wander.. can I make my own?

I like the colors offered, but I would looove a set similar to these but with my selection of 2-3 colors.

is there something like that? can I order these sets but also give a hex color and get a custom set?

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Reddit
reddit.com โ€บ r/mechanicalkeyboards โ€บ designers spend months making custom keycaps, then the counterfeits arrive
r/MechanicalKeyboards on Reddit: Designers spend months making custom keycaps, then the counterfeits arrive
January 1, 2022 - So what are some good keycaps that arenโ€™t hundreds of dollars, donโ€™t take years to arrive, arenโ€™t considered subpar/cheaply made, and most importantly, not from a company that Reddit doesnโ€™t like that I can buy from? ... It is more about price to these customers and domikey is still quite expensive.