A keycap is a small cover of plastic, metal, or other material placed over the keyswitch of a

computer keyboard A computer keyboard is a built-in or peripheral input device modeled after the typewriter keyboard which uses an arrangement of buttons or Push-button, keys to act as Mechanical keyboard, mechanical levers or Electronic switching system, electro ...

. Keycaps are often illustrated to indicate the key function or

alphanumeric Alphanumericals or alphanumeric characters are any collection of number characters and letters in a certain language. Sometimes such characters may be mistaken one for the other. Merriam-Webster suggests that the term "alphanumeric" may often ...

character they correspond to. Early keyboards were manufactured with the keyswitch and keycap integrated in ''one'' unit; keycaps ''separate'' from the switch were introduced to facilitate the production of different keyboard ''layout''s.

History

Typical keycaps in the 1970s and 1980s were produced using two-shot molding, with the markings molded into each keycap in a different color of plastic. This eventually fell out of favor, as it was more expensive (particularly in tooling costs), and tended to produce keycaps more durable than the equipment on which they were mounted. Modern keycaps are usually labelled by stamping or laser engraving. However, two-shot molding ("doubleshot") keycaps are still available today, known for their feel and general durability.

Modern keycaps

Keycaps can be bought in replacement sets for a keyboard. Notably, replacement sets are frequently sold for keyboards that use

Cherry A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet '' Prunus avium'' and the sour '' Prunus cerasus''. The na ...

MX-style stems. Custom sets are bought and sold within the enthusiast communities, and artisan keycaps can be purchased individually. Artisan keycaps are unique or produced in small batches, and can feature intricate designs; they are often made with malleable materials like resin or silicone. Keycaps are sold in printed and unprinted varieties. The unprinted or blank variety is said to promote touch typing and help build muscle memory because the user is forced to rely on motion rather than visuals. However, within the modern mechanical keyboard community, unprinted caps are typically chosen for their visual appeal. There are many designs a user may choose: from

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

, bi-color and

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

-based to custom-made keycaps. The most common plastics used are ABS, PBT and POM (see the materials section). The top of most keycaps may be described as ''cylinder-shaped'' (curving to the sides as if a fat cylinder was resting on it), ''flat'' or ''spherical'' (curving to the top, bottom and sides as if a large sphere was resting on it). The modern preference is for cylinder-shaped keycaps rather than spherical ones, but laptop keys are often flat.

Construction

Materials

Keycaps materials vary among the brands and provide different feels, durability, damage resistance, and other properties.

Printing of characters

Printing of numbers, letters, and symbols on the keycaps is done using pad printing, laser etching, or dye sublimation.

Key profile

As its name suggests, the easiest way to compare key profiles is to look at them from the side. The keyboard profile refers to the profile shapes of each row of keycaps. With different profiles, keys can vary in size, shape, and thickness. When (most) modern key sets vary in profile from row to row, this is called a sculpted profile. * OEM * Cherry * Apple * Tai Hao * Alps * Laser * DCS * SA * SA-P * DSA * HSA * XDA * MT3

References

{{Reflist Computer keyboards