Keycaps: How To Find The Best Keycaps For You

Keycaps are the rectangular covers that you press to when using a keyboard.

Keycaps decide how your keyboard looks. Many people like to customize their keyboard with other keycaps to create their own unique keyboard.

It’s also responsible for how it feels on your fingers, because it’s the part that touches your fingers when using a keyboard.

In this article, we’ll go over more details about keycaps and how you can customize it, step by step.

Keep reading if that sounds interesting.

Keycap Materials

The most common keycap materials you’ll see are PBT(polybutylene terephthalate) and ABS(Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene). PBT is considered superior in quality because it’s more durable, and does not form a shine on the keycaps after prolonged usage, like this:

Printing Method

Another common term used in keycaps are how the letters, numbers and symbols are printed on the keycaps.

There are different methods to print on keycaps, but the most common methods you’ll see are Doubleshot and Dye-sublimation.

Doubleshot is considered to look crispier, and the letters will not fade from prolonged usage. However dye-sublimation do last a very long time, and shouldn’t be a deal-breaker.

The printing methods may differ depending on the keycap materials. For example, doubleshot PBT and doubleshot ABS use different molds because PBT and ABS react differently to heat.

How To Change Keycaps On Your Keyboard

It’s very easy to change the keycaps of your keyboard.

All you need is a keycap puller, which may be included with your keyboard or keycaps.

Keycaps have different shapes, but they all operate the same way. Just follow this simple instruction:

Andrew is a lifetime gamer and a former amateur esports player. He has worked as the manager for teams such as the New York Excelsior and the Los Angeles Gladiators. Andrew has been mentioned in ESPN, Inven, The Ringer and other esports magazines and journals. andrew@gearrate.com