> I'm doing a project where I'm reusing keyswitches and keycaps taken
> from a PC keyboard. I need to add my own labeling to the caps. And the
> kicker? They will be painted a deep navy blue colour.
>
> So far, the only thing I've thought of is using a 12mm wide white on
> clear printing tape and a Brother P-Touch labeler.
>
> Does anyone have any other thoughts? I'd love to have the legend
> painted directly on the cap, but I can't afford to make silkscreens
> for this.
>
> Thanks!

Years ago I did computer support work at a company that (among other things)
produced lettered automotive buttons. Two operations come to mind, pad
printing and laser etching. Pad printing is good and cheap in quantity, but
would need a separate stencil for each keycap - cost prohibitive setup I
would think. I believe that's how they are lettered originally. But laser
etching might be a good option. Generally the buttons were molded in white
plastic and painted black. The laser would selectively burn off the black
paint but not damage the plastic. Afterward the whole enchilada was covered
with clear coat. I'm sure you've seen them in some cars, these guys worked
for the big three and lots of other companies. It would need a fixture to
locate the button on the laser machine, but the actual imprint is just CAD
data. Since most of the relevant keys on a keyboard are physically the same,
you should be able to get by with only one fixture. I'm not sure what this
would cost but I'd guess around $200-$500 setup and $0.50 to $1 per button
(US $) but that's just a guesstimate. At the time (about 1997) their high
volume work was less than $0.20 per.

Excellent results, if you can justify the cost.

-Denny

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