The global keycaps market is expected to reach more than $10 billion by 2028. That alone is an indication of their importance for mechanical keyboards. These small key coverings play a role in your typing and gaming comfort, the noise your keyboard produces, and aesthetics.
GravaStar offers a range of keyboards with durable PBT keycaps, for a premium feeling. But if you’re a tech enthusiast, it’s worth understanding the different keycap profiles, because they do make a difference to the user experience.
Our experts have put together a comprehensive guide for keycap profiles. Next time you’re buying a keyboard, pay some attention to the keycap type, shape, and layout. It could just change your typing or gaming experience for the better!
What Are Keycaps?
Keycaps are the top coverings of individual keys on a keyboard. They’re usually made of plastic, but can also be crafted from metal, ceramic, or even wood for a more premium feel or a particular aesthetic.
Keycaps serve both functional and aesthetic purposes. Functionally, they provide the tactile surface that you interact with when typing or gaming. Physically, they can make quite a difference to the overall look and feel of a keyboard, allowing you to personalize your work or gaming space.
How Do Keycaps Work?
Each keycap has a stem that fits securely onto the switch’s stem. When you press a keycap, it pushes the switch stem down, triggering the mechanism that sends a signal to the computer. This signal translates into a character appearing on your screen — a letter, number, or symbol.
The keycap’s shape and material change the tactile experience of typing and gaming. For example, a keycap with a curved profile could feel more comfortable to your fingertips than a flat one. A keycap made of one material might make a more satisfying sound than other materials.
What Types of Keyboards Use Keycaps?
- Mechanical Keyboards: Use individual mechanical switches under each key, providing tactile feedback and durability. Keycaps can be swapped for customization.
- Membrane Keyboards: Use rubber domes for keypresses. Some models allow keycap replacement, though customization is limited.
- Split Keyboards: Designed for comfort, often with mechanical switches that allow keycap customization to enhance ergonomics.
- Hybrid (Mecha-Membrane) Keyboards: Combine mechanical and membrane features, offering tactile feedback with quieter operation. Some support keycap swapping.
What Are the Different Keycaps Types?
Keycap types (also called keycap profiles) define the height, shape, and feel of keycaps on mechanical keyboards. Different types of keycaps provide a distinctly different typing experience, affecting comfort, sound, and aesthetics. Here’s an overview of the most common keycap profiles:
Cherry Profile
Cherry keycaps are low-profile with a sculpted shape, so each row is angled for ergonomic typing. This profile is popular because of its balance between speed and comfort, so it’s a great choice for both typing and gaming.
Cherry keycaps often produce a “clackier” sound than others. They’re a go-to for custom keyboard enthusiasts because they’re easy to customize. Brands like GMK produce high-quality Cherry keysets.
OEM Profile
OEM keycaps are found on most stock keyboards. They’re slightly taller than Cherry keycaps and provide a familiar and comfortable typing experience, often used for general-purpose typing and gaming. The slightly higher profile feels comfortable, but OEM profile keycaps can feel less “premium” compared to other profiles.
SA Profile
SA keycaps are tall and have a spherical top, providing an interesting retro aesthetic that gives your keyboard a vintage appearance. These keycaps have a deep sound when pressed but because they’re a bit taller, they can cause wrist strain if you aren’t using wrist support. SA is often chosen for its visual appeal, especially in custom-builds where vibrant colors stand out.
DSA Profile
DSA keycaps are uniform in height across all rows, creating a flat typing surface. This design is versatile, especially for custom keyboard layouts, but if you’re used to using sculpted keycaps, it might take some time to adjust to these. If you’re looking for a minimalist look and feel, these could be perfect.
MT3 Profile
MT3 keycaps are of medium height and have a concave design — sometimes called a “deep dish” shape — that helps guide your fingers more easily. These caps combine a retro look with modern materials and are known for their crisp, satisfying sound. They strike a balance between vintage charm and modern functionality.
KAT Profile
KAT keycaps are shorter than SA but have a similar rounded aesthetic. They’re designed for a smooth typing experience with a muted sound profile, great for office work or midnight gaming! KAT keycaps are generally made from durable PBT plastic and often feature dye-sublimation legends, so they’re resistant to wear and tear.
XDA Profile
XDA keycaps are uniform in height like DSA, but with a slightly larger surface area and a flatter top. This profile is excellent for comfort during long typing sessions. XDA is a favorite for people who prefer a uniform look and a less aggressive sculpting.
ASA Profile
ASA keycaps have a medium-high profile with a curved, spherical design. They’re a blend of the height of OEM keycaps with the retro look of SA keycaps. They’re comfortable for both gaming and typing, because they’re great at reducing hand fatigue during extended use. ASA keycaps are popular for their ergonomic shape and tactile feel.
MDA Profile
MDA keycaps feature a medium height and a sculpted design that follows the natural curve of your fingers. This makes them quite comfortable. They offer a balanced typing experience with a deeper sound and are preferred for their ergonomic shape and modern look.
How Do Keycap Shapes Vary Across Different Keycap Profiles?
The shape of keycaps impacts how your fingers interact with the keys. Keycap shapes, like cylindrical or spherical, affect comfort, typing speed, and accuracy. Here’s how these two common shapes vary across different profiles:
Row
Cylindrical Keycaps
Cylindrical keycaps have a concave “U” shape across the top of each key, which is designed to guide your fingers toward the center of the key. This design helps with quick typing by giving your fingers a natural groove to follow as they move from key to key.
Popular profiles like Cherry and OEM usually use this shape. They’re comfortable and familiar, especially for touch typists, because they help prevent slipping and improve typing accuracy.
Spherical Keycaps
Spherical keycaps have a deeper, rounded concave surface. These keycaps cradle your fingertips, helping you to type more precisely because your fingers naturally sit in the center of each key.
This shape is often seen in retro profiles like SA and MT3. Spherical keycaps provide a distinctive tactile feel, but they need more deliberate keypresses and may not be great if you prefer speed to accuracy.
Flat Keycaps
Flat keycaps have a flat surface with no curvature. This design has a consistent feel across all keys and allows for easy movement between them. Flat keycaps, like those in the DSA and XDA profiles, give your keyboard a minimalist and modern look, though they don’t have the same ergonomic support that sculpted or cylindrical shapes do.
These kinds of keycaps are ideal for custom layouts where uniformity is a priority. But if you’re used to other types of keycaps, they may take time to adjust to.
Shape
Uniform Profile Keycaps
Flat profile keycaps are the same height across all rows. This means they look sleek and minimalist. These keycaps provide a consistent typing surface, which can be a pro for custom keyboard layouts that value precision and uniformity.
Since all the keys have the same height, it’s easy to move between them, so flat profiles are popular among gamers and typists who prefer a smooth transition across the keyboard.
Sculpted Keycaps
Sculpted keycaps are made with varying heights and angles across the different rows of the keyboard. The bottom rows are usually shorter and the top rows taller.
This “sloped” design is supposed to match the natural curvature of your fingers, which can make the keyboard more comfortable to type on for extended periods. It also creates a more intuitive layout by guiding your fingers into the right places.
Are All Keycaps the Same Size?
No, keycaps come in different sizes based on their position and function on the keyboard. While many keycaps across the keyboard (like the letters and numbers) are typically the same size, called 1u (one unit), other keys like the Shift, Enter, or Spacebar keys can be much larger.
For example:
- Spacebars can range from 6.25u to 7u, depending on the keyboard layout.
- Compact keyboards (like 65% or 75% layouts) often have smaller keys for functions like Shift and Ctrl, which are smaller than those on full-sized keyboards.
Keycap Heights
Different profiles and layouts use different keycap heights, often labeled by rows (R1 to R4). Here’s a breakdown:
- R1 Keycaps: These are the shortest and are used for the bottom row of a keyboard. Their low profile makes them easier to reach, especially for commonly used keys like Ctrl, Alt, and Shift.
- R2 Keycaps: Slightly taller than R1, these are used for the second row from the bottom. They offer a gradual height increase that improves ergonomics.
- R3 Keycaps: These are taller than R2 and are generally used in the middle rows of the keyboard. This height is often considered the most comfortable for typing.
- R4 Keycaps: These are the tallest keycaps, usually reserved for the top row. Their height provides easy access to function keys or number keys.
Not all keycap sets include every height. Some might only have R1 and R2, while others provide all four heights for more customization. Cherry profile keycaps or OEM have their own specific heights and don’t specifically match the standard R1 to R4 heights.
Low Keycap Profiles
Low keycap profiles are designed to minimize the overall height of the keycap and range from 2.3 mm to 9 mm. These profiles have less key travel distance to click, making them faster and more responsive for quick typing or gaming.
Low-profile keycaps often pair with low-profile switches to create thinner, more portable keyboards without sacrificing the tactile feedback of mechanical switches. Common low-profile keycaps include those found on Choc and Kailh switches.
Medium Keycap Profiles
Medium keycap profiles strike a balance between comfort and performance. They’re generally higher than low-profile keycaps but not as tall as high-profile ones, so they’re great for most typing and gaming needs.
They usually measure between 9 mm and 12 mm in height. These types of keycap profiles are ergonomically designed, offering comfortable, sculpted rows for long typing sessions while providing enough height for satisfying tactile feedback.
High Keycap Profiles
High keycap profiles are the tallest, and range between 12 mm and 16.5 mm in height. These keycaps, often seen in the SA and MT3 profiles, feature a retro aesthetic that’s similar to a vintage typewriter.
They provide a deep, tactile typing experience but can be more tiring for prolonged use due to their height. The extra mm does increase key travel, giving you a more pronounced feel for each keystroke.
What Materials Are Used to Make Keycaps?
Keycaps are usually made from plastic, but other materials like metal, ceramic, and wood might also be used to give a premium look or feel. The two most common plastic keycap materials are ABS and PBT.
Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS)
Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) keycaps are the most common, thanks to their affordability and how easy they are to produce. One of their best features is that they’re highly receptive to dyes, so you find them in vibrant colors. Color enthusiasts will often choose these over others.
They also have a smooth and glossy surface, which feels comfortable under your fingers and allows for excellent light transmission, so they’re an excellent choice if you’re into backlit keyboards.
With prolonged use, though, they can develop a shiny or greasy look from exposure to oils from your fingers. They’re also more prone to discoloration, especially when exposed to UV light.
PBT
Polybutylene Terephthalate (PBT) is a more premium material that’s a lot more durable than ABS. Here at GravaStar, we stock keyboards with high-quality PBT keycaps to withstand even the most harsh use.
PBT keycaps are resistant to shine, wear, and discoloration, even after plenty of use. They have a textured, matte finish that provides a sturdy and tactile feel while typing.
These keycaps are less vibrant than ABS because the material is less receptive to dyes, so you’ll see more subdued, pastel-like color options. While they tend to be more expensive and harder to mold, the trade-off is their durability and superior typing feel.
What Printing Methods Are Used for Keycaps?
Doubleshot
In this method, two different plastics are used — one for the base of the keycap and the other for the legend. Since the legend is molded as part of the keycap itself, it’ll never fade or wear off. Technically, this isn’t actually printing, but plastic molding.
This makes double-shot molding one of the most durable methods available. It’s commonly used in backlit keycaps because the legend can be made from translucent material, allowing light to pass through. Double-shot legends are known for their sharpness and longevity.
Dye-Sublimation
Dye-sublimation embeds the legend into the surface of the keycap using heat and dye. The legend becomes part of the keycap itself, making it resistant to wear. This method is mostly used with PBT keycaps, as they can handle the high heat level needed to get this right.
The dye must be darker than the keycap, which limits color options, and it’s not suitable for backlit keycaps. But it’s an effective method for creating detailed and long-lasting legends.
Keycap Layouts
Keycap layouts refer to the arrangement and size of keys on a keyboard. Different layouts are used worldwide. Here’s an overview of the most common full-size keyboard layouts:
ANSI Layout
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) layout is most common in the United States and features a rectangular Enter key and a larger Left Shift key. The backslash key is found above the Enter key. ANSI keyboards have 104 keys in full-size form and are widely compatible with various keycap sets due to their popularity.
ISO Layout
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) layout is more widely used in Europe and features a tall, L-shaped Enter key and a shorter Left Shift key. The backslash key is placed beside the Enter key. ISO keyboards usually have 105 keys in a full-size layout. This layout has fewer keycap options available compared to ANSI.
How to Choose the Right Keycap Profile
Selecting the right keycap profile for your needs depends on several factors, including your main use case, sound preferences, aesthetic choices, and compatibility with your keyboard.
Use Case
When choosing a keycap profile, think about whether you’re going to use your keyboard mainly for gaming or typing.
- For gaming, Cherry and OEM profiles are popular due to their sculpted design and medium height, which allow quick finger movements across the keys. Sculpted profiles reduce strain and help locate keys without looking down, making them ideal for long hours at the keyboard.
- For typing, taller profiles like SA provide a satisfying, retro feel with a more pronounced keystroke, but may take time to adjust to.
Sound Preferences
SA keycaps, with their more substantial design, tend to produce deeper and louder sounds, while shorter profiles like Cherry or OEM generate a quieter, softer sound.
Also, PBT keycaps have a more muted sound compared to ABS keycaps, which often have a higher-pitched tone.
Keep in mind that your choice of mechanical switch type also impacts noise. You can choose a “quiet” keycap set, but if you’re using loud switches it won’t lower the noise much, if at all.
Aesthetic Appeal
Profiles like SA have an appealing vintage look with their tall, rounded keycaps. Cherry and DSA profiles have a more modern, streamlined appearance. Many keyboard enthusiasts choose based on the visual appeal and how it complements their setup.
Compatibility
It’s important to make sure your keycap set is compatible with your keyboard layout. Standard keyboards use ANSI layouts, which have common key sizes and shapes, so it’s easier to find compatible keycap sets.
Keyboards with non-standard layouts may need specific keycap sizes, especially for keys like the Enter or Shift keys, which may differ in shape.
Customizing Your Keycaps
Custom keycaps allow you to transform your keyboard into a unique, personalized device. You can find keycaps customized in a variety of different ways, including bright colors, artisan designs, and even themed sets.
Colorways and Themes in Keycap Sets
Custom keycap sets often feature bold colorways and intricate themes that can completely change the look of your keyboard. Popular themes range from retro styles (such as the classic beige GMK keycaps) to futuristic, minimalistic designs.
Colorways like Miami or Sakura bring bright, contrasting colors, while monochromatic sets offer a sleek, professional appearance. Manufacturers like GMK and Drop frequently release limited-edition themed sets, so it’s not hard to find a design that suits your personality.
Artisan Keycaps
Artisan keycaps are handcrafted, limited-edition pieces often made from resin, metal, or other materials. They are designed to replace individual keys, like the Escape or Function keys, with mini works of art.
These keycaps can feature intricate designs, from sculpted animals to abstract art, and they add a unique flair to any keyboard setup. Due to their craftsmanship and rarity, artisan keycaps are often seen as collectibles within the mechanical keyboard community.
Guide for Keycap Profiles | FAQs
Is a Uniform Profile or a Tiered Keycap Profile Better?
A sculpted or tiered keycap profile is generally considered to be the better choice for most people. Thanks to its ergonomic design, it’s usually more comfortable, especially if you’re at the keyboard for long sessions.
What Are Pudding Keycaps?
A pudding keycap is a unique type of keycap that’s made from two different layers of material. The top section of the keycap is opaque, but the material below it is see-through, allowing for a lot more light to come through. Their main function is to improve aesthetics and illumination.
How Can I Switch My Keyboard’s Keycaps?
First, get a keycap puller. Some laptops come with one, so check first if you have one. If not, you can easily buy one. It’s a worthwhile investment if you’re likely to be changing keycaps again.
Take a photo of your keyboard layout before you start removing keys, for reference when replacing them. Make sure your keyboard is off before you start removing keys. Make sure you don’t remove the switches, only the keycaps.
Place the new keycap set in its positions one by one and depress them fully until they’re properly attached. Use the photo to make sure you put them back in the right places.
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