How Keycaps Are Made: Double-Shot, Dye-Sub and Laser-Etched Explained

By MechKeyReview Team • • PBT vs ABS Keycaps

Colorful mechanical keyboard keycaps showing different legend printing methods

The letters and symbols on your keycaps — collectively called legends — are not painted on. Or rather, sometimes they are, which is exactly why they fade so quickly on cheap keyboards. Understanding how legends are applied explains why a $150 keycap set outlasts a $30 stock set by years, and why some keycap sets can only be made in certain colorway configurations.

There are four main legend manufacturing methods in use today: double-shot injection molding, dye-sublimation, laser etching, and pad printing. A fifth method — UV printing — is emerging for specialty sets. Each has a distinct process, durability profile, and cost structure.

This article explains each method at a depth that's actually useful — enough to understand what you're buying and make informed decisions when comparing keycap sets.

The Main Legend Manufacturing Methods

Before diving into each technique, it's worth understanding the fundamental problem they're all solving: how do you permanently attach a legend to a plastic keycap in a way that survives millions of keypresses, daily friction from fingers, cleaning products, and UV light exposure? Each method solves this differently — and that difference directly determines how long your keycaps will look good.

Double-Shot Injection Molding

Double-shot is the gold standard of keycap legend methods. The name describes the process precisely: the keycap is manufactured using two separate injection molds in sequence. First, the legend shape is molded in one plastic color. Then, the outer keycap body is injection-molded around it in a second color, encapsulating the legend piece inside.

The result is a keycap where the legend is literally a separate piece of solid plastic — not ink, not dye, not etched material. No surface treatment can fade, because there is no surface treatment. The legend is structural. You could sand the top of the keycap down and the legend would still be partially visible as a different-colored layer underneath.

The trade-off is cost and design complexity. Two-mold tooling is expensive, and the legend must be achievable in the mold shape — intricate characters or very fine lines can be difficult to execute. Well-known double-shot sets include GMK (ABS), KAT (ABS), and ePBT double-shot (PBT). This method works on both ABS and PBT plastic.

Dye-Sublimation

Dye-sublimation (dye-sub) is a heat transfer process. Ink is heated to a temperature where it converts directly from solid to gas (sublimation) and penetrates the surface of the plastic, bonding with it at a molecular level. The result is a legend that is embedded in the plastic itself — not on top of it.

The critical constraint of dye-sub is that it only works reliably on PBT plastic. PBT has a higher melting point than ABS, which means the sublimation temperature (around 200°C) can be reached without melting the keycap itself. On ABS, the temperatures required would warp the keycap before the dye fully penetrates.

A second constraint: dye-sub can only produce legends that are darker than the base keycap color. The process dyes the plastic — it cannot lighten it. This is why you'll never see dye-sub keycaps with white legends on a dark base. Popular dye-sub sets include Infinikey and some Keyreative colorways. Durability matches double-shot — legends embedded in the material won't fade regardless of use.

Laser Etching

Laser etching uses a focused laser beam to burn or ablate (vaporize) the surface material of the keycap, creating a legend by removing material rather than adding it. The resulting legend is a physical depression or discoloration in the plastic surface.

Durability depends on the specific technique. Bare laser etching creates a depression that is part of the plastic structure — it won't fade, but the contrast can be subtle. Many manufacturers fill the etched area with paint or ink (called laser-engraved + filled), which improves readability but introduces a fill material that can wear over time. Quality laser-filled keycaps are significantly more durable than pad-printed ones, but fall short of double-shot or dye-sub for long-term legend longevity.

Pad Printing

Pad printing (also called tampo printing) is the simplest and cheapest legend method. A silicone pad picks up ink from an etched plate and stamps it onto the surface of the keycap. The result is ink sitting on top of the plastic — not embedded in it, not structural.

This is the method used on the vast majority of budget keyboards and factory-stock keycaps. It produces sharp, colorful legends at very low cost — and those legends will visibly fade with heavy use, typically within 1–3 years depending on usage intensity. If you've ever seen a keyboard where the letters on Q, W, A, S, D, and E have disappeared, you've seen pad-print failure in action.

Method Durability Cost On ABS On PBT Example Sets
Double-Shot Permanent High ✓ ✓ GMK, KAT, ePBT
Dye-Sub Permanent Medium ✗ ✓ Infinikey, Keyreative
Laser Etched Good–Very good Low–Medium ✓ ✓ Many mid-range sets
Pad Print Fades with use Very low ✓ ✓ Stock OEM keycaps

What About UV Printing?

UV printing (UV inkjet) is a relatively new method that uses ultraviolet-cured ink applied directly to the keycap surface by an inkjet-style printer head. Unlike dye-sub, it can produce full-color photographic images and multicolor gradients on a single keycap. Unlike double-shot, it requires no molds — making it accessible for small-batch and artistic custom sets.

Durability is the variable. UV-printed legends are more surface-level than dye-sub (the ink bonds to the top layer rather than penetrating deep into the plastic), but better than pad print because the UV curing process creates a harder, more adhesion-resistant finish. Well-executed UV prints can last years with normal use. Expect to see more UV-printed novelty sets and artist collaborations as the method matures.

Which Should You Choose?

The answer depends on your budget and how long you want your keycaps to look new. Here's the practical breakdown:

Budget
Pad print or laser-etched keycaps that come stock with your keyboard are fine for casual use. Expect visible wear after 12–24 months of heavy typing. If you want better longevity without spending much, look for keyboards that ship with PBT keycaps (even if pad-printed PBT outlasts ABS).
Enthusiast
Dye-sublimated PBT is the sweet spot for value and durability. Sets from Infinikey, Keyreative, or KBDFans dye-sub lines offer permanent legends at moderate prices ($40–80 for a full set). The color constraint (legends must be darker than base) limits some colorways but not the most popular ones.
Premium
Double-shot ABS (GMK, KAT) or double-shot PBT (ePBT) for any colorway with permanent legends. Costs $100–200+ for a full set. GMK ABS has a smooth, slightly warm typing feel many enthusiasts prefer; ePBT double-shot PBT adds the texture of PBT with the same permanent legends.

The legend method is only part of the keycap story. The plastic material underneath matters just as much — read our full PBT vs ABS comparison to understand how material choice affects feel and shine resistance. For a complete picture of keycap design, keycap profiles explained covers the shape differences that affect typing angle and comfort. And if you're ready to shop, see our best mechanical keyboards of 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Look at the underside of the keycap. Double-shot keycaps have a visible inner mold — you can see a separate plastic structure forming the legend from inside the cap. Pad-printed keycaps look smooth and uniform inside. Another test: hold the keycap up to a strong light. Double-shot legends allow light through (since the legend is a thinner plastic layer), creating a visible glow-through effect.

The legends themselves — no, never. However, ABS plastic (the most common material for double-shot sets like GMK) will develop a shiny, greasy appearance over time due to skin oils oxidizing the plastic surface. This is called "shine" and is a surface phenomenon, not legend fading. The letters remain perfectly readable; the surface texture changes. PBT double-shot sets resist this shine significantly better.

Dye-sublimation requires heating the ink to around 190–210°C to convert it to a gas that penetrates the plastic. ABS softens and deforms at temperatures around 100°C, well below what's needed. PBT's higher melting point (around 225°C) provides enough thermal margin for the process to work without warping the keycap. This is one of the main practical advantages of PBT over ABS for keycap manufacturing.

It depends entirely on the method used. Most gaming keyboards in the $50–100 range ship with ABS pad-printed or double-shot keycaps. The pad-printed ones will fade; the double-shot ones are fine indefinitely. Check the product specs — many manufacturers now advertise "PBT double-shot keycaps" as a selling point, which is accurate and means permanent legends. Budget RGB gaming keyboards almost always use pad-print ABS; enthusiast-oriented boards increasingly ship with better options.

For most users, a dye-sublimated PBT set in the $40–80 range offers the best balance of quality and value. Infinikey sets, KBDFans dye-sub PBT, and similar options provide permanent legends, good texture, and solid colorway choices. If you want maximum build quality and don't mind the cost, GMK double-shot ABS sets ($130–200) offer legendary (pun intended) quality and an enormous range of colorways through group buys.

Ready to Upgrade Your Keycaps?

Now that you understand how keycaps are made, see our curated recommendations for the best mechanical keyboards that ship with quality keycaps — no aftermarket purchase required.

See the best mechanical keyboards →

By MechKeyReview Team • Published June 14, 2026 • See: PBT vs ABS Keycaps → →