1. What keyboard stickers are made of (perfect product recipe)?
Considering that keyboard stickers are applied on the device which is used at least few hours a day, there are certain requirements. Such decals have to be strong (so you can type for months, even years), thin (so they don't destroy the screen), durable and of course they can't leave any permanent residue. That's minimum but there's a lot more depending on the desired effect.
For this kind of requirements, the best material is specialised vinyl foil, preferably from an authorised reseller or purchased directly from the manufacturer. It's very important because most foil types have... an expiration date :) If the foil comes from the wrong manufacturer and you can't check the expiration date, there is a risk that the adhesive layer doesn't work well. That's why our products are made to order in short lines (new foil is purchased every 1-2 months) and we don't resell products from stock.
Five must-have things to create a perfect keyboard sticker set:
- the base which includes non-permanent, safe for people and pets adhesive layer
- the print, it can be solvent or latex
- the laminate, it can be matte or glossy
- project in high resolution of what has to be printed
- cutting pattern, adjusted to the keyboard size
2. How to remove keyboard stickers and do they come off easily if I want to replace them with a different design?
Yes, they are pretty easy to take off as long as they are made of a vinyl with non-permanent glue. In the case of Keyshorts keyboard stickers, the whole "taking off" procedure takes few minutes and the laptop is clean and ready to be personalized again. Recently, we created a short video showing how to remove keyboard stickers like a pro.
3. How long will they last?
It depends if you need them for professional use or not. The longest time they have been in production is 4 years and still counting. If you use your laptop daily in indoor conditions, you can relax - your stickers are more likely to be replaced by you when you're bored with the design :) Only professional gamers have to change them each six months and it's just a few keys - WASD. So if you're a professional gamer - let us know while placing an order so we will print some keys extra in advance. Or, you can reach us later for more.
4. Will backlight remain when I apply keyboard stickers?
Usually, stickers are not advertised as backlight-compatible.
The good news is that you can get transparent keyboard stickers with any color of your choice and keep the backlight in 100% no matter which laptop or keyboard model you have.
However, on decorative keyboard decals with printed artwork, the backlight will be visible approximately in 50% of its original brightness, as long as the font color is white or silver (in case of metallic decals). Most customers find it sufficient especially when they add the light from a computer screen. But if the font color is darker, the backlight will not be visible that well. It's because the letters are printed on a white vinyl, there's no option to cut them.
Important tip: It has a chance to work only if the keyboard layout on your laptop is exactly the same as the one on the stickers. If you apply letter Y on letter Z, the "Y" will light up only where it has a common shape with the "Z".
Pro tip: If you're buying in Keyshorts shop, you can always ask in the note to order that you want a white font color. There's no extra fee for that.
5. Are they safe, will there be a residue when I take them off?
Keyboard stickers from Keyshorts are 100% safe for the laptop and don't affect the device in any form (only make it look better :-)). There will be no permanent residue after removal of the decals, no worries :) The vinyl foil type had been matched precisely to work on multiple types of keyboard. To get the best results, just make sure to clean the keyboard with the attached wipe before application.
6. Will they fit my keyboard?
As long as you pick the correct MacBook model or - in case of PC laptop - provide your laptop model while placing order, the size will be adjusted for you. In some cases, we ask our customers for the photo of a keyboard in order to confirm some details. If you send a model name and a photo of your laptop, there's nothing that could go wrong!
The difference between universal and perfect (custom) size is illustrated below:
And here's an example foto of perfect, custom size made for Dell Latitude E6440:
Dell laptop with Keyshorts stickers
7. And what about keyboards with numeric section?
They are the same keyboards but with a Numpad :) If you're buying from Keyshorts - just send a photo of your keyboard so the person who's responsible for your project knows how your keyboard looks like.
8. How to apply keyboard stickers?
Basically, there're two types of keyboard stickers. The ones with transfer foil and the ones without. This topic is fully described in our How to apply keyboard stickers like a pro article.
Pro tip: make sure to turn off your computer or at least to log out. You don't want to send any emails by accident :)
9. Won't they damage the screen when I close the laptop?
If the stickers are made by Keyshorts - they are 100% safe for the laptops screen, because they are made of thin vinyl and each set is manufactured on different printing settings (depending on the colors). It's company's secret that despite extra laminate on top (for protection so they don't wear off) they are 50 microns thin, which is less than the bumps on F and J keys that all keyboards have installed by hardware company. You can close the laptop and there's still plenty of space in the gap between the keys and the screen.
Keyshorts keyboard stickers with pink marble, 100% safe for your laptop's screen :)
10. I type a lot. Will keyboard stickers wear off?
In fact, what you should definitely do if you type a lot, is to get keyboard stickers. As long as the keyboard stickers you purchased are covered with a laminate, they won't wear off because the print is protected and doesn't have a direct contact with fingers.
That could have been avoided. But you can also cover it with stickers and still enjoy the keyboard!11. Do keyboard stickers protect from spilled water?
Keyboards stickers are water-proof by itself (sweat, stains, oil) as long as they are made of vinyl foil. However, they don't protect when you spill the water, or any liquid as the areas in between the keys shouldn't be too tight. Good news is that they will last for a very long time and you can be relaxed that they won't vanish if your hands are sweaty.
It's also a good moment to mention that nothing protects your keyboard in 100% from the spilled water because even if the water stops on the silicone cover, imagine getting rid of it later. Let's just be careful and keep the drinks away from the keyboard ;)
12. Can stickers be repositioned?
Of course. If they are freshly-applied, you can gently take off the parts which you want to reapply. Just make sure that there's no dust stuck under the stickers. The only thing we don't recommend, it to reposition them after 15 minutes or later from the first application. When the glue is dry, it's harder to work with it.
Guess how many times these had to be repositioned :)
13. Is there any difference in typing with keyboard stickers?
If they are super thin, like max 50 microns, then you won't feel much difference :) If you choose a matte laminate instead of the glossy one, the stickers will basically blend in.
14. Can I use them together with a silicone cover?
Yes, you can apply a clear (or other) silicone cover on your keyboard stickers. Please just make sure to take off the cover while closing the laptop screen just in case :)
15. Will the keyboard stickers leave marks on the screen after closing the laptop?
No. It's impossible :) Stickers are very thin and each laptop has always some 'air' between the keyboard and its screen. However, if your laptop has a hinge defect (it, unfortunately, happens sometimes), you might notice such damage after a while, even without stickers. To be sure, you can first check your laptop in the nearest service provider. Of course, if you have your device from at least a few months and such damage never occurred, this issue will not concern you.
16. Is the logo on a spacebar included or it's just on a preview?
Keyshorts keyboard stickers have been produced for a long time with logo on a spacebar version only. Now, the logo can be skipped depending on your needs. This option can be selected while choosing your keyboard stickers and there is no extra fee for that.
17. Transparent or opaque stickers for shiny key syndrome and other damage types?
That depends :)
Opaque - only if you want to cover and replace symbols. You can use opaque stickers for really damaged keys, where letters are blurred, invisible or there is other mechanical damage. Colorful stickers will work to solve the shiny key syndrom too but as long as you are happy with your keyboard design, you need just transparent ones.
Transparent - Most customers buy them to prevent the damage. There stickers are also the best to hide shiny spots as they are matte and reflect the light equally on the etire key.
18. Is Keyshorts.com legit?
It's a family business, created in 2013 (and still operating) by designer Sebastian Konczak and his partner Anna Dominiak. Since then, we served 50,000+ customers worldwide by providing responsibly-manufactured keyboard stickers & laptop skins in individual sizes/specifications. Keyshorts company is officially registered business with VAT ID PL8942690598. Check our customer's photos & feel free to contact us if you have any questions: Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Hope you found this article helpful and now all your concerns are resolved! If you're not convinced enough to buy your first keyboard stickers, we have something you need :) Use the KEYBOARDLOVE code at the checkout on Keyshorts to get a discount.
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