HAVE YOU EVER wanted a KeyCaps font that really looks like a modern Macintosh keyboard? If so, this has to be the font for you, specially prepared in Fontographer by Chris Sansom of Highway 57, Designs for the World Wide Web <http://www.highway57.co.uk>.
Howﾕs this for an endorsement?
Steve Ingram is the President of Dvorak International <http://www.dvorakint.org>, promoters of the Dvorak keyboard layoutﾑa far more efficient alternative to the QWERTY layout with which weﾕre all familiar. He has been using another keycaps font for their promotional literature, but has now discovered Mac KeyCaps and says: ﾒI've since come across two more fonts similar to Mac KeyCaps, but they are shabby by comparison. Mac KeyCaps is the best thing out thereﾉ I am VERY busy promoting the Dvorak layouts. Anything that makes this volunteer job easier and quicker is most welcome. Mac KeyCaps does just that, and it looks great too!ﾓ Email Steve at <DvorakInt@aol.com> for a sample newsletter to see Mac KeyCaps in use.
If you want to see what it looks like properly, install the font and read the PostCard file (that funny-looking little application) which accompanies it. Meanwhile, here's the explanatory part.
In Mac KeyCaps (in both PostScript type 1 and TrueType formats) I have tried, as far as possible, to make the characters look like my Appleｨ Extended Keyboard II, even down to the slight curvature of the keys themselves. The only problem with this lust for authenticity is that each character is quite small and tucked into the bottom left-hand corner of its key. All is not lost, however, because we have far more characters available than there are keys, so alternative versions can be made. If you really must make the alphabet look authentic, therefore, use unshifted letters; if you want it to be more readable, shift ﾕem.
For the number and punctuation keys which have two characters on them, I have done my level best to provide the key showing both symbols as well as a large and small version of each symbol individually, though some of these are a bit obscurely placed, requiring those fancy double keystrokes we use for accented characters. I have also (I hope) catered for both UK and US users by providing alternative versions of the 3 key (with # or ｣). Similarly, the function keys are all there, in versions with and without the tiny text at the top of F13 to F15. Thereﾕs even a ﾒpower onﾓ key at Sh-Opt-`.
Yes, indeed, ladies and gentlemen, all the normally available key combinations are yours to explore!
The modifiers and whatnot, which are different sizes on the keyboard, are similarly proportioned in the font; there are also ﾒverbalﾓ equivalents of them (ﾒcmdﾓ, ﾒoptﾓ, etc.ﾑﾒctrlﾓ is ﾒctrlﾓ anyway, of course). Unfortunately, I had to foreshorten the two tall keys (return and enter), since all the other characters would otherwise have been ridiculously small. If you want to be really silly and have a proportional space bar, use Opt-space, otherwise the space bar on its own gives you a shorter one (but only if you've installed the PostScript fontﾑthe TrueType version, unfortunately, merely gives you a rather large blank space). If you genuinely want an ordinary spaceﾑa real gapﾑyouﾕll just have to type a space and change its font. Sorry about that.
You will also find the other adornments to be found on Appleﾕs wonder of keyboardment: the caps lock light (with label) and its two useless (unless you use a PC horror) companions, and even a stripy, albeit monochrome, apple at Sh-Opt-K. I stopped short of the two little plastic nipple thingies that youﾕre supposed to hang your little plastic function key crib chart on, though.
If you're a PostScript user, I strongly recommend that you use ATM (and if you donﾕt know what that is, you should) in order to display this font properly on the screenﾑeither way, use G殤ther Blaschekﾕs excellent (and free) PopChar too (itﾕs available from most bulletin boards, the Internet, etc.). Like most display-type fonts, Mac KeyCaps works best at large sizes.
Important note for US users: you will need to switch to the British keyboard layout in your Keyboard control panel in order to get all the characters.
Okey doke, here comes the tedious stuff: this font is shareware and copyright ｩ 1995 Chris Sansom. If you like it and/or use it (ie, even if you hate it but still use it, or like it and only sort of stare at it), please send ｣10.00 to me at 57 Cricketfield Road, London E5 8NR, UK. Failing that, at least send a picture of your cat; if you donﾕt have a cat send a picture of your dog; if no dog, a picture of your gerbil; or of something else interesting. At the very least, send an email to <webulae@highway57.co.uk>, and let me know what you think of it. This software may be distributed, given away or what-have-youﾑbut NOT for moneyﾑproviding the five files (PostScript file, bitmap suitcase, TrueType suitcase, text file and PostCard) are kept together. Ho hum.
