Editing Pad printing (section)

===Advantages===
====Economy====
Pad printing is primarily chosen for its low cost. Its machinery, being similar to traditional print machinery, is less specialized and expensive than that for other methods. It is less complex, faster to set up and use, and requires less training and experience.

====Versatility====
Pad printing can imprint any colour, on any part of the keycap, on any colour of plastic. For this reason, it is often used to add secondary colours to [[double-shot molding|double-shot]] keycaps, to avoid the cost and complexity of triple-shot moulding (although triple- and quadruple-shot caps do exist).

Pad printing also allows more detailed typography than can be achieved with moulding. For example, it enabled [[Diatec]] to use Futura as the font for their [[Filco]] keyboards. Dye sublimation also permits such typography, but it is limited to creating dark characters on light-coloured keycaps.

The ability to print in any colour and in fine detail also gives pad printing an advantage over laser-based methods. Historically, laser marking could not achieve white legends, although this is now possible.