Every time I handle one of our vintage typewriters, I wish my laptop were so beautiful. So, I’m going to take steps to have the pretty, pretty laptop I want. This is the sort of project that I don’t have time to do, and basically amounts to escapism. Since my laptop is my only computer, I can’t take it offline to do heavy duty modifications so I’ve just been fantasizing about it, until I found a link to Schtickers.com. For $25 they will print out any custom design on a reusable vinyl sticker designed to go on a laptop. Oh boy!

For a while, I have been coveting an oxblood red typewriter out at Ace Typewriter. It is a beautiful thing, so I decided that rather than going with standard black, I would use the oxblood typewriter as my inspiration. I thought about modifying the stylings of a Remington or Royal or Underwood but finally decided to create my own brand: The Kowal Portable Typewriter and Adding Machine Company.

I sent the jpg off to Schtickers and three days later got my lovely vinyl cover back. The website wasn’t as easy to use as I would have liked, I never did get a preview image but it does look exactly like my test print, so, yay! While I had wanted actual silver on the detailing, I knew I wasn’t going to get it so I used the emboss function to get some depth on the 30% gray I used. It’s not a bad match.

Here it is in its glossy glory. The sticker really is high gloss, too. The real computer logo sticks up a bit in the center, but not too bad. If I were doing it again, I’d probably use that as a design element.

My next plan is to design another schticker for the interior of the computer. The keyboard is presenting a challenge. I think I’m going to have to paint my keys black and use stickers on them as well. The key covers are only 1/8″ thick and, after popping a couple off, their connection is four wee little tabs that I’ll be able to machine. Before I do that, I’m going to try getting a couple of replacement covers and see if I can cut them to rounds, without losing the connections.

I’ll keep you posted.