A Font Recreated From Photographs Of Classic Commodore 64 Keycaps

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Levente Szabadkai has published C64 Keyboard, a font reconstructing the printed legends on a Central European Commodore 64 keyboard from photographs of its keycaps. The project includes letter and symbol outlines, function-key labels and 63 PETSCII graphics, and is released under CC0; its creator says the graphics are reconstructed rather than exact photo traces.

Developer Levente Szabadkai has released C64 Keyboard, a font recreating the printed lettering and symbols on classic Commodore 64 keycaps from photographs of his own Central European keyboard. The downloadable font includes letter and number shapes, function-key labels and all 63 PETSCII graphic front legends, giving users a way to reproduce the keyboard’s printed markings in digital text and designs.

The project is available through a GitHub repository with TTF and OTF font files, a webfont, a complete package and an online preview. Users can install a font file and select “C64 Keyboard” in an application, or open the preview, choose a function-key or PETSCII symbol and copy the resulting text. The repository says lowercase input displays as uppercase.

Its character set includes uppercase letters, numbers, punctuation, arrows, the pound sign and pi, as well as selected accented letters, including Hungarian characters. Function-key labels run from f1 to f12. The preview arranges the PETSCII graphics by key and handles the special character codes needed to insert those symbols.

Szabadkai says the letter, number and symbol shapes are based on photographs of his own keyboard. The project distinguishes its typeface from the Commodore 64’s screen bitmap font: it reproduces the legends printed on the physical keys, with cleaned-up shapes and consistent proportions. The repository identifies the current version as 1.112 and asks people updating from an earlier release to replace it and restart applications still displaying the old font.

From Keycap Photos to Usable Type

The release turns a physical reference—the lettering on a surviving keyboard—into a reusable digital font. That gives designers, programmers and retro-computing enthusiasts a practical way to include the C64’s keycap style in text or graphics without having to redraw each character from scratch. The PETSCII legends extend the project beyond ordinary alphanumeric lettering to symbols associated with the machine’s keyboard.

The project also documents a particular keyboard’s printed design rather than claiming to reproduce every Commodore 64 keyboard. Szabadkai identifies his source as a Central European unit, so the resulting shapes and included accented characters reflect that reference. Its open license permits people to adapt the contributed files, but it does not grant rights to historical keycap designs or Commodore trademarks.

A Physical Keyboard, Not Screen Text

The Commodore 64 uses PETSCII graphics and symbols associated with keys as well as ordinary letters. On the keycaps, some of these graphics appear as front legends: the repository explains that the left-side legends correspond to Commodore plus a key, while the right-side legends correspond to Shift plus a key in uppercase/graphics mode. Pi is printed on the up-arrow key and can also be entered with Commodore.

Those printed markings are different from the characters as they appear on screen. Szabadkai describes C64 Keyboard as a recreation of the physical key legends, not the screen bitmap typeface. The project also includes editable outlines in its glyphs directory, build tools in scripts, and documentation for the PETSCII key map and encoding.

“The lettering comes from my own Commodore 64, a Central European unit.”

— Levente Szabadkai, project creator, in the GitHub repository

Limits of the Reconstruction

The repository does not describe the font as an exact replica of every C64 keyboard, nor does it provide measurements for the original printing. For PETSCII graphics, Szabadkai says he used the Ultimate Commodore 64 Reference for identities and key assignments, while inferring frame thickness, curves and print proportions from his keyboard photograph. The source close-up photographs are not included in the package.

The project is described as an independent reconstruction and is not endorsed by Commodore. The CC0 dedication applies to rights Szabadkai holds in repository contributions; the repository says it does not grant rights to historical keycap designs or trademarks. The available project information does not establish how the font compares with other regional C64 keyboard layouts or how closely each outline matches surviving keyboards.

Download, Test or Update the Font

Readers can test the characters in the online preview or download a TTF, OTF or webfont from the project repository. The complete package includes a local preview page; users can click its function-key or PETSCII buttons, copy symbols from the type tester and use them in an application with C64 Keyboard selected. Copied special symbols require the font to display correctly.

People with an earlier installation are directed to replace it with version 1.112 and restart any application still showing the old font. The repository provides editable outlines, build tools, a key map and encoding guidance for people who want to inspect or modify the work. No additional release date or further development plan is specified in the project material.

Key Questions

What is the C64 Keyboard font?

It is a digital font by Levente Szabadkai that recreates printed lettering and symbols from photographs of his Central European Commodore 64 keyboard. It represents physical keycap legends, not the C64 screen bitmap font.

Which characters and symbols does it include?

The font includes uppercase letters, numbers, punctuation, arrows, pound and pi symbols, selected accented letters, f1–f12 labels and 63 PETSCII graphic front legends. Lowercase input displays as uppercase.

How can I use the PETSCII symbols?

Use the online preview or the included preview.html page to select a PETSCII button and copy the symbol from the type tester. The copied text needs the C64 Keyboard font selected to display as intended.

Is the font an exact tracing of the keycaps?

No. Szabadkai says the PETSCII shapes are reconstructed outlines, with their identities and key assignments based on a reference guide and their framing and proportions inferred from photographs. The project says they are not exact photo traces.

Can the font be used commercially?

The repository dedicates the creator’s rights in the font files and other listed contributions to the public domain under CC0 1.0 Universal, allowing use, modification and redistribution, including commercially. That dedication does not grant rights held by others in historical keycap designs or Commodore trademarks.

Source: hn