What do you do when the keys on your keyboard wear out? I have been using a Logitech model EX-110 wireless keyboard for two and a half years, and I have gradually worn off the letters on the more frequently used keys, to wit, the letters A, S, D, H, L, and C. (The carrots are also worn off the period and comma keys, but that's not a crisis.) As the keyboard is black and the letters are white, it is very disconcerting to see so many blank, black spaces when I glance down, and because I'm a self-taught typist who looks occasionally at the keyboard to find my place, the missing letters have caused me to get lost, and type gobbledygook too many times. (I don't like typing the word "clash" only to see "v;sdj.")

So last night I thought I would buy a new set of keys. As there is nothing otherwise wrong with this keyboard, and a new one is fairly expensive, buying a set of keys seemed to be a more logical thing than buying a new keyboard. But while that might be logical, there is no such logic at Logitech. Googling the subject, I soon learned an unfortunate truth:

Logitech does not sell any spare keys as replacement parts.

At this point I believe it is safe to consider your product as being defective. The product should not behave as the way that you have described.

In regards to this issue, I would like to know when you purchased the product and please fill in the warranty form below:

* All details requested in this email are meant to use to verify your product warranty status. Therefore, your replacement will only be honored if the product is still covered under the warranty period.

Researching the matter further, I learned that there are keyboard stickers available for sale, most of which are for people needing extra foreign language characters, but some are just plain old keys. The thing is, I would have to pay to have them shipped and then wait impatiently for the mail, when all I want to do is be able to write in a more or less coherent manner without going crazier than I usually do. As I see it, there are enough things to be annoyed about without having the added annoyance of not knowing what is emanating from your clueless fingers.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through my increasingly slow mind. Why not try making my own keyboard stickers? As the letters are white, I thought that maybe I could just make them out of paper and stick them on with scotch tape. I started by printing out the letters, using the Arial font and outlined capital letters in 20 point size. I started with the "S" and it was harder than I thought to make the tiny curve cuts with scissors, but finally I had a tiny paper "S." Using a piece of scotch tape to pick it up, I think cut out the small square around it and stuck it on. It didn't look or stick quite as well as I thought it should, and I worried that it wouldn't last long the way my fingers will be pounding on it. Then it occurred to me that cellophane packing tape is more durable and substantial than scotch tape, so I found a roll of that and went back to my letter cutting. Damn if it wasn't a huge pain in the ass. Ever try cutting the hole out of a 3/8 inch D? As to the tiny triangle that's within the upper portion of the A, fuhgettaboutit! The keyboard is black, right? And it's my keyboard, right? So I cheated on the A, and colored in the damnably tiny triangle. The L was the easiest, followed by the H, and the curves in the C were very frustrating, although by then I was starting to get better at it. I would not want to cut out tiny letters for a living, though. That seems like something you'd only expect oppressed children in the third world to have to do. Hell, it might be a nice arts and crafts project for children in the affluent, decadent West! I am sure that cutting out tiny paper letters builds character!

Anyway, here's the "final" result.

Not perfect, but I can live with it. As to how long they'll last, who knows? No doubt the S will go first because of the scotch tape.

I think I can confidently predict that they'll last into next year.

MORE: And they will have to last.

I just got a reply from Logitech's Technical Support confirming what I suspected:

Thank you for your reply.

Unfortunately, we do not have replacement keys for any type of keyboard.

I apologize for the inconvenience but without the receipt, we cannot proceed with the warranty replacement.

Should you have further inquiries, please do not hesitate to email us back.

Thank you for choosing Logitech. Have a great day!