diff --git a/src/case.scad b/src/case.scad
index 730bffe..29aa6e4 100644
--- a/src/case.scad
+++ b/src/case.scad
@@ -9,10 +9,17 @@ MarginCameraCut = 1;
 MarginButtonsCut = 2.0;
 MarginPortsCut = 7.0;
 
-// radial margin
+// radial margin. how much the buttons are allowed to drift within the button mold.
 MarginButtonsSeat = 1.0;
 // x margin (how extra thick the buttons could be)
 MarginButtonsSeatX = 0.2;
+
+// width of the cut *surrounding* the buttons
+ButtonsTabGap = 2.5;
+ButtonsTabInset = 0.4;
+ButtonsTabBumpWidth = 1.0;
+ButtonsTabBumpLength = 3.0;
+
 // how far into the xy plane to extend the part of the case which covers the front of the phone.
 // the top of the phone contains stuff we don't want to cover (camera); the bottom has more margin
 FrontOverhangX = 2;
@@ -137,7 +144,7 @@ module _FrontKeep(tol=tol) {
   };
 }
 
-/// complete case except for cutouts
+/// complete case except for cutouts, button style
 module _CaseExceptFeatures(ButtonStyle, tol=tol)
 {
   body = 0;
@@ -163,38 +170,119 @@ module _CaseExceptFeatures(ButtonStyle, tol=tol)
   };
 }
 
+// create a cutout next to the buttons,
+// and also make the outer model thinner.
+module _ApplyButtonTabCuts() {
+  case = 0;
+  buttons = 1;
+  difference() {
+    children(case);
+    union() {
+      // full cut through plastic to help the button covers flex
+      difference() {
+        minkowski() {
+          // cylinderX(r=ButtonsTabGap, h=2*Thickness, center=true);
+          cube([2*Thickness, ButtonsTabGap, tol], center=true);
+          children(buttons);
+        };
+        minkowski() {
+          // cylinderX(r=tol, h=2*Thickness, center=true);
+          cube([2*Thickness, tol, 2*tol], center=true);
+          children(buttons);
+        };
+      };
+      // make the walls around the buttons extra thin
+      translate([Thickness-ButtonsTabInset, 0, 0]) children(buttons);
+    };
+  };
+}
+
+/// given a subset of the buttons geometry,
+/// shift and extrude that to give it depth.
+module _RaiseButtons() {
+  translate([Thickness-ButtonsTabInset, 0, 0])
+  minkowski() {
+    translate([0, -tol/2, -tol/2]) cube([ButtonsTabBumpWidth, tol, tol], center=false);
+    difference() {
+      children(0);
+      translate([tol, 0, 0]) children(0);
+      // translate([ButtonsTabBumpWidth, 0, 0]) children(0);
+    };
+  };
+};
+
+module _ApplyButtonTabBumps() {
+  case = 0;
+  buttons = 1;
+  union() {
+    children(case);
+    _RaiseButtons()
+    difference() {
+      children(buttons);
+      // subtract the inside portions of the buttons
+      intersection() {
+        minkowski() {
+          translate([0, ButtonsTabBumpLength, 0]) cube([2*tol, ButtonsTabBumpLength+tol, 2*tol], center=true);
+          children(buttons);
+        };
+        minkowski() {
+          translate([0, -ButtonsTabBumpLength, 0]) cube([2*tol, ButtonsTabBumpLength+tol, 2*tol], center=true);
+          children(buttons);
+        };
+      };
+    };
+  };
+};
+
+module _ApplyButtonStyle(ButtonStyle) {
+  case = 0;
+  buttons = 1;
+  if (ButtonStyle == "tab") {
+    _ApplyButtonTabBumps() {
+      _ApplyButtonTabCuts() {
+        children(case);
+        children(buttons);
+      };
+      children(buttons);
+    };
+  };
+}
+
 module _Case(ButtonStyle)
 {
   body = 0;
   buttons = 1;
   ports = 2;
   camera = 3;
-  difference() {
-    _CaseExceptFeatures(ButtonStyle=ButtonStyle) {
-      children(body);
-      children(buttons);
-    };
-    union() {
-      // then the cutouts
-      _PeripheralCutouts(ButtonStyle=ButtonStyle) {
+  _ApplyButtonStyle(ButtonStyle=ButtonStyle) {
+    difference() {
+      _CaseExceptFeatures(ButtonStyle=ButtonStyle) {
         children(body);
         children(buttons);
-        children(ports);
-        children(camera);
       };
-      // subtract the buttons (we want to give them a buffer even if ButtonStyle=extrude)
-      minkowski() {
-        cylinderX(r=MarginButtonsSeat, h=MarginButtonsSeatX, center=true);
-        children(buttons);
-      };
-    }
-  }
+      union() {
+        // then the cutouts
+        _PeripheralCutouts(ButtonStyle=ButtonStyle) {
+          children(body);
+          children(buttons);
+          children(ports);
+          children(camera);
+        };
+        // subtract the buttons (we want to give them a buffer even if ButtonStyle=extrude)
+        minkowski() {
+          cylinderX(r=MarginButtonsSeat, h=MarginButtonsSeatX, center=true);
+          children(buttons);
+        };
+      }
+    };
+    children(buttons);
+  };
 }
 
 /// create a case for the provided phone.
 ///
 /// ```
-/// Case(ButtonStyle="extrude"|"cut") {
+/// Case(ButtonStyle="extrude"|"cut"|"tab") {
 ///   PhoneBody();
 ///   PhoneButtons();
 ///   PhonePorts();
@@ -203,7 +291,7 @@ module _Case(ButtonStyle)
 /// ```
 ///
 /// replace "Phone" above with the specific model, e.g. `PP` like `PPBody()`
-module Case(ButtonStyle="extrude", RenderPhone=false, OrientForPrint=true) {
+module Case(ButtonStyle="tab", RenderPhone=false, OrientForPrint=true) {
   body = 0;
   buttons = 1;
   ports = 2;
diff --git a/src/cases/pp.scad b/src/cases/pp.scad
index 6eb6d6d..db8cfb6 100644
--- a/src/cases/pp.scad
+++ b/src/cases/pp.scad
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
+include <../lib/defaults.scad>
 use <../case.scad>
 use <../pp/exports.scad>
 
-Case(RenderPhone=false, OrientForPrint=true) {
+Case(ButtonStyle="tab", RenderPhone=false, OrientForPrint=!$preview) {
   PPBody();
   PPButtons();
   PPPorts();
diff --git a/src/lib/primitives.scad b/src/lib/primitives.scad
index 0104209..5dcac76 100644
--- a/src/lib/primitives.scad
+++ b/src/lib/primitives.scad
@@ -7,57 +7,57 @@ module empty() {}
 /// cylinder() but with the axis on the x axis instead of the z axis.
 /// and where `center=false` behaves like for `cube(center=false)`,
 ///   i.e. circle center is not at (0, 0) but (r, r)
-module cylinderX(d=undef, r=undef, h=undef, center=false) {
+module cylinderX(d=undef, r=undef, h=undef, center=false, $fs=$fs) {
   _translateIf(!center, [0, _toRad(r=r, d=d), _toRad(r=r, d=d)]) {
-    rotate(a=[0,90,0]) cylinder(d=d, r=r, h=h, center=center);
+    rotate(a=[0,90,0]) cylinder(d=d, r=r, h=h, center=center, $fs=$fs);
   }
 }
 
 /// cylinder() but with the axis on the y axis instead of the z axis
 /// and where `center=false` behaves like for `cube(center=false)`,
 ///   i.e. circle center is not at (0, 0) but (r, r)
-module cylinderY(d=undef, r=undef, h=undef, center=false) {
+module cylinderY(d=undef, r=undef, h=undef, center=false, $fs=$fs) {
   _translateIf(!center, [_toRad(r=r, d=d), 0, _toRad(r=r, d=d)]) {
-    rotate(a=[-90,0,0]) cylinder(d=d, r=r, h=h, center=center);
+    rotate(a=[-90,0,0]) cylinder(d=d, r=r, h=h, center=center, $fs=$fs);
   }
 }
 
 /// cylinder() where `center=false` behaves like for `cube(center=false)`,
 ///   i.e. circle center is not at (0, 0) but (r, r)
-module cylinderZ(d=undef, r=undef, h=undef, center=false) {
+module cylinderZ(d=undef, r=undef, h=undef, center=false, $fs=$fs) {
   _translateIf(!center, [_toRad(r=r, d=d), _toRad(r=r, d=d), 0]) {
-    cylinder(d=d, r=r, h=h, center=center);
+    cylinder(d=d, r=r, h=h, center=center, $fs=$fs);
   }
 }
 
 // a 2d-cylinder normal to the x axis, and elongated over the y/z axis.
-module pillX(dimX, dimY, dimZ, center=false) {
+module pillX(dimX, dimY, dimZ, center=false, $fs=$fs) {
   diam = min(dimY, dimZ);
   hull() {
-    cylinderX(d=diam, h=dimX, center=center);
-    translate([0, dimY-diam, dimZ-diam]) cylinderX(d=diam, h=dimX, center=center);
+    cylinderX(d=diam, h=dimX, center=center, $fs=$fs);
+    translate([0, dimY-diam, dimZ-diam]) cylinderX(d=diam, h=dimX, center=center, $fs=$fs);
   };
 }
 
 // a 2d-cylinder normal to the y axis, and elongated over the x/z axis.
-module pillY(dimX, dimY, dimZ, center=false) {
+module pillY(dimX, dimY, dimZ, center=false, $fs=$fs) {
   diam = min(dimX, dimZ);
   hull() {
-    cylinderY(d=diam, h=dimY, center=center);
-    translate([dimX-diam, 0, dimZ-diam]) cylinderY(d=diam, h=dimY, center=center);
+    cylinderY(d=diam, h=dimY, center=center, $fs=$fs);
+    translate([dimX-diam, 0, dimZ-diam]) cylinderY(d=diam, h=dimY, center=center, $fs=$fs);
   };
 }
 
 // a 2d-cylinder normal to the z axis, and elongated over the x/y axis.
-module pillZ(dimX, dimY, dimZ, center=false) {
+module pillZ(dimX, dimY, dimZ, center=false, $fs=$fs) {
   diam = min(dimX, dimY);
   hull() {
-    cylinderZ(d=diam, h=dimZ, center=center);
-    translate([dimX-diam, dimY-diam, 0]) cylinderZ(d=diam, h=dimZ, center=center);
+    cylinderZ(d=diam, h=dimZ, center=center, $fs=$fs);
+    translate([dimX-diam, dimY-diam, 0]) cylinderZ(d=diam, h=dimZ, center=center, $fs=$fs);
   };
 }
 
-module sphere_(r, align=undef, alignX=undef, alignY=undef, alignZ=undef) {
+module sphere_(r, align=undef, alignX=undef, alignY=undef, alignZ=undef, $fs=$fs) {
   alignX_ = _default(alignX, align);
   alignY_ = _default(alignY, align);
   alignZ_ = _default(alignZ, align);
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ module sphere_(r, align=undef, alignX=undef, alignY=undef, alignZ=undef) {
   sY = _selectScale(alignY);
   sZ = _selectScale(alignZ);
 
-  translate([r * sX, r * sY, r * sZ]) sphere(r=r);
+  translate([r * sX, r * sY, r * sZ]) sphere(r=r, $fs=$fs);
 }
 
 function _default(primary, secondary) = (primary != undef) ? primary : secondary;