How ADA Braille Signs Are Made: An Overview of Our Process
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Many sign shops and print shops across the country enlist the services of Erie Custom Signs. And one of the biggest reasons is because we are capable of efficiently producing mass quantities of ADA braille signs. Those needing to outsource sign orders can trust that our team has the skills, knowledge, and equipment to manufacture high-quality, ADA-compliant signage, complete with braille lettering.
Depending on how familiar you are with ADA sign fabrication, you may be wondering how we make braille signs at Erie Custom Signs. That’s why we wanted to give an overview of our process, the equipment we use, and the importance of adhering to ADA guidelines. By gaining a better understanding of what’s involved in crafting ADA braille signs, you can see why so many sign and print professionals rely on our team to fulfill large and specialized sign orders—and why you can too!
Let’s get started…
Why a Solid Process Is Essential for Fabricating ADA Braille Signs
Although having a solid process in place is crucial for any type of sign fabrication, it’s especially important for the creation of ADA braille signs. For starters, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires braille on certain displays in public buildings—specifically those that identify permanent rooms and spaces. Facilities that don’t comply with this rule are subject to fines for their violation of the ADA. Moreover, they’re left vulnerable to ADA-related lawsuits.
Unfortunately, most sign shops and print shops don’t have the necessary tools, machinery, or knowledge to make braille signs. If this is true in your case, taking on a specialized order could result in a client being hit with a fine or lawsuit.
Further, a proper process is needed to ensure ADA braille signs are designed, manufactured, and shipped out to clients in a timely manner. After all, clients come to you because they expect high-quality work delivered on time and within their budget. Without such a process, you run the risk of…
- Creating low-quality braille displays
- Failing to meet client deadlines
- Losing money due to overtime
Ultimately, the lack of an efficient process for fabricating braille signs hurts your business and your clients, which is why it’s best to outsource orders to a shop that already has a time-tested process in place.
The good news is Erie Custom Signs fits the bill. Our process has been refined over the last decade, incorporating the latest technology to create signs quickly, easily, and affordably. This allows our partners to then resell signs to their own customers, providing the same great service and attention to detail they’re known for.
What Equipment We Use for Creating Braille Signage
As mentioned previously, special tools, materials, and machinery are necessary for fabricating ADA braille signs. But one of the advantages of partnering with Erie Custom Signs is that you don’t have to invest in new equipment. Instead, you can save money and feel confident that our team will use state-of-the-art equipment to get the job done right.
Here are just some of the tools we use for in-house fabrication of braille signage:
- Adobe CS6 Suite – For designing signs
- Grade II Braille Translation Software (Grade 2) – For translating text to ADA-compliant braille
- 24″ x 48″ Vision 2448 Router / Engraver / Raster Braille – For creating braille lettering
- Four 16″ x 24″ Vision 1624 Engravers / Raster Braille – For creating braille lettering
- Two Direct Color Systems UV1024 Direct to Substrate Printers – For printing text and graphics directly on the sign substrate
How We Make Braille Signs at Erie Custom Signs
If you haven’t realized it already, fabricating ADA braille signs can be a complicated process. After all, there are several working parts involved in manufacturing high-quality, ADA-compliant signs with braille lettering. However, we’ve streamlined the process so this intricate work is done both quickly and correctly to yield the best results possible.
Here’s a quick overview of how we make braille signs:
1. Gather materials.
Before the printing actually begins, it’s important to have all the necessary supplies on hand. This ensures the process of fabricating ADA braille signs goes as smoothly as possible. For the first step, our team members check that they have the correct printing hardware and software, the proper substrate material, and the ink.
2. Design the sign.
Using our design software, those on our design team map out how the sign will actually look. This includes not only the layout and colors but also where the braille will be located and what it will say. The software we use allows designers to choose from standard ADA sign templates rather than having to create new ones from scratch each time. As a result, we can minimize the time spent on each project.
3. Load the substrate.
Once the design is approved, we move on to the next step—loading the substrate. At this point, our production team has already pulled the substrate material and chosen the finish. All they have to do is put the sign substrate directly into the printer so it’s ready to go.
4. Ready the print job.
Our production team then takes the file that was created in our design software and sends it to the printing software. The printing software we use has special capabilities for designing ADA braille signs. This makes the printing process significantly easier.
5. Print.
Finally, our production team waits for the sign to be printed. The whole print job typically takes about four minutes per display. Once the ink is dry, which is almost immediate, we send the sign off for a quality check before it’s securely packaged in shipping.
Takeaway
Fabricating ADA braille signs is no easy task, and getting it right is vital to customer satisfaction. Thankfully, our tried-and-true process allows sign and print professionals to get high-quality braille displays quickly, easily, and affordably. Now that you’ve seen how we make braille signs here at Erie Custom Signs, you can trust our team to handle any large or specialized sign orders you receive.
If you want to learn more about our process or get a no-strings-attached quote on custom braille signs, reach out to Erie Custom Signs today! We’d be happy to answer any questions you have and work with you to produce the ADA-compliant displays your clients need.
