Need Help with Brail - Over my Head

[Tim Bateson]

I won a contract to provide all of the standard 2x10 Name Plates for a new school. That part is OK, but now they are asking for Brail plates for every one of the Name Plates that I'm working on. I know I can get the Corel Plug-in and I've seen threads that talk about sources for the Brail balls, but this is new territory for me and they want these in a couple weeks.
Questions:
1. Pricing for just a Brail Name Plate which will be placed below the a standard 2x10 Name Plate?
2. What is the learning curve?
3. Any other suggestions.

[Gary Hair]

There is a lot more to braille signage than just drilling, or lasering, holes and putting in beads - especially if you need to get this job done in a couple weeks. I'd highly suggest subbing out this one and then taking your time to learn the ropes. I had Graphics Galore, graphicsgaloreinc.com, do mine a while back and I'm glad I did. They do a lot of braille signs and turn out quality work, for my job anyway.

Gary

[Joe Pelonio]

I agree with Gary, there are many regulations to be followed and you could end up having to do the
whole job over again. While it's not real clear in the regulations, some inspectors will not allow a separate piece with the braille below the sign, so I always include it on the same sign to be safe. Also beware of the installation if you are doing it, that has additional regulations that can be confusing. You should start out with small jobs until you get the hang of it or bring in someone to help that has experience with it.

Oh, and no one would do that many signs in two weeks without a big rush charge to cover overtime. You should have several months lead time on new construction.

[Keith Outten]

Tim,

There is wisdom in the suggestion that you consider outsourcing the Braille signs due to the short time frame you have to deliver them. Aaron's Braille script for Corel Draw makes the engraving or drilling of the Braille holes a no-brainer but the fabrication of the signs is a different story and you have decisions to make based on the design and the equipment you have at your disposal.

Assuming that the ADA signs meet all of the Federal guidelines the small name signs that would be placed underneath may not be required to meet any specification other than your clients request. I have created thousands of Corian ADA signs but I haven't had the opportunity to produce any acrylic or polymer signs yet so I can't give you advice about how long it would take or even if it is possible to make that many signs in two weeks.
.

[Mike Null]

Tim

Joe Hayes at Graphics Galore is a friend of mine. He'll do great work for you. He's also a member here.

(618) 997-6880

[Larry Bratton]

Absolutely agree. Doesn't sounds like that meets spec either. Is an architect involved? Caution is required.

[Tim Bateson]

Thanks for all of the advice. Subbing was on my list of options. I've already produced over half of the signs and have all of the mounts on order. As they have thrown this over the wall to me only this past Friday, I'm holding off on any more work until I have a chance to discuss this issue with the school. Meanwhile I'll see if I can find any details on their ADA regulations. If I need to make a single sign, it'll be costly for them as I already have several hundred tied up in their original order.