ADA-compliant Signage Opens New Doors for In-plants

According to In-plant Impressions’ latest research report (Trends and Services in the In-plant Industry), 16% of in-plant respondents are producing ADA-compliant signage. Those that offer this service report increases in revenue and value to their parent organization.

One good example is Western Carolina University’s in-plant in Cullowhee, North Carolina, which brings in $40,000 - $50,000 a year from ADA-compliant signage. That’s about 5% of its overall revenue, says Al Goranson, director of Print and Mail.

It started when the university opened a new building a few years back and took a closer look at the cost to outsource all the signs versus purchasing a CNC cutter for the in-plant. With prices being comparable, the university gave the in-plant the go-ahead to purchase a Vision VR48 CNC router.

“We’ve done the signage for every other building that has been constructed since about 2017,” Goranson says.

Samples of ADA-compliant signage produced by Iowa State University Printing Services.

Iowa State University’s in-plant in Ames got started in a similar way in 2018, says Printing Services Director Nathan Thole.

“I think at that time an estimated 80% of the buildings on campus weren’t fully up to snuff on ADA signage,” Thole explains. “One of the major departments, [maybe] the department of residence here, had a request to purchase their own printer that would print Braille or ADA-compliant signage. Since it involved printing it, the request got sent across my desk asking if that’s something we can do. So, then that got the wheels turning and [we] wondered, ‘hey, is that something we can and should do?’”

Getting Started

For printers, the technical challenge of printing accurate and up-to-standards Braille is a big deal when it comes to ADA compliance.

“The Braille has to be a very certain size and position on the printable area,” Goranson explains.

What’s great about Western Carolina’s Vision VR48 CNC router is that it came with an add-on package that included a drill, a bead setter, and software that ensures the end result is ADA-compliant.

“The CNC machine itself is made for Braille,” so it has ADA-compliance software included, Goranson says. “We run a compliance check on it before we print and it tells you that yes, this is compliant. But this set of software that we have for this machine forces you to be compliant. If you scale it or edit it in any way, it won’t print — it’ll tell you it’s non-compliant. And if you make the Braille too close or too far away from the [room] number, it’ll also tell you the same thing.”

Production Specialist Shay Gentry shows off samples of ADA-compliant signage produced by Western Carolina University’s in-plant using its Vision VR48 CNC router. | Credit: Western Carolina University.

However, the machine you use doesn’t strictly need to be designed for Braille. Iowa State started off with a Canon Arizona 2280 GT flatbed printer; later on, to cut and route signs, the shop purchased a Colex Sharpcut flatbed CNC cutter. The in-plant also uses BrailleBlaster, a Braille transcription program developed by the American Printing House for the Blind.

The University of Alabama's Esko Kongsberg X24.

At the University of Alabama, the sign creation process is more hands-on.

“We’ve got three laser engravers that we use to cut the signs, and then we’ve got an Esko Kongsberg X24 router table that drills the Braille,” says Nick Payne, Sign Shop manager. “Then we manually punch the dots in.”

And while ADA-compliant signage primarily focuses on Braille, other things may affect readability.

“It’s not just somebody that’s 100% blind that you’re trying to accommodate with the signage,” Thole says. “It’s someone that might just be in a wheelchair. So, the sign has to be a certain height from the floor; it has to be a certain distance from the door. The reflectivity comes into play with just being able to read it — for anybody. If it’s got a glare to it, if it’s got a glossy sheen to it, it’s harder to read.”

Other Considerations

Aside from equipment needs, what else do you have to think about when creating ADA-compliant signage?

Samples of ADA-compliant signage produced by Western Carolina University’s in-plant.

“It requires a lot of specialized skill, and you have to have a staff that’s willing to be flexible to do it,” Goranson says. “Especially if you’re small, like us — I can’t have a dedicated person to that device.”

However, Goranson says that one of his eight staff members has been dedicated to learning the process, and steps in to create ADA signage as needed — but it’s not the only job she does.

Similarly, at University of Alabama, there is only one person who handles the ADA signage: Jason Ruddock, engraving systems operator at the Sign Shop. As part of his role, he ensures he is up to date on all the ADA requirements on a regular basis.

Something else to consider is making sure the Braille symbols that are printed are correct. As part of the proofing process at Iowa State, someone on the team learned the Braille symbols to prevent misprints.

“The person that we have is our primary CSR that handles these ADA signs,” Thole says. “She volunteered and said, ‘I’m just going to learn Braille.’”

The good news for in-plants with limited space and budget constraints is that they can do other jobs with the same machine. Goranson says that removing the Braille add-ons from his shop’s CNC router enables it to cut into wood, plastic, and more to create all sorts of items.

“During COVID, we also did cut-outs of individuals for our stadiums,” he says. “So, we had cut-outs that would sit in the stands. We’d actually print them, and then this machine would cut out the shape of the person and you’d sit it in the seat, so it looked like there were people in the stands.”

The Payoff

Creating ADA-compliant signage brings in a fairly steady stream of projects. On a monthly basis, the University of Alabama sees 10 to 15 jobs, and Iowa State does about 20 to 30 signs per month. On the other hand, Goranson says jobs typically come in “sets” of a couple hundred signs when buildings are completed or require updates. That averages out to about 15 signs per month.

According to Thole and Goranson, the workload tends to pick up more in the summer when students aren’t on campus. Regardless, because signs always need to be updated, corrected, and replaced, as well as created in tandem with new buildings, there is never a shortage of ADA-compliant signage orders.

For in-plants, saving money is a top priority. These managers say that once you get past the initial investment, that’s exactly what you’ll do.

“We don’t have as much markup as an outside vendor does,” Goranson explains. “We don’t have to do hundreds of signs to make ends meet; we always have other work we also do, so it just makes a lot of sense for the organization for us to have that [capability].”

At the end of the day, is it worth it to add ADA-compliant signage to your services? University of Alabama’s Ruddock says yes.

“It’s almost like it’s not an option,” he says. “It has to be done in these buildings.”