Braille Signs | Sign Customiser Docs

Braille signs are accessible plate signs. The customer types the printed wording. The matching braille row then shows below it automatically. Customers never edit the braille. The same braille data goes to checkout, product images, and order emails. It goes to production files when the SVG Image, EPS Image, or AI Image setting is on. A Board plate with a set width and height also gets a production SVG, whatever the setting.

This article tells you how to set up and run a braille customiser. For the supported languages and grades, the default table for each store currency, and the braille size, see Braille translation: supported languages and sizing.

You are responsible for the braille signs that you sell. Sign Customiser makes the braille string. It makes the manufacturing artwork under the conditions in the last section. For review-recommended languages, ask a braille-literate proofreader to check the output before fabrication.

Create a braille sign customiser

Open the Sign Customiser admin.
On Home, click Create new customiser. You can also click Create customiser on the Customisers page.
Choose Braille Signs.
Continue through the wizard. The wizard skips the pricing step.
Create the customiser.

The Create a sign customiser page at Step 1 of 3, with the Braille Signs card that has a New badge and the text Accessible braille plate signs.

Braille signs always use Frame Fit pricing. This model sets the base price by the size boundary that the sign’s width and height fall within.

The new customiser has demo data. The demo data includes plate shapes, high-contrast colours, a clean sans-serif font, signage-style demo wording, and braille-appropriate sizes. You can preview the complete flow immediately. Before you publish, replace the demo data with your own plates, colours, fonts, and prices.

Set up tactile text and plates

Go to Customisers → [Braille customiser] → Sign Components → Tactile text styles.
Open a style.
Use Tactile text to choose the material and colour of the raised text.
Do these steps again for each style.

Each style controls the readable raised text that shows with the braille row. This includes its material, colour, and price.

Plate shapes, colours, and materials are in Sign Components → Plates.

Multi-line wording is possible. The braille row always shows below all lines.

The customer customiser for a braille sign. The plate shows Exit Level 13 with a row of braille dots below it. The side panel shows the text box, font, text colour and size options.

Note these two points about braille customisers:

Word colours do not set the dot colour directly. The Braille dots use text colour setting controls it. Refer to the next section.
The AI sign designer is not available on braille customisers.

Braille settings

Go to Customisers → [Braille customiser] → Sign Components → Braille settings. This page has three settings.

Braille table

The default is Automatic (based on your store’s country). The label says country, but the default follows your store currency. Stores with USD use English UEB Grade 2 (contracted). Stores with AUD use English UEB Grade 1 (uncontracted). A few other currencies use the table for their market. Stores with any other currency, including EUR, use English UEB Grade 1 (uncontracted) unless you choose a table.

Choose a specific table when a project or market needs a different standard. Have a proofreader check tables with (review recommended) before fabrication. The full list of tables is in Braille translation: supported languages and sizing.

Braille dots use text colour

This setting is off by default. The dots then use the plate colour.

Turn the setting on to give the dots the text colour. Use it if your production paints or prints the dots.

With the setting on, the dots have one colour. The colour comes from the first word of the wording that has a colour. Other words do not change the dot colour.

This setting hides the quote popup that the next section describes. It hides the popup only. Customers still cannot order wording that does not translate.

When wording cannot be translated

Some input cannot be safely changed to braille. This includes emoji and Japanese, Chinese, or Thai text. The customer then sees a popup. The popup gives a way to start your quote process.

A popup that says some of the text cannot be turned into braille automatically, with a Get a custom quote button.

The default message is “Some of your text cannot be turned into braille automatically. Send us your design and we will quote it for you.”
The default button is Get a custom quote. It opens your custom design form (not on Starter plans) or your custom design link when you have set one up. If an Oversize quote link is set, the button opens that link first. Without one of these, the button does nothing.

The order button stays blocked until the current wording translates. The customer cannot order a sign with missing or wrong braille. This is also true if you hide the popup or the customer closes it. The button reads Finish until the customer opens the review step. Then it reads Add to Bag. If you turn off the review screen, it always reads Add to Bag. Quote Mode shows Finalize Quote instead, and Etsy mode shows Continue to Etsy.

When the plate is too small

Braille dots keep a fixed physical size. Sometimes the braille row and the wording do not fit the selected plate. The customer then sees “Choose a bigger sign size so the braille can fit at its fixed size.” The order button stays blocked until the customer chooses a bigger size.

For more about the fixed braille size, see Braille translation: supported languages and sizing.

The side panel of the customiser with the message Choose a bigger sign size so the braille can fit at its fixed size, above a blocked Finish button.

What appears on orders and production files

Review step: the customer sees the translated braille string before they order.
Cart line items: they have the braille string and the sign text. They also have the usual sign details. The product record keeps the braille table and grade.
Manufacturer email: it has the braille string, the source wording, the table and grade, and the numeric dot-geometry spec. The spec gives the dot diameter, the dot spacing in a cell, the cell spacing, the line spacing, and the dome height range. Production can then check the artwork before fabrication.
Production files: the SVG has every braille dot as a vector circle. Sign Customiser makes it when the SVG Image, EPS Image, or AI Image setting is on. It also makes it for a Board plate with a set width and height, whatever the setting. The EPS Image and AI Image settings make EPS and Illustrator-compatible files from that SVG. Each format has the same dot positions.
Product images: the preview and outline images show the dot row as the customer saw it.

To see the email template, go to Customisers → [Braille customiser] → Email Workflows → Manufacturer Email.

Each product records the braille string, table, and grade that it had when it was created.

Plans and availability

Braille signs are in all current plans. There is no braille surcharge. Braille orders count like all other orders on your plan.

On legacy plans, the Braille Signs tile shows in the create flow but is disabled. It has an Upgrade Your Plan button. Lightbox signs follow the same rule. Upgrade to a current plan to unlock the tile.