Make braille sign files
Paste your sign schedule. DotSpec translates to UEB Grade 2 braille, lays out tactile text and dots to ADA 2010 §703 and California CBC 11B-703, measures the result, and gives you SVG, DXF and a PDF proof for every sign. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
1. Your sign schedule
Or use a CSV / Excel file with a header row. Columns: text (required), braille_text (override), qty, width_in, height_in, notes. Download an example CSV.
Settings (defaults satisfy both federal and California)
Characters shrink automatically (never below 5/8 in) when a sign is too small. If you give no size, signs are 8 × 8 in and grow only when the content needs it.
2. Review and proofread
Beta: please read before you fabricate
DotSpec measures geometry against ADA 2010 §703 and CBC 11B-703 and translates with liblouis UEB Grade 2. Braille should still be proofread by a certified braille transcriber before fabrication; local codes vary. DotSpec does not certify compliance.
- Files are 2D. Raised height (1/32 in minimum) and dot height (0.025–0.037 in, domed) are fabrication settings.
- Mounting height and location (§703.4) are installation rules, not part of the file. Each sign shows the allowed mounting height for its bottom edge.
- Not covered yet: pictograms, symbols of accessibility, raised borders, Grade 1 / non-English braille, elevator car controls.
- Braille capitalization is applied by rule (first word, names after titles, acronyms, single letters). It cannot know every proper noun: type names in mixed case or use the braille override.