ADA braille sign files in minutes, not hours.
Paste your sign schedule — “ROOM 204”, “RESTROOM”, “STAIR 2” — and get cut-ready SVG and DXF files with correct UEB Grade 2 braille and tactile text laid out to 2010 ADA §703 and California CBC 11B-703, plus a proof sheet that shows every dimension measured against the code.
Free during beta. Runs in your browser: your sign list never leaves your computer.
See it in 90 seconds
The problem
Braille is easy to get wrong
Signs must use contracted (Grade 2) braille. The Braille Authority of North America’s 2023 signage guidelines say UEB is the standard and the older EBAE is no longer accepted. Capital indicators are allowed only in specific places.
Dimensions are exact
Dot diameter, spacing within a cell, between cells and between lines, the gap from text to braille, character height, stroke and spacing: federal rules give ranges, California fixes the maximums. One file has to satisfy the code that applies to the job.
Schedules are long
A single project can have hundreds of signs. Doing each one by hand across a sign suite, a separate braille translator and a calculator is slow, and nothing proves the finished file matches the code.
How it works
Paste or upload
Paste one sign per line, or upload a CSV / Excel file with optional columns for a braille override, quantity, sign size and notes.
Review and proofread
See each sign, its braille as Unicode, ASCII and a dot diagram, and the back-translation, so a proofreader can check it. Override any braille with one click.
Download
One ZIP with an SVG and DXF for every sign, a PDF proof sheet per sign, and a schedule report. Dots are real circles, so raster-braille drilling works.
What the proof sheet checks
After the file is generated, a separate checker re-reads the SVG and measures: dot diameter, dot spacing inside a cell, cell-to-cell and line-to-line spacing, gap between text and braille, clearance from the edge, character height, stroke thickness of the “I”, width of the “O”, character spacing and line spacing. Anything outside the range is marked FAIL in red. DotSpec never prints a “pass” it did not measure.
Honest comparison with the usual workflow
The usual workflow: a general sign-making suite, a separate braille translator or a Corel/vendor script, and a manual check. Prices below are typical list prices we found while researching and will vary.
| Typical current workflow | DotSpec (beta) | |
|---|---|---|
| Braille translation | Separate translator (roughly $700 and up) or free scripts of varying accuracy | liblouis UEB Grade 2, with the back-translation shown next to every sign |
| Batch from a spreadsheet | Varies by tool; often one sign at a time | Paste or upload CSV / Excel; hundreds of signs per run |
| Dimension checking | Manual, or rely on the font and template | Automatic: re-measured from the finished file, per sign, federal and California |
| California fixed spacing | Easy to miss when a template targets the federal ranges | Defaults satisfy both at once; checked against each separately |
| Output | Native files of the sign suite | SVG, DXF (circles for dots), PDF proof, CSV schedule, all in one ZIP |
| Install | Desktop licenses | None. Runs in your browser, files stay on your computer |
| What it does not do (yet) | Full design suites handle artwork, pictograms, and machine control | No pictograms, borders or machine control; you import the DXF/SVG into your own software |
Pricing
Beta
Free
Everything in the app, no account. Founding users keep a discounted price when paid plans start.
Planned: per shop
$19 / month
or $190 / year per shop. This is the plan, not a charge: nothing can be bought today.
Frequently asked questions
Are the files “ADA certified” or guaranteed compliant?
No. 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. We do not certify or guarantee compliance.
Which codes and which braille?
2010 ADA Standards §703.2–703.4 and the 2022 California Building Code Chapter 11B §11B-703. Braille is UEB Grade 2 (contracted) from liblouis 3.39 (table en-ueb-g2.ctb). We compared our browser translation with the native liblouis command-line tool on hundreds of sign strings and with the worked examples in BANA’s 2023 signage guidelines; results are in the verification report.
What is different in California?
The 2010 federal table allows ranges (for example 0.090–0.100 in between dots in a cell and 0.241–0.300 in between cells). California fixes 0.100 in and 0.300 in. California also limits the gap from braille to text to 3/8–1/2 in, requires the width of “O” to be at least 60 percent of the height of “I” (federal: 55 percent) and requires braille to be flush left or centered. DotSpec’s defaults satisfy both, and each sign is checked against both unless you choose one.
How does it decide what to capitalize in braille?
Tactile text must be uppercase, but the code allows the braille capital indicator only before the first word of sentences, proper nouns and names, individual letters, initials and acronyms. If you type ALL CAPS, DotSpec capitalizes the first word, names after titles (Dr., Mr.), known acronyms, single letters and codes like 2B; everything else is lowercase. If you type mixed case, it uses yours. A switch turns capital indicators off completely. It cannot know every proper noun (for example “Jones Conference Room”), so use mixed case or the braille override column for those.
What files do I get, and will my software open them?
SVG at 1:1 inches (groups for the cut outline, tactile text as outlined paths, and braille dots as circles), DXF R12 in inches (closed polylines for the letters, circles for the dots, lines and arcs for the outline), a PDF proof per sign, and a CSV and PDF schedule. Most sign, CAM and CNC programs import DXF or SVG. Tell us which one you use.
Dot height and raised height are not in the file. Why?
The files are 2D. The code requires raised characters at least 1/32 in above the background and domed dots 0.025–0.037 in high; you set those at fabrication. The proof sheet states them as notes, not as measured passes.
Which font is used, and does it meet the rules?
Open Sans Regular (SIL Open Font License). We measured it from the font file: the width of “O” is 91.9 percent of the height of “I” (code: 55 or 60 to 110 percent) and the stroke of “I” is 11.6 percent of its height (code: 15 percent maximum). Spacing between characters is set so the closest points are at least 1/8 in apart and no more than four stroke widths.
Is my sign list uploaded?
No. Translation, layout, checking and file generation run in your browser. We only store what you type into the early-access form.
What can’t it do yet?
Pictograms and the symbol of accessibility, raised borders, elevator car controls, Grade 1 or non-English braille, other tactile fonts, and non-flat (cross-section) character spacing. It cannot check where a sign is actually mounted, but every proof sheet lists the range of mounting heights for the sign’s bottom edge that keeps the braille at least 48 in and the top line of text at most 60 in above the floor (§703.4.1).
What will it cost?
Free during the beta. Planned pricing is $19 per month or $190 per year per shop. Founding users keep a discounted price.
Get early access
Tell us a little about your shop. We will email you about new features and founding-user pricing. We never sell or share your address, and you can ask us to delete it at any time.