As accessibility standards tighten and the market for tactile and Braille signage continues to grow, it is becoming increasingly clear that the production of Braille is no longer the exclusive domain of specialists. Noting this, Mutoh claims that its breakthrough UV printing technology charts a clear pathway to compliant, profitable Braille production for Mutoh XpertJet 661UF and large format XpertJet 1462UF users.
Mutoh XpertJet 661UF and XpertJet 1462UF are capable of producing compliant Braille and full-colour tactile graphics in a single pass
Russell Cavenagh, Managing Director of Mutoh Australia, says: “Ironically, Braille production has never been more accessible. Our XpertJet printers are not only capable of producing compliant Braille and full-colour tactile graphics in a single pass, but they present significant vertical opportunity to optimise a user’s productivity through also using them to produce high quality DTO or promotional products ‘in the gaps’.”
With the Australian Braille Authority (ABA) enforcing strict specifications under the Building Code of Australia and the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), demand for compliant Braille signage across public, private, and government spaces is rising fast. Yet, the number of accredited suppliers remains surprisingly small. This scarcity has driven many sign shops to outsource, often at high cost and with long lead times.
Mutoh claims that the solution to this ‘is hidden in plain sight’, confident that their XpertJet UV technology delivers ‘superior’ quality Braille results and at a fraction of the price its competitors are able to achieve.
“The secret,” Cavenagh confides, “is in the exceptional adhesion qualities of our UV-curable inks. If the ink is too soft, it can easily be broken or rubbed off, but we are confident that the performance of our UV-curable inks is best in class in this regard. Repeatable consistency is then made possible by our VerteLith RIP pre-set Braille workflow environments, which allows operators to simply download the Braille print profile, import their artwork, and let the RIP automatically apply the correct ink layers and raised heights. Compliance is effectively built into the print process.”
With no complex file prep or layering required, variable droplet control for fine detail and depth accuracy and the XpertJet’s high-build ink capability and industry-leading adhesion qualities, originally designed to broaden its DTO print capability, Cavenagh and Mutoh clearly have a point to share.
The fact that this technology enables compliant Braille and full-colour tactile graphics in a single pass presents a compelling case. The variable ink placement means that the Braille can be built into a high-build, hardened tactile finish – which is required to meet ABA quality and compliance standards. This high build in turn ensures that the Braille dots retain their shape and cannot be easily removed or worn down.
Setting the Standards
Producing custom Braille signs is not something you can guess your way through. The ABA specifies exact rules for Braille dot shape, height, spacing and tactile lettering, all designed to ensure readability through touch. Even small variations can render a sign non-compliant and incur significant fines.
Under Australian standards, compliance responsibility ultimately rests with building certifiers and signage suppliers. But bringing Braille production in-house gives printers more control over that compliance chain, ensuring that signs meet exact specifications before they reach a site, thereby resulting in fewer reprints, less liability, and total control over quality, timing, and colour consistency.
Cavenagh adds: “Braille and tactile signage are now mandatory for government and education buildings, aged care facilities, hospitals, and commercial fit-outs—and retrofitting of older properties is accelerating. With average margins in Braille production exceeding those of standard signage, this represents a high-value, low-competition growth sector.”
“For a typical sign shop, a single Braille contract could repay the investment in a Mutoh printer. But there is a significant vertical marketing opportunity beyond this, whereby the same equipment can continue producing mainstream UV work, textured prints, spot varnish effects, labels, or short-run promotional pieces, expanding their revenue even further.”
The standard cost for a 6x9 ADA-compliant sign with Text, Braille and a single colour Symbol was USD$100Mutoh. Mutoh US were able to print that same sign for $7 on the XpertJet 661UF
3.10 to Yuma ROI
Addressing this ROI question, Cavenagh reaches to an example from his peers at Mutoh US.
The topline compliance requirements for Braille largely originated with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ABA) and have latterly been adopted and tweaked locally by the ABA.
During a routine audit, it was discovered that the ADA Bathroom Signs at the Yuma Regional Hospital were not compliant, so every sign had to be pulled down and replaced. In a hospital of circa 2400 employees, that equated to 500+ bathrooms plus an additional 1000 bathrooms spread over the Yuma Regional Medical Centre’s 49 additional locations.
The standard cost for a 6x9 ADA-compliant sign with Text, Braille and a single colour Symbol was USD$100, sparking a USD$150,000 contract when multiplied out.
Cavenagh notes: “This opportunity presented an easy pitch for our US sales team, especially when the customer realized that the cost per sign when printed on a Mutoh XpertJet 661UF was just USD$7.00 – that’s just over a dollar for the ink and the rest for material.”
“Without divulging the cost of the printer, suffice to say that the Yuma Regional Medical Centre bought two of them and still saved themselves over USD$200k, not to mention that they could now use their two new XpertJet 661UF printers for other miscellaneous printing needs.”
Cavenagh concludes: “We’re not trying to start a war about who can print Braille. We are simply focused on educating the market and letting the results speak for themselves. When it comes to Braille production, you could say that we have a far-sighted view of the market opportunity for our customers and that we feel the best solution for them is hidden in plain sight.”
