How much does braille cost?

Jump to:

• What affects cost?
• Why do companies’ prices vary?
• Where Braille Works falls.

How much does braille cost? We’re asked this question a lot. We’re also asked how much accessible PDFs, large print, and audio cost.

Pricing in our industry isn’t something that can be easily standardized. It’s nice to have a number right away, but chances are you’re either getting overcharged or poor quality with such basic pricing. Each document is unique, which is why you want a customized quote based on your needs. 

That being said, there are a lot of factors that determine the final price of accessible documents.

What affects cost?

Many people expect to receive a “per-page” price sheet. However, this isn’t the best method for pricing an accessible document. Instead, it’s better to consider all aspects of a document in order to give the best and most fair price.

At-a-glance:

Complexity

Does your document contain graphs, images, or tables? That will probably cost extra. But, having one or more of those factors doesn’t determine cost on their own. For example, a large table with multiple headings and sporadically merged columns requires more work than a clear and concise table with a few rows and columns. The same concept applies to graphs and relevant images. The more information there is, the more work it’ll take to make the content accessible.

Forms also play a role in the level of a document’s complexity. For example, is your document a “mega form” full of tiny checkboxes, multiple fields, and a “micro-sized” font? Making that content accessible is labor-intensive, especially if you want it remediated correctly.

What you can do

This content is most likely crucial to your document. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be in there. Fortunately, you can reduce the cost related to complexity by typing out your complex graphs, images, or table content in a separate document. Make sure it’s in a logical reading order. Providing this information reduces the labor needed for compliance and reduces your cost.

Text Accessibility

Believe it or not, it helps if your document is a little accessible before it’s made fully accessible. If you can’t copy out the text within your file, remediating it will be challenging. Inaccessible documents have to go through a process called optical character recognition (OCR) which detects the shape of text contained in an image and (hopefully) converts it correctly. Though technology is getting better, OCR isn’t perfect and works best on basic fonts like Arial or Times New Roman. Cursive and decorative fonts rarely convert correctly.

If the OCR process doesn’t work, your content must be hand-typed. That adds a lot of hours to your project, increasing the cost.

What you can do

Have access to the program used to create your document? (InDesign, for example.) Pull the text from there to give to your document accessibility partner. Providing content for an inaccessible document helps lower your overall cost.

Turnaround Time

Turnaround time also plays a role in the final cost. It may not impact the price tag as much as complexity or text accessibility, but it’s certainly a factor. 

Need your document tomorrow? You’ll likely have to pay extra to jump to the front of the line.  This often means paying employees to work overtime or pushing another project back to accommodate yours. In addition, there may be increased shipping costs for expedited delivery.

What you can do

Planning ahead works in your favor. Submitting your files as early as possible often results in a lower rate.

Section 508 & WCAG additions

Color is a factor in achieving compliance for a few reasons. 

You’ll want to check your document for any instances where color is the only method for conveying information. For example, graphs and maps often rely solely on color to relay information. However, adding symbols or using unique patterns along with color presents the information in multiple ways.

Meeting color contrast ratios is also kind of a big deal. A high color contrast ratio provides enough of a difference between text and background colors. People with moderately low vision need this contrast in order to read. The minimum color contrast ratio that WCAG allows is 4.5:1 for standard-sized text and 3:1 for fonts larger than 18pt. Not sure what this means? Use a color contrast analyzer to easily see if your document’s colors are compliant. If they’re not, it’ll cost more to make them compliant.

Speaking of text, a few aspects of the text can increase the cost of making your file accessible. Character encoding issues may impact price. This generally occurs when an unusual font is used and doesn’t convert or save properly. You can usually avoid this issue by using a standard font in documents.

The document’s language can also affect the cost of remediation. For example, some languages, like Arabic, are more labor-intensive and cost more.

Lastly, making a PDF accessible is much more cost-effective than remediating other file types like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. It is possible to remediate these document types, but the look and feel of your document will change. Sometimes the look changes so much that it doesn’t resemble the original document at all.

Related: How to Save Money on Remediating WCAG Documents

What you can do

Run an accessibility checker on your PDF. It won’t catch everything, but it’ll point out a few areas, like font issues, that you may be able to improve without the help of an accessibility expert. Remember, your accessibility checker will not likely check for color contrast issues.

Why do companies’ prices vary?

Typically the main cost differences between companies stem from individual document accessibility processes and overall product quality.

For example, some companies rely solely on automated processes. They don’t take time to consider the formatting or layout of the finished product for the end user. Many of these companies even outsource their work overseas, putting security at risk.

There are, in fact, several factors that affect a company’s price for document accessibility.

At-a-glance:

Staffing

A company’s number of employees impacts the overall cost, albeit minimally. Ideally, there’s enough work coming in to pay everyone fairly. However, some companies send their work overseas, reducing the number of people their organization employs. Also, some companies rely on volunteers to help with the less technical tasks, which helps cut costs.

What you can do

Find out how many people your potential document accessibility partner employs. The company you choose must have enough knowledgeable people to deliver your braille, accessible PDF, or other accessible documents in the time you need.

It’s also important to ensure your documents aren’t sent to a country with minimal or no human rights laws. Keeping your accessibility work in the United States may cost a little more, but you’re ensuring people are being treated ethically according to US law.

Automation

If your documents can be remediated largely through automation, that’s great news for your wallet! However, if your project requires manual remediation, the price will be higher. Manual remediation means more time an employee must spend working on the document.

What you can do

Talk to your document accessibility partner to find out how you can prep your files for their automation tools. Make sure to maintain those standards in future documents, too.

Security

Another reason that prices vary between companies depends on their security measures. For example, suppose a company does a lot of work with personally identifiable information (PII). In that case, they should have higher security measures to protect the information they receive.

What you can do

Ask what security measures a company has in place. For example, are there surveillance cameras around the facility? Can employees have their phones or other cameras around PII? What security certifications and standards do they have, and how long have they been in place?

Quality

The quality of the end product plays a role in the cost of making a document accessible. Companies that take the time to format an accessible file with the end user in mind may charge a little more. They need a few more labor hours to ensure everything is up to the proper standards. 

Some companies “data dump” content without formatting. Often this results in readability issues like a single run-on paragraph through the file, URL links that all go to the same, unrelated website, or hours of audio with no way to skip to the desired section. Tactics like these make the accessible document unusable, leaving the end user where they started – unable to read essential information.

Related: Quality Braille Matters

What you can do

Ask about a company’s formatting procedure. Some of this information may be proprietary, but they should describe how they make accessible content easily consumable for those who need it.

Where Braille Works falls.

It’s important to remember that there’s a difference between price and value. The lesson from the adage, “You can have it cheap, good or fast, pick two.” is well taken. We see braille output that’s cheap and fast, but it’s not good. We see fast and good, but it’s not cheap.

Braille Works strikes a balance between price and value. We provide accessible documents that are easy to navigate and read while also making you look good. All at a price that is competitive and affordable.

Our co-founder, Lou Fioritto, has been blind his entire life. So quality, easy-to-read braille documents are vital to him, and he’s passed that importance on to the rest of the Braille Works team.

Our processes produce the best document for the end user. They’re easy to navigate, read, and contain the correct information.

We also invest in top-notch security, including maintaining SOC 2 Type 2 certification with HITRUST framework. In addition, we regularly work with personally identifiable information (PII) and keep that information safe and secure. Our employees undergo extensive background checks, our facilities remain locked, and security cameras are everywhere, to name a few of our security investments.

When we create accessible documents, we think about your client and how to serve their needs best. That’s going to make you shine, and you’ll be able to brag about your quality accessible documents.

What does braille cost? That’s ultimately up to you to decide, depending on your document accessibility partner. Choose wisely.