3D Printing ADA Signs

Every sign on this site can be downloaded as a 3D model from the 3D Studio, or from the 3D print view in any tactile sign’s builder. The model is a flat plate with the characters and braille standing up from it, split into one part per color, so it prints in two colors on a multi-material printer, or on a basic single-nozzle printer with one filament change.

What’s in the model

File formats

3MF (recommended)

3MF is the modern 3D-printing format: a zipped XML package that keeps real units (millimetres), several parts in one object, and a color for each part. Our 3MF is a single sign made of one part per color, so it opens already assembled in PrusaSlicer, Bambu Studio, OrcaSlicer and Cura. Assign each part to a filament and slice.

STL (one file per color)

STL is the oldest and most widely accepted format: just a list of triangles, with no units (millimetres are assumed) and no color. Because it can’t carry color, the download is a zip with one STL per color, named 1-plate-…stl, 2-….stl and so on. All the files share the same origin, so load them together as parts of one object (PrusaSlicer and Bambu Studio ask when you open several files at once) and they line up exactly. Use STL for print services and older software that don’t take 3MF.

Other formats

OBJ (triangles, colors through a separate material file) and STEP (exact CAD solids, for machining or engraving shops) aren’t offered. Most slicers and services take 3MF or STL, and a CAD tool can convert either if a shop insists.

Two colors on any printer

Multi-material printers

A printer with an automatic material system or a tool changer prints both colors without help. Open the 3MF, give the plate part one filament and the raised part the other, and print.

Single-nozzle printers: change filament at a layer

Everything in the second color starts at the top of the plate, so a one-color printer only needs one filament change. In the slicer’s layer preview, add a color change or pause at the plate height (the 3D Studio shows it, 3.2 mm by default). The printer stops there (usually the M600 command), you swap filament, and it carries on with the characters and braille. Pick a layer height that divides the plate evenly (0.2 mm or 0.16 mm for 3.2 mm) so the change lands exactly on a layer boundary.

Resin printers

Resin (SLA / MSLA) printers give the crispest braille, but they print one color. Print the sign in one color and roll paint across the raised surfaces, or paint the plate and leave the characters bare. Load the plate STL and the raised STL together and merge them into one model before slicing.

Slicer settings that matter

• Print face up, flat on the bed. The model is already oriented that way: the back of the sign on the bed, braille on top. Never stand a sign on edge.
• Nozzle. A standard 0.4 mm nozzle prints raised characters well. Braille dots are only about 1.5 mm across, so a 0.2 mm nozzle (or resin) gives noticeably rounder, more consistent dots.
• Fine layers for the raised parts. At 0.2 mm layers a 0.64 mm dot is only three steps tall. Use the slicer’s variable or adaptive layer height to drop to 0.08–0.12 mm above the plate, which keeps the plate fast and the dots smooth.
• Turn ironing off, or limit it to the plate’s top surface. Ironing flattens the tops of the dots.
• Solid plate. Use 100% infill, or enough top and bottom layers that the plate is solid. A sign is thin, and sparse infill can show through as dimples or warp.
• First layer. A smooth build plate gives the back of the sign a clean finish for adhesive mounting. A textured plate hides fingerprints if the sign is screwed on.

Materials

• PLA is easy to print and fine indoors, away from heat and direct sun. Choose a matte PLA: ADA §703.5.1 asks for a non-glare finish on characters and background.
• PETG is tougher and takes more heat. It’s a good default for doors that get handled, but most PETG is glossy, so look for a matte grade.
• ASA holds up to sunlight and outdoor use, and needs an enclosed printer.
• Contrast. §703.5 asks for characters that contrast with their background, light on dark or dark on light. White on dark blue, black or brown, or black on white, are safe choices.

Using a print service

Online print services and local makerspaces take the same files. Upload the 3MF if the service accepts it, otherwise the STL zip. Before ordering:

• Check that the service offers multi-color FDM printing. If not, order one color and paint, as with resin.
• Tell them the sign is tactile: print face up, no ironing, and don’t sand or post-process the raised surfaces.
• Ask for a matte material and confirm the two colors by name.
• The model is real size (the Studio shows the dimensions). Don’t let the service scale it, or the braille spacing goes out of spec.

Check the sign before it goes up

• Proof the braille. Our Grade 2 translation covers common sign wording but isn’t a certified transcriber. Have a braille reader check it, especially names and unusual words.
• Measure the dots. With calipers, check that the dots are 0.059–0.063 in across and 0.025–0.037 in high, and rounded rather than flat-topped or sharp (Table 703.3.1).
• Feel it. Characters and dots should be clean, with no strings, blobs or rough edges.
• Mount it right. §703.4: the baseline of the tactile characters between 48 and 60 in above the floor, on the latch side of the door, where someone can stand without being hit by it.
• Ask your local authority. 3D-printed signs aren’t prohibited, but building officials and owners can have their own requirements. This guide isn’t legal advice.

Open the 3D Studio →