I received a call from State of
Virginia with the following questions regarding red ovals and I need
assistance in responding.
1.) Can we use red ovals? Yes the color
of red ink must be Pantone 032
2. ) Are there issues with the blind
population in regards to seeing the red ovals? According to the National Institute for the Blind, 90% of
the blind have limited vision. Those that are colour blind see
colour in shades of grey. Red is seen as almost black. The
ideal is a 14 point font on white paper with good lighting. I would
think that using one of those technician's lamps with the
circular fluorescent lamp and magnification would be ideal. I
believe they are used for repairing circuit boards.
3.) What is the acceptable width of
the line that makes up the red oval?
Red ovals
may feature any width, as 032 red is invisible to the card read
sensors. This is the advantage of using
red.
4.) Can I print all ovals in black and then make a
second pass at the ballot covering the black ovals with red ink?
I have run an election with this
combination. About 4,000 voters. No
problems.
5.) Does anyone have the printer
specs for red ovals?
The oval
weight, placement and size are encoded into the Postscript code.
The oval weight may be manually extended by the print company, as red
does not require a weight restriction, and GEMS will only print the oval
weight at our fixed maximum level, which is .002
inches.
Two options
are available in GEMS for printing ballot artwork with red ovals.
The first one involves printing ballot artwork with separations, where
text and control marks are printed in one separation and ovals are
printed in another separation. The print company then prints the
text and control marks with black ink, whereas the ovals are printed
using 032 red. Alternatively, the print company may electronically
identify that ovals must be printed using red, while printing the
remainder of the ballot image using
black.
They would like a response by
September 1, 2001 so that they can discuss at a state wide
meeting.
I would suggest you call the local
blind association and discuss what is ideal.
Greg
Thanks in advance for your
help.
Larry
J. Dix
Vice
President of Operations
Global
Election Systems