Experts at Projected Image say that ensuring projected signage is clear and legible through keystone correction is essential for keeping workers safe in busy warehouse environments.
As more warehouses adopt projected signage to replace worn, faded or obstructed painted safety signs, Projected Image – who supply powerful LED gobo projectors and the bespoke gobos that go inside them – say keystone correction is vital for ensuring consistently clear and accurate safety messages without distortion.
“Warehouses are often large, complex spaces with high ceilings, fixed infrastructure and many moving parts, meaning that projectors may have to be installed at varying angles and positions. This results in projected safety signs becoming warped, unreadable or misaligned – but with keystone correction, this can be resolved” explains Ian Spoors, Managing Director of Projected Image.
Keystone correction is the process of adjusting a design to counteract angle distortion in gobo projections. It ensures that signs appear sharp, correctly shaped and easily readable even when projected at severe angles.
Projected Image states that this is especially important in busy warehouses where signs must remain visible through heavy foot traffic, machinery movement, such as forklift trucks, and variable lighting to prevent missed warning signs and subsequent safety risks.
“If you don’t keystone-correct gobos to account for angles, the projection could be stretched, skewed or off-centre – and dangerously misleading! Our in-house keystoning service corrects the design to ensure safety signage appears exactly as intended – clear and bright to create a safe warehouse environment and improve workplace safety” adds Ian.
Projected Image has offered in-house keystoning for angled projections for over a decade. Their team adjust and optimise gobo designs, mapping distortions before installation to problem-solve and ensure projections line-up correctly and legibly.
The business recently worked on a project for Durham Cathedral that required nine gobo projectors to form a long and seamless “river of words". Each projector was mounted at a different angle and distance, which created significant distortion and misalignment between each projection. Projected Image keystone-corrected each segment of the design to resolve these issues.
“Our keystoning work resulted in precisely aligned gobos which delivered a seamless result for our client. Although this work was completed for an artistic installation, the technical demands closely mirror those faced in warehouse safety signage. Whether it’s a stop sign, a forklift warning or a walkway guide, if the distortion isn’t corrected accurately, the signage won’t do its job. Our keystone correction process ensures consistent, sharp results every time” concludes Ian.
According to Projected Image, warehouses are increasingly choosing projected safety signage over painted and printed alternatives due to its durability, flexibility and improved visibility.
Projected Image are the only business in the UK who supply both powerful, IP-rated LED projectors and the custom gobos which go in them, alongside their in-house keystone correction service.
More information about Projected Image can be found at projectedimage.com.