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Making print tactile: Creating added value for visually impaired people

The Christian Library for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CBB) has one of the largest braille printers in Europe. They have been producing braille for more than 100 years. With the arrival of the Arizona and the Zünd/ProCut digital cutting table they are able to offer a total package.

90% of the products printed on the Arizona are elevated prints. Previously, it was not possible to combine relief with fine structuring or with full colour, nor was it possible to print relief on other materials. Now all of this is possible.

“We can now offer customers braille, large prints, audio, embossing and digital reading matter in one complete package thanks to the Arizona,” says Andrea Haklander, Braille and relief manager at CBB.

New applications – print moulds for embossed paper

One of the new applications they are excited about is making moulds on the Arizona using Touchstone software. With the Arizona they print a positive and negative mould and these are cut to the right size on the Zünd/ProCut table. The moulds are then placed in the Heidelberg press. Next, the paper is pressed between the 2 moulds and in that way tactile dots are created in the paper. The moulds have to be very precise, because the dots have to line up exactly with the print that was made on the paper.

The quality of the Braille is much higher than the alternative and it is possible to make about 1000 embossed papers with the new moulds. With the old way of producing the moulds only 250 papers could be made. A huge gain.

Future

Together with users and other parties involved in accessibility, CBB wants to come up with beautiful new products that really offer added value for people with visual impairments.

“We started out in the library world, but now we work in all sectors where information is used. Think of education, museums and the aircraft industry,” says Gerard Cornet, General Manager at CBB.