BRAILLE FOR PHARMACEUTICAL AND MEDICINES PACKAGING

Set procedures at the start to save costs and achieve efficient production. The aim is to set clear criteria and guidelines for :

• Standardisation of fonts
• Standardisation of positioning
• Standardisation of carton formats
• Proper forming of Braille characters
• Testing and controlling

BRAILLE FONT STYLE
EC Directive 2001/83/EC recommends the Marburg Medium font specification for use on pharmaceutical packaging and medicines packaging and labels.

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
The dots of the Braille must be palpable. It is important that the Braille is embossed strongly enough for the blind person to read the characters, however the carton surface must not be broken. The target is to reach a compromise between functionality and optical characteristics. After embossing, the formed dot is exposed to mechanical and climatic influences in the subsequent manufacturing and delivery processes. It is important to always calculate a slight back-formation.

LAYOUT SPECIFICATIONS
Braille can be placed on any main side of a folding carton. The ideal position from a production point of view is to have the embossing on the side next to the glue flap. However, production set-ups vary, so you should check with your manufacturer before positioning your Braille artwork.

The distance between the place for embossing and the middle of cutting an creasing lines should be 8mm from the end of the dot. The Braille should avoid areas containing barcodes or where labels/Bollini and perforations are applied.

ARTWORK FILES AND PRINT APPROVALS
The Braille should be set on an extra layer in the artwork file. The colour of the Braille should be set in a spot colour not used on the artwork. It is helpful to set the Braille text alongside translated plain text outside the die-line area for visual verification.

The Braille text and Braille dots must be clearly legible in the documents from the customer. The digital die-line with embedded universal matrix and subsequent exchange of printing files has to be clarified between customer/artwork agency and the folding carton producer. If necessary, the universal matrix for the artwork creation has to be called off from the folding carton producer.

In order to assure an optimal proofing of the Braille over all steps of production, valid print approvals for folding cartons with Braille must be set up as follows.

The first page contains all colours except for the Braille. This page is used for approving the print.

The second page contains the Braille print with the die-line and the Braille text as plain text.

Sources:
"Braille Cell Dimensions", Tiresias - Scientific and Technological Reports
"Braille on folding Cartons", European Carton Makers Association.