MARBURG MEDIUM AND ECMA EURO BRAILLE – BRAILLE SPECIFICATION

There are many specifications for setting Braille type. However, the PharmaBraille range of Braille fonts comply with the Marburg Medium specification, as recommended by the European Commission for use on pharmaceutical packaging and labels. The European Carton Makers Association have also followed this specification with their ECMA Euro Braille Standard.

Today Marburg Medium is the most commonly used, published presentation of Braille. The specification obeys the following:

• The dot diameter is 1.6mm (basic diameter) = diameter on the female part/matrix and on the printing film/artwork file.
• The dot spacing is exactly 2.5mm from dot centre to dot centre.
• The character spacing is 6.0mm from dot centre to dot centre.
• The line spacing is 10.0mm.

Dimensions:
a - 2.5mm
b - 2.5mm
c - 6.0mm between two characters
d - 12.0mm hyphenation
e - 10.0mm line spacing

Sources:
"Braille Cell Dimensions", Tiresias - Scientific and Technological Reports
"Braille on folding Cartons", European Carton Makers Association, Sept 2005.