Special inks for Braille printing

Braille is a system of raised dots for people with vision impairment who use their sense of touch to feel the dots with their fingers in order to read the written text.

Including the visually challenged into the mainstream, is the need of the day for their literacy, intellectual freedom, equal opportunity, personal security, and all these attempts to make them independent are paramount importance.  Therefore, a demand for making labelsand signages of all products braille tactile friendly, is increasing day by day. Manufacturers have started putting braille labels on their whiskey, spirits, wines, vodka and beer bottles to provide information of alcohol strength and size. Some pharmacies have also requested the medicine labels to be braille printed.

Braille printing on labels make them equally readable for visually challenged and the ones who can see. Several techniques like elaborate embossing, large print labels etcused to print braille dots on the labels, are becoming increasinglyprevalent.The braille embossed label printing is done by rotary screen presses like Gallus, SPG prints or even flat screen printing inks. The inks used in printing these labels are curable under UV light at very high speed.

Braille printing on labels	Braille printing on the caps of cosmetic tubes

Offline- Flatbed printingThere are 2 methods to print braille in screen printing What is the process of printing Braille?

1. Online - Rotary screen printing
2. Online - Rotary screen printing

* The best result especially dome shape comes best in rotary screen printing.

Raised, Sed to touch and tactile finishes makes the packagin a sensory involment engaging the sense of touch.  The raised dots can be printed directly onto the surface of the bottle using accurate doming/braille/tactile varnishes and lacquers from RUCO, Germany. Dome or tactile finish give a lively POP effect on labels. Normally labels are printed by processes like Flexo, Silk Screen, Rotary Screen, Dry offset or offset.  Clear dome or tactile lacquers give a third dimension to the labels. The printing gives a raised pop out effect on touch. The process to print on label is generally by rotary screen printing. RUCO has a specialized product range for this tactile, dome like effect. Very interesting tactile effects can be created on printed labels Ex. Coffee bean, textures, ultra fine raised texts etc.  These special inks and varnishes give a lot of innovative, creative ideas to brand owners that are looking to stand out their product. Use of Braille inks for labelling also shows a high degree of concern for visually impaired. The product features – opaque white inks, ultrafine lines and texts, glitters with raised effects, 3d effects, velvet finish, and spot varnishing. The height of each braille dot remains consistent throughout the product run.

What challenges are commonly faced in Braille Printing?

Following challenges are faced by the customers while Braille printing on labels:

- Varnish turns yellow after printing

- Braille breaks/chips off

- Most of the varnishesarenot suitable for difficult substrates (Film materials like PP, PE). So, Sometimes the film cracks after braille printing

- Dome shape is not achieved

- Required height is not achieved

- Most of braille varnishes runs at slow speed

- Low height and high height of braille dots is not possible to print on the same screen

- Braille dots are printed at last station so there is not enough time for flow and drying of varnish, so the dots come off.

What does RUCO offer?

RUCO specializes in this segment and offers wide variety of braille varnishes such as 960 UV 298,960 UV 290,960 UV 393,960 UV 451, 960 UV 506, 960 UV 501, 960 UV 487, etc.

As RUCO specializes in rotary screen printing and braille is very important topic for us, so we keep innovating our products. A wide range of series 960UV varnishes ideally round off RUCO’s product range for the label industry. Suitable for different application techniques, they help to achieve high resistance to specific media and eye-catching advertising effects. Our special mention here, is an impressive, highly reactive, excellent structure, transparent, flexible low tactile 960UV 501 braille printing varnish. This is an upgrade from the original 960UV 451. 960UV 501 is silicone free, runs at higher speed, no yellowing, perfect adhesion to difficult substrates and meets all other requirement of braille printing. We procure the hardware from giants like Machine & screen suppliers are Stork rotary screen mesh, SPG solution and Gallus solutions.

Most importantly it is suitable to print at last station, pass through one lamp ( 30-40Mj/cm²) and dries perfectly.

Technical Specifications:

The common 960 UV varnishes series offered are: 960UV 501, 960UV451, 960UV290, 960UV298, 960UV393, 960UV487

Applications:Printed labels

Characteristics:Free from ITX, Benzophenone and 4-metylbenzophenone (4-MBP), formulated free from BPA, silicone-free, glossy, mechanical and chemical resistance, overprintable, over-lacquered

Substrates: Paper / Cardboard, Pretreated PE/PP, Pre-treated PET

Product range: Overprinting varnish

Labels printed with Varnishes are:

• Free from ITX, benzophenone and 4-methylbenzophenone (4-MBP) as well as formulated free from Bisphenol A
• Low-tactile varnish 50 - 100 μm
• Glossy, transparent, flexible and silicone-free
• Good solvent and water resistance
• Immediate further processing possible
• Does not crack or flake easily
• Highly Transparent
• High adhesion immediately after passing through UV
• Good rub, cosmetic, abrasion, stress and chemical resistance