Nolato Medical Pharma Packaging now has the ability to print Braille directly onto plastic containers and will be showing this technology at Innopack, part of CPhI Worldwide, in Paris in October.
The process, which was developed by Nolato Jaycare in the UK, allows a lay-down of UV cured ink with a thickness of up to 0.5mm, directly onto the surface of a plastic container. The screen printing facilities onsite were adapted to maintain an even and consistent print height, which is crucial for Braille.
Braille printing carried out by Nolato Jaycare has been analysed by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) in the UK and also meets the current EU directive for Braille on pharmaceutical packaging. The RNIB also commented on the fact that the Braille print offered superior definition when compared with some instances of Braille that have been embossed through a pack or label.
In November 2010 a new European directive, DIN EN 15823, came into force setting up minimum heights for Braille as 0.12mm. As it stands, Nolato Jaycare’s Braille print consistently reproduces a dot height of more than 0.25mm.
Although originally developed for printing Braille on to containers, this process also can be used in traditional screen printing, allowing customers the opportunity of highlighting particular areas of their packaging artwork, on their logos and branding, by offsetting the print from the surface of the container.
