Accession Number: 1999.1.7-8
Scope & Content: Two whiteprints of machinery used at the Royal National Institute for the Blind to produce Solid Dot Braille. Both drawings by Chambon Ltd., are dated 7-9-53. 1) Solid Dot Braille Printing Machine; scale 1:10; Reference No. RD 154; Drawing No. RS 415 2) Braille Sensing and Punching Machine, scale 1:2; Drawing No. RD 46.
Creator: Royal National Institute for the Blind
Interview Date: / /
Collection: APH Collection
Credit Line: APH Archives
Administrative History: In 1953, the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) sought feedback about an experimental Solid Dot Braille that they were producing. RNIB sent copies of a questionnaire and samples of the finished product to the American Printing House for the Blind to share with braille readers in the United States and gather their opinions about Solid Dot Braille. Two white prints of the machinery used in the production process were also supplied to APH. The production process used braille stencils, punched from embossed masters on a punching machine, that were then run on a printing machine, where plastic ink was pumped through the stencils onto paper to produce raised black-ink dots. Up to 8 pairs of stencils could be mounted simultaneously in the printing machine to produce 16 pages of interpoint braille at at time.
Subjects: Blueprints Braille Machinery