High Quality Braille Paper is Essential to the Blind Community

Braille paper is a special type of paper used for embossing braille and tactile graphics.  The embossing process requires high quality braille paper that can withstand multiple uses, while being thick/strong enough to allow for perfectly shaped, high and durable braille dots. Unfortunately, there are times when low quality braille paper is produced which leads to a poor reading experience. Why is this the case? Let’s take a look.

Why Low Quality Paper Is Produced And Sold
The truth of the matter is that low quality braille paper has been around forever, and it continues to be produced for various reasons. And many times it’s not necessarily low quality paper, it’s just the wrong paper for braille embossing.  The main reason why low quality, or the wrong paper, is due to cost-cutting measures from publishers and other entities who produce books in braille format. As an example, many publishers use an 80lb paper to produce braille, which is too thin.  Yes, it’s slightly less expensive, but it results in poor embossing quality as braille dots break through the paper when being formed and these weak braille dots are easily depressed when touched.  Many retailers also sell 80lb braille paper as their standard heavy weight braille paper, but not American Thermoform.  Our standard is 100lb and that’s why it’s preferred by braille readers and those that produce high quality braille reading materials – we make it specifically for braille embossing and it’s not an off-the-shelf product.  

Why Quality Matters for Braille Readers
It goes without saying that high-quality materials are essential for producing high quality braille books and reading materials.  Since braille readers use their fingers to determine what letters and words the braille dots make up, if one is misplaced or is flat, they can easily lose their place or misinterpret what is being said. This is a frustrating experience and equivalent to a sighted person trying to read a book where the ink has run low and the text is missing or hardly visible in some places. Imagine trying to read an entire book with this poor quality!  Braille readers depend on these educational documents in order to learn effectively; they should not be subjected to poor reading experiences simply because their books were printed on low quality material.

How Do We Ensure Braille Producers Use High Quality Braille Paper? Awareness!
Many people don’t realize that low quality braille paper can cause so many readability issues.  Using the wrong paper for braille embossing, or trying to save a little bit of money can lead to a poor braile reading experience. High quality braille paper helps ensure a high quality reading experience and is essential for providing blind students with a positive learning experience.