INTRODUCTION

This invention is a special device which prints embossed dots to form Braille alphabets on paper. This device can print dots on normal printing paper with any thickness or surface finish. This device creates elevated dots printed using a special type of UV activated resin based ink. On conventional Braille printer, dots are generated by punching holes on special thick Braille paper

DETAILS

Braille Dot-printer is a new type of Braille language printer. It’s a lightweight Double-side Braille printer with printing speed up to 20 characters per second.  Conventional Braille printers use the method of embossing (making punched holes on special thick paper) to make Braille letters that can be felt using touch.
But our invention works on the principle of printing the dot itself. The dots are created by putting small and pre-determined size ink droplets on specific points. This invention can be used with any type of paper (Paper thickness and surface finish).  The ink is a special UV activated resin based compound with synthetic rubber. Ink gets cured (Becomes solid from liquid) within 0.5 0.8 seconds under Ultraviolet light. In liquid form, the ink is viscous as honey and non-flowing during the machine operation.

 This machine print dots within the specifications of international Braille standards. The dimensions of dots and lettering are precisely followed as per standards.  The machine works with normal home electrical supply. It’s connected to PC/Mac to work, and the printer comes with a free Braille document converter. It comes with built-in USB and Ethernet Network ports to easily connect to your modern computer system. The software can convert clean Pdf and word documents to printable braille form (Excluding pictures). The printer will be approximately weighed about 3 kilograms.

 The special ink is a mixture of synthetic rubber powder and UV activated resin. The machine puts tiny droplets of this ink on specific locations on the paper to form Braille lettering. Our printer can print 20-25 letters per line. The character size is fixed (standard size). Paper size can be used from A4 to various sizes.

Drawbacks to the existing Braille printers:

· High cost of Braille embosser ( approx.. $1800 -$5000 )
· Need special type of Braille paper for embossing, Normal paper doesn’t work
· Double side printing is difficult, and double side printer is more expensive
· Very heavy machines ( weigh around 9 to 15 kilograms )
· Maintenance facility is expensive and not commonly available
· Braille books are very heavy and bulky due to use of thick paper

How these drawbacks have been overcome by our invention:

· Price is low ( From INR $160 - $200 )
· Any thickness paper can be used
· Double side printing is easy and it’s a standard feature
· Printing on plastic sheet and cloth is possible
· Equipment weighs less than 3 kg
· Repairing is easy and cheap, can be repaired where normal printers are repaired.
· Weight and bulkiness of books reduced three times