Supporters of the Royal National Institute of Blind People have named its newest printers
Following an online competition by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) two new braille printers have been named with help from the public.
The sight loss charity has announced the winning names as ‘Bill Brailey’ and ‘Dottie’ which were chosen via social media channels before a shortlist was voted on by staff.
The printers are two Braillo 650 SF2 Braille Embossers. Embossing devices produced by Braillo are capable of the heavy demands of true braille production, the 650 SF2 is referred to as ‘the world’s only fully automated braille book and magazine production system’.
RNIB was able to acquire the kit thanks to the help of the People’s Postcode Lottery which supports the charity through funds awarded by Postcode Care Trust.
RNIB chief operating officer, Mari Jones, says: “We are grateful to everyone who took time to suggest names and vote for their favourite and we couldn’t be happier with the choices and welcome ‘Bill Brailey’ and ‘Dottie’ to our Gateshead site.
“Our new braille printers can produce 650 braille characters a second and 1,950 pages an hour. The machines offer a complete braille production process, you can send a file and pick up a book in next to no time, so our braille customers can get the text in the format they need faster.”
The printers have been installed at the charity’s state-of-the-art Gateshead site where staff will benefit from the streamlined process of producing texts in the braille format which will allow RNIB to grow its braille collection by an extra 20 titles a month.
2024 is a momentous year for braille as it marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Louis Braille, the inventor of the braille system.
This week the RNIB is collaborating with Canon on a special photography exhibition which creates an accessible photography exhibition made possible through elevated and textured prints.
The exhibition takes place between April 5th and 7th at Somerset House in London. Work from famous photographers and Canon ambassadors like South African photojournalist Brent Stirton and Nigerian photojournalist Yagazie Emezi will be on display.
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