Braille Fonts pre-installed on Mac/iOS and PC vs. PharmaBraille: What’s the Difference?
If you’re working with braille in design, publishing, or regulatory contexts, it’s important to understand the difference between general-purpose braille fonts and those specifically designed for compliant pharmaceutical use.
Free Braille Fonts on Mac and Windows
Most modern operating systems include support for the Unicode Braille Patterns block (U+2800 to U+28FF), allowing for basic on-screen braille representation:
- macOS, iOS and iPadOS include Apple Braille, used primarily for VoiceOver and screen reader compatibility.
- Windows includes Segoe UI Symbol and Lucida Sans Unicode, both of which display Unicode braille characters.
- Arial Unicode MS may also be available, depending on your Office installation.
These fonts are free and suitable for basic educational, accessibility, or demonstrative purposes. However, they are not designed for tactile use and do not comply with the requirements for pharmaceutical packaging.
Regulatory Compliance and the Need for PharmaBraille
Braille used on pharmaceutical packaging in the European Union must meet the Marburg Medium standard. This standard specifies precise dimensions, dot spacing, and layout to ensure tactile readability for visually impaired patients.
To meet these technical and regulatory requirements, the PharmaBraille font set must be used. It is the digital font family specifically created for:
- EU-compliant braille carton artwork
- Marburg Medium standard output
- Accurate, scalable production files for embossing and print
PharmaBraille fonts are trusted by pharmaceutical companies, regulatory teams, and packaging suppliers worldwide.
Get the Fonts
The PharmaBraille font set is available for licensing directly from our website. Learn more and buy PharmaBraille fonts.
In Summary
While Mac and Windows systems include basic braille fonts for visual use, they are not suitable for packaging applications. If your project involves regulated medicines, the PharmaBraille font set is essential for ensuring compliance with the Marburg Medium braille standard.