Silencio: A 3D-Printed Tactile Poetry Book for Sighted and Blind Readers

"Silencio" is a book of illustrated poetry, which takes advantage of the relief created by 3D printing to offer a reading suitable for sighted and blind people. The book, written by Néstor Toribio Ruiz, is interpreted by Jennifer Martin-Lorente, a graphic designer by profession and passionate about the publishing world with a great desire to experiment with new technologies. The project also counts with the participation of the O.N.C.E.

Image 1: Pages of the tactile book "Silencio". Source: Recreus.

Thus, "Silencio" is an artistic, creative and supportive project, which seeks to democratise reading in order to make it accessible to everyone. Books for people with visual difficulties or disabilities are scarce and expensive. The manufacturing processes are usually manual and very slow, with techniques such as embossing, which consists of producing a relief on the paper by the effect of pressure.

3D printing can be a very useful tool for this type of application, allowing the creation of relief illustrations and Braille texts. In this way, it is possible to offer a sensory experience accessible to everyone.

Video 1: Manufacturing process of the tactile book "Silencio". Source: Tactile-Book.

There are other 3D printed books, but "Silencio" has the peculiarity of being made of flexible material. Jennifer started by testing with PLA, but the material was too stiff for this application, so she finally decided to use Filaflex. Filaflex is one of the most elastic and flexible FDM 3D printing materials on the market today. Thanks to the material's properties, the pages are washable, as the material can be wetted without risk of deterioration. This quality sets it apart from traditional paper books. In addition, the pages are strong and easy to fold, and the softness of the material provides a pleasant experience for the reader.

Undoubtedly, 3D printing, its constant evolution and the development of new materials for specific applications provide very useful tools for developing solutions to various problems in everyday life.