By Liz Stevens, writer, PostPress
FSEA’s Gold Leaf Awards Competition has presented high honors to a special print and embellishment entry. Mies van Hout’s book Kleine Aap, the braille edition, earned the Gold Award for the client promotion/brochure category and was named Best of Show – Digital Embellishments. The colorful, oversized, spiral-bound children’s picture book presents the story of a little monkey’s quest in a unique format. On the left-hand pages are large black text and transparent raised braille dots on white paper; on the right are colorful illustrations with raised outlines and raised, patterned fills of the main visual elements.
In this story, the kleine aap (Dutch for “little monkey”) has important news to share with other animals in the jungle. She sets out on her scooter, visiting birds, reptiles and mammals to share her big news, but the animals aren’t paying attention. In the end, an elephant listens to the little monkey and helps her go back home. The other animals follow them to the big monkey tree, and they celebrate the important news – the birth of a new monkey in her troop.
The book is beautifully designed, illustrated, printed and embellished. It offers bright, vivid illustrations and carefully chosen tactile elements that make it a delight for eyes and hands. The little monkey and her scooter are tangibly outlined and filled on each page, and the jungle environment and the other animals are likewise outlined and filled. Tree trunks and leaves get tactile treatment, along with a leopard, owl, crocodile and other animals.
Mies van Hout is a Dutch illustrator and creator of picture books. Kleine Aap was selected as the 2026 Picture Book of the Year in the Netherlands. The project to bring van Hout’s book to life for visually challenged children was realized by a collaboration among ADC Nederland, the Picture Books Plus Foundation and Scodix.
ADC Nederland is a digital printing company in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. It specializes in high-volume, personalized printing using advanced technology. The Picture Books Plus Foundation is a Dutch publishing initiative and foundation that adapts, produces and distributes accessible picture books for blind and visually impaired children. Israel-headquartered Scodix is a provider of digital print enhancement presses for converters and print service providers. Scodix offers variable polymer drop size and Multi-Layer Embellishment (MLE) on presses that can print up to 17 applications and combinations of enhancements, including tactile layers of Scodix Sculpturing™ and Scodix Braille™.
Picture Books Plus’s Colette Pelt explained that the Kleine Aap project is the company’s 25th picture book adaptation. “The foundation’s mission is to give children with visual impairment the opportunity to read the same book together with their sighted classmates,” she said. “Existing picture books are adapted into inclusive editions with both visual and tactile elements. Kleine Aap lent itself particularly well to adaptation thanks to the clear front and side views in the illustrations and the book’s rich language. This allowed visual and tactile elements to be optimally translated into an inclusive reading experience.”
Pelt researched tactile printing techniques to find a production method capable of creating relief as elevated as the standard for braille, along with high production speed, affordability and scalability. Whereas previous Picture Books Plus books were produced using a flatbed printer, Pelt found that the latest Scodix presses offer digital enhancement features that meet all the requirements.
“The production process,” said Pelt, “was structured to ensure visual and tactile quality. The original picture book was analyzed in terms of content and visuals.” Illustrations with clear front and side views were selected as the best options for tactile recognition in relief. “Then the illustrations were simplified,” she said, “with important elements isolated and prepared for relief. Throughout the process, a continuous balance was sought between readability, recognizability and aesthetics.”
For the book’s cover, 450 g/m² MultiCard 2S was chosen for its high sturdiness and durability. “These cover qualities are essential for a book that is used intensively by children,” Pelt explained. For the interior, 350 g/m² Invercote Creato White was used, combining high print quality with the strength to support the relief for a long time.
The graphic elements were developed from the original imagery. “To achieve a consistent tactile visual language,” said Pelt, “a legend in A1 format first was developed featuring a variety of textures and relief structures. This served as a test and reference card. Based on this, we selected textures for the book, ensuring consistency and recognizability. Elements had to remain appealing to sighted readers but also be palpable for children with a visual impairment. Complexity was reduced where necessary, without losing the substantive quality of the original design.”
Although the technology to print braille at the correct height already existed, combining braille with complex illustrations proved to be a challenge. In collaboration with ADC Nederland and Scodix Israel, Picture Books Plus was able to find a solution. Another challenge arose in determining the balance between height and tactility of the relief. “Although the Scodix printer can build up multiple layers,” Pelt said, “with too many layers, shapes can become less sharp because their edges round off and details are lost. For tactile reading, clear contours are essential. Rather than using the maximum relief height, we chose a height that was functional and effective.”
The project called for special handling and materials. “To prevent braille from bleeding through to the next page, a traditional cutting machine could not be used,” said Pelt. “Instead, laser cutting was done with Zünd equipment.”
The files were prepared for digital printing and finishing, with layers for color printing and Scodix enhancement. The pages were printed on an HP Indigo 18K, ensuring image quality comparable to offset printing. The Scodix Ultra 2500 SHD Pro was used for finishing, which allowed a 2.5D relief to be built up via Scodix’s Multi-Layer Embellishment. Polymer was used for tactile layers, delivering clear, durable relief. “The Ultra 2500 SHD Pro digital enhancement press fuses flexibility, quality and productivity to generate superior digital value,” said April Lytle, Scodix global brand innovation manager. “It is compatible up to B2 paper sizes, and it features Scodix’s latest technologies for detail quality, tactility and
media variety.”
Scodix has collaborated with different organizations to perfect braille production and quality. “This was made possible when we introduced MLE,” said Lytle. “It is based on a rotating tray system that can apply up to seven passes of varnish before the sheet leaves the press. We continually test coatings, inks and substrates to ensure that they will hold up in products for the consumer or education environment.”
“Projects like this are exciting,” she added, “because braille had been very difficult and expensive to produce in print. It required special dies and special paper, and only a few manufacturers were equipped to do it. Now, it is possible to publish short runs or to add personalization. This new capability is revolutionary for meeting the needs
for inclusivity.”
The braille edition of Kleine Aap made a big impression. “The reactions to the book were very positive,” said Pelt. “Mies van Hout, the author and illustrator, was impressed by the extra dimension we were able to add to her book.” The book also was enthusiastically received in schools. “Teachers said that as a beautiful, large tactile book, it was ideal for reading aloud in a reading circle,” Pelt said. “The children worked in pairs, enjoying the opportunity to touch the pictures. One teacher’s reaction – that the book was something special where feeling and reading come together in a playful, inclusive way – confirmed that the project’s objectives had been met.”
This project – rich in sight and touch – is an example of how digital print and embellishment can be used to produce truly standout results.
For more information, visit www.picturebooksplus.com and www.scodix.com.