Devices

Computer Controlled Braille Embossers

A Braille embosser is the Braille equivalent of an ink printer. It embosses patterns on paper or thin card to produce tactile Braille symbols. These products vary according to whether they have been developed for use at home or as production level machines. As a consequence the units vary considerably in price and size.

The main criteria to assess when choosing a Braille embosser include the following. The speed of embossing can be measured in characters per second or pages per hour; the slower machines emboss one cell at a time but the faster machines can emboss a whole line at a time. Braille embossers increasingly offer the option of embossing in 8-dot in addition to 6-dot Braille; some products can emboss graphics as well. The standard American Braille page size is 11 x 11.5 inches (279 x 292 mm) but many machines have the ability to vary page size and line length - adjustable either at the factory or by the user. Most embossers use continuous fan-fold paper but a few allow the use of single sheet paper, thin card and plastic sheet. Paper densities vary and the option of adjusting the printer pressure is a useful feature as are the ability to Braille on both sides of the page or sideways on a page.

The weight of the machine can vary from 6 to 50kg (12 to 100lbs) and they can have high noise levels during operation. Audible error and command messages are available on some machines.

Braille translation software is required by some machines in order to translate computer text and graphics to Braille; this software can be obtained from the manufacturers. Some machines can print Braille directly from an ASCII file.

Table comparing products and prices

To page 2 of 2

Blista-Brailletec gGmbH
Industriestrasse 11, D-35041 Marburg, Germany.
Tel: +49 6421 8020
Fax: +49 6421 80214
Email: Brailletec@Brailletec.de
Web: www.Brailletec.de

BTec 100 for Windows 9x-XP
Picture
Personal mini Braille printer. Small, lightweight and mobile for personal and school use. Six and 8 dot Braille printer with automatic single-sheet feed and its own printer driver for Windows. Paper tray for 20 sheets which is easily mounted on the printer, can use papers widths from A4 to A3 (when vertically inserted). The paper format is automatically detected while being inserted. Up to 44 cells/line; printing speed approx. 13 cells/second. Paper weights 140g/m2 - 170g/m2. Printer driver can create any number of freely user-defined ASCII Braille tables.
Length: 400mm Width: 120mm Height: 140mm
Weight: 4.5kg
Ref: 00 44000
Price: €1,995.00
Last updated: 28/11/2006

Braillo Norway As
PO Box 647, N-13101 Tønsberg, Norway.
Tel: +47 33 31 66 22
Fax: +47 33 31 66 77
Email: braillo@braillo.no
Web: www.braillo.com

Braillo 200
Picture
Interpoint Braille embosser which embosses at 200 cells per second (600 pages per hour). Serial or parallel interface. Eight inbuilt pre-defined Braille tables, set-up program, and possibility of user defined Braille tables. Variable page and line length. Six or eight dot standard medium Braille cell. Designed for use in schools, print houses or medium sized organizations.
Length: 920mm Width: 700mm Height: 650mm
Weight: 145kg
Last updated: 28/11/2006

Braillo 400 S
Picture
Interpoint Braille embosser which embosses at 400 cells per second (1200 pages per hour). Serial or parallel interface. Prints simultaneously on both sides of paper. Six or eight dot standard medium Braille cell.
Length: 1325mm Width: 1027mm Height: 1250mm
Weight: 195kg
Last updated: 28/11/2006

Braillo 400 SR
Picture
Interpoint Braille embosser which embosses at 400 cells per second (1200 pages per hour). Serial or parallel interface. Six or eight dot standard medium Braille cell. Uses paper directly from a paper roll. Inbuilt cutter and stacker unit.
Length: 3550mm Width: 1027mm Height: 1430mm
Weight: 300kg
Last updated: 28/11/2006

Braillo 440 SW
Picture
Interpoint Braille embosser which embosses at 440 cells per second (number of pages per hour is dependent on paper format). Prints simultaneously on both sides of paper. Serial or parallel interface. Six or eight dot standard medium Braille cell. Uses paper directly from a paper roll. Inbuilt cutter and stacker unit.
Length: 3200mm Width: 2700mm Height: 1430mm
Weight: 385kg
Last updated: 28/11/2006

Enabling Technologies
1601 NE Braille Place, Jensen Beach, Florida 34957, USA.
Tel: +1 772 225 3687
Fax: +1 772 225 3299
Email: info@brailler.com
Web: www.brailler.com

Single-Sided Braille Embossers

Romeo 25
Picture
Our Romeo 25 is our tough, transportable single-sided embosser with a singular reputation for outstanding Braille quality, rugged durability and unmatched value. Ideal for student, personal or home office use. Romeo 25's standard features include: 25 characters per second; Regular (12.5 dots per inch) and high-resolution (17 DPI) graphics; Dynamic Braille Scaling for different Braille sizes (even within a document); 6 or 8-dot Braille; Impact adjustment for heavier or lighter paper; Multi-Copy up to 99 copies of a document.
Height: 209mm Width: 539mm Depth: 336mm
Weight: 14.5kg
Price: $2,195.00
Last updated: 19/07/2006

Romeo Pro 50
Picture
Our Romeo Pro 50 is a rugged single-sided embosser built on Romeo 25's heritage of outstanding Braille quality and durability, but there's more than ever inside the transportable, convenient case. At 50 characters per second, Romeo Pro 50 is twice the speed of Romeo 25 and comes loaded with all the standard features of our larger embossers, making Romeo Pro 50 our best single-sided value ever. Romeo Pro 50's standard features include: Regular (12.5 dots per inch) and high-resolution (17 DPI) graphics; Dynamic Braille Scaling for different Braille sizes (even within a document); ET Speaks for automatic speech feedback as you use your Romeo Pro 50; Single Sheet Tractors let you emboss up to 22 lines on 11 inch non tractor paper (such as letterhead or other special media) by hand-feeding one sheet at a time through the embosser; 6 or 8-dot Braille; Impact adjustment for heavier or lighter paper; Multi-Copy up to 99 copies of a document.
Height: 209mm Width: 539mm Depth: 336mm
Weight: 14.5kg
Price: $2,895.00
Last updated: 19/07/2006

Romeo Attaché
Picture
Romeo Attaché is perfect for on-the-go teachers and students. Or add your favourite notetaker and create a practical, space-saving home office with Braille capability. Romeo Attaché standard features include: Regular (12.5 dots per inch) and high-resolution (17 DPI) graphics; Dynamic Braille Scaling for different Braille sizes (even within a document); 6 or 8-dot Braille; 15 characters per second.
Height: 1406mm Width: 4318mm Depth: 2858mm
Weight: 7.3kg
Price: $1,895.00
Last updated: 19/07/2006

Romeo Attaché Pro
Picture
Romeo Attaché Pro has all the features as the Romeo Attaché. However, Romeo Attaché Pro also comes with our Single Sheet Tractors and ET Speaks speech system. Romeo Attaché Pro standard features include: Regular (12.5 dots per inch) and high-resolution (17 DPI) graphics; Dynamic Braille Scaling for different Braille sizes (even within a document); 6 or 8-dot Braille; ET Speaks for automatic speech feedback as you use your Romeo Attaché Pro; Single Sheet Tractors let you emboss up to 22 lines on 11 inch non-tractor paper (such as letterhead or other special media) by hand-feeding one sheet at a time through the embosser.
Height: 1406mm Width: 4318mm Depth: 2858mm
Weight: 7.3kg
Price: $1,995.00
Last updated: 12/04/2005

Thomas
Picture
40-character-per-second "Tommy" makes fast, top quality, single-sided Braille inside a noise-muffling desktop case. Thomas' standard features include: Regular (12.5 dots per inch) and high-resolution (17 DPI) graphics; Dynamic Braille Scaling for different Braille sizes (even within a document); 6 or 8-dot Braille; Multi-Copy up to 99 copies of a document. Options available for Thomas include: ET Speaks for automatic speech feedback as you use your embosser; Single Sheet Tractors let you emboss up to 22 lines on 11 inch non tractor paper (such as letterhead or other special media) by hand-feeding one sheet at a time through the embosser.
Height: 219mm Width: 626mm Depth: 292mm
Weight: 23.2kg
Price: $3,295.00

Thomas With Single Sheet Tractor option
Price: $3,495.00
Thomas With ET Speaks option
Price: $3,395.00
Thomas With Single Sheet Tractor and ET Speaks options
Price: $3,595.00
Last updated: 19/07/2006

Marathon
Picture
Ideal for proofreading books in production and other high-speed applications, Marathon produces an entire single-sided page of crisp, perfect Braille every five seconds. That's 200 characters per second. Marathon comes with a parallel port and a 25-pin serial port as well. Sixteen menus allow you to customize your embosser once for every task you need and call all the settings into action with a few keystrokes. Adjust for 6 or 8-dot Braille, use a variety of paper sizes, and reprint up to 99 copies of one document automatically with Multi-Copy.
Height: 152mm Width: 533mm Depth: 457mm
Weight: 34.1kg
Price: $14,995.00
Last updated: 19/07/2006

Double-Sided (Interpoint) Braille Embossers

ET
Picture
Producing top-quality Braille at 60 characters per second, ET's shorter 40-character line makes full use of standard-width Braille paper. ET is a speedy and economical choice to get professional-looking, space-saving interpoint. ET's standard features include: Regular (12.5 dots per inch) and high-resolution (17 DPI) graphics; Dynamic Braille Scaling for different Braille sizes (even within a document); 6 or 8-dot Braille; Multi-Copy up to 99 copies of a document.
Height: 219mm Width: 626mm Depth: 219mm
Weight: 23.2kg
Price: $3,795.00
Last updated: 19/07/2006

Juliet Classic
Picture
Juliet Classic's top quality Braille on both sides of a page up to 56 characters wide and speed of up to 55 characters a second have made her a best-seller. Juliet Classic's standard features include: Regular (12.5 dots per inch) and high-resolution (17 DPI) graphics; Dynamic Braille Scaling for different Braille sizes (even within a document); 6 or 8-dot Braille; Multi-Copy up to 99 copies of a document.
Height: 219mm Width: 626mm Depth: 292mm
Weight: 23.2kg
Price: $3,795.00
Last updated: 19/07/2006

Juliet PRO
Picture
Juliet Pro has all of Juliet Classic's best features--the extra-wide 56-character embossing line Brailles two sides at once at up to 55 characters per second. However, Juliet Pro also comes with our Single Sheet Tractors and ET Speaks, our innovative speech system, as standard equipment. These two additional features make your Juliet Pro adapt to an even larger range of applications.
Height: 219mm Width: 626mm Depth: 292mm
Weight: 23.2kg
Price: $4,095.00
Last updated: 19/07/2006

Juliet PRO 60
Picture
Juliet Pro 60 has ET's 40-character-wide embossing line and 60-character-per-second speed. It also includes two other standard features: Single Sheet Tractors and ET Speaks, our innovative speech system. Juliet Pro 60's standard features include: Regular (12.5 dots per inch) and high-resolution (17 DPI) graphics; Dynamic Braille Scaling for different Braille sizes (even within a document); ET Speaks for automatic speech feedback as you use your Juliet Pro 60; Single Sheet Tractors let you emboss up to 22 lines on 11 inch non‑tractor paper (such as letterhead or other special media) by hand-feeding one sheet at a time through the embosser; 6 or 8-dot Braille; Multi-Copy up to 99 copies of a document.
Height: 219mm Width: 626mm Depth: 292mm
Weight: 23.2kg
Price: $4,095.00
Last updated: 19/07/2006

Commercial Braille Production

BookMaker
Picture
The BookMaker, that is built in a durable, transportable case, embosses two-sided, interpoint Braille at a speed of 80 characters per second. The BookMaker has a 500-page memory that can hold your largest Braille jobs. Bookmaker's standard features include: Regular (12.5 dots per inch) and high-resolution (17 DPI) graphics; ET Speaks for automatic speech feedback as you use your BookMaker; Standard Braille line spacing or one and one-half line spacing; Impact adjustment for heavier or lighter paper; Multi-Copy up to 99 copies of a document.
Height: 222mm Width: 539mm Depth: 457mm
Weight: 22.7kg
Price: $8,995.00
Last updated: 19/07/2006

Braille Express 100
Picture
The Braille Express 100, that is built in a durable, transportable case, embosses two-sided, interpoint Braille at a speed of 100 characters per second. The Braille Express 100 has a 500-page memory that can hold your largest Braille jobs. Other standard features include: Regular (12.5 dots per inch) and high-resolution (17 DPI) graphics; ET Speaks for automatic speech feedback as you use your Braille Express 100; Standard Braille line spacing or one and one-half line spacing; 6 or 8-dot Braille; Impact adjustment for heavier or lighter paper; Multi-Copy up to 99 copies of a document.
Height: 222mm Width: 539mm Depth: 457mm
Weight: 22.7kg
Price: $10,995.00
Last updated: 19/07/2006

Braille Express 150
Picture
The Braille Express 150, that is built in a durable, transportable case, embosses two-sided, interpoint Braille at a speed of 150 characters per second. The Braille Express 150 has a 500-page memory that can hold your largest Braille jobs. Other standard features include: Regular (12.5 dots per inch) and high-resolution (17 DPI) graphics; ET Speaks for automatic speech feedback as you use your Braille Express 150; Standard Braille line spacing or one and one-half line spacing; 6 or 8-dot Braille; Impact adjustment for heavier or lighter paper; Multi-Copy up to 99 copies of a document.
Height: 222mm Width: 539mm Depth: 457mm
Weight: 22.7kg
Price: $15,995.00
Last updated: 19/07/2006

BraillePlace
Picture
BraillePlace, our new interpoint embosser with speeds of nearly 300 characters per second and a 45-character line, is serious productivity for serious Braille publishing. BraillePlace connects to any computer through its parallel or serial ports, uses the same keypad controls as all our other embossers, and includes ET Speaks to vocalize controls and do other audio tasks.
Height: 1473mm Width: 990mm Depth: 726mm
Weight: 349.3kg
Price: Contact manufacturer
Last updated: 19/07/2006

Signmaker

PrestoBraille
Picture
PrestoBraille, our industrial-strength signmaker powered by compressed air, stamps Braille in the shortest form possible (often only one word, in fact) through thick, pliable materials with perfect consistency for thousands of impressions. With Duxbury Braille Board software (sold separately) on a nearby PC, translate your message into correct grade 2 Braille. Then replicate the Braille in PrestoBraille's template with our special embossing pins. Your message can be up to 30 characters long in the standard Library of Congress template and up to 24 characters long in the optional California ADA template. Press a single button, and PrestoBraille stamps crisp, perfect Braille with a full ton of pressure, time after time.
Height: 353mm Width: 980 Depth: 609mm
Weight: 68kg
Price: $3,295.00
Last updated: 19/07/2006

Braille & Print Together

TranSend LT Control Unit
Picture
TranSend LT places Braille and print together line by line on the same page. The entire TranSend LT system includes the control unit, a sturdy Epson dot matrix printer and your choice of Romeo RB-25, Romeo Pro 50, Romeo 40, ET, Juliet Classic, Juliet PRO, Juliet PRO 60, BookMaker or Braille Express embossers. TranSend uses simple text files, easily created by virtually all popular word processing programs. Voice and screen prompts lead you through the system. As few as five keystrokes will have you producing your choice of Braille, large or small print, or a combination of Braille and print.
Note: Available in the United States only.
Height: 890mm Width: 304mm Depth: 241mm
Weight: 3.6kg
Price: $1,395.00

TranSend LT Control Unit & Epson Printer
Price: $1,895

TranSend LT, Romeo 25 & Epson Printer
Price: $4,000

TranSend LT, Romeo Pro 50, & Epson Printer
Price: $4,700

TranSend LT, Thomas & Epson Printer
Price: $5,100

TranSend LT, Juliet Classic & Epson Printer
Price: $5,600

TranSend LT, Juliet Pro & Epson Printer
Price: $5,900

TranSend LT, ET & Epson Printer
Price: $5,600

TranSend LT, Juliet Pro 60 & Epson Printer
Price: $5,900

TranSend LT, BookMaker & Epson Printer
Price: $10,800

TranSend LT, Braille Express 100 & Epson Printer
Price: $12,800

TranSend LT, Braille Express 150 & Epson Printer
Price: $17,800
Last updated: 16/08/2007

Freedom Scientific
11800 31st Court North, St Petersburg, Florida 33716 1805, USA.
Tel: +1 727 803 8000; 800 444 4443 (USA and Canada only)
Fax: +1 727 803 8001
Email: info@freedomscientific.com
Web: www.freedomscientific.com

Braille Blazer Embosser
Picture
Personal Braille printer with RS232 serial interface (300 to 19,200 baud) and parallel port. Tractor-fed paper 21¼cm x 27½cm (8.5" x 11"). Six or 8 dot printing. Features include landscape mode and graphic printing capability. Embosses at 15 characters per second. Incorporates a speech synthesiser; the speech can be used as the voice for the computer as well as for setting up the printer.
Length: 380mm Width: 255mm Height: 127mm
Ref: BLAZER
Price: $1,895.00
Last updated: 28/11/2006

To page 2 of 2