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How is Braille Produced?

Braille printing is a great way to get your message out to as many people in the general population as possible. Plus, by printing menus, business cards and other peripheral materials in Braille, your business is more able to comply with key legislation, such as the DDA. So, if you’re considering Braille for some of your printed materials, and you have some questions about how it is produced, we’ve outlined the process for you below.

Braille transcription basics

There are a number of ways Braille can be produced. You can purchase equipment to output documents in Braille from your existing computers, this equipment will enable you to essentially print Braille documents for distribution and use by your organisation. Also, a growing variety of software is available to convert existing text into Braille cells. This can enable your staff to convert virtually any document into Braille, and then print it on a suitable machine. However, both of these roads involve a level of in-house expertise to make the best use of the investment.

On the other hand, sending your printed matter to a Braille transcription service can be a tremendous timesaver – and for many firms, large and small, it works out more cost effective. The process of Braille transcription is a relatively simple process.

You complete your ordinary printed material and send it to your chosen Braille transcription provider

They review the document, contact you with any queries or points of clarification, and begin translating the text

The text is translated using specialist software, adapted by an expert, and then output to a Braille printing machine.

Documents are typically bound before being dispatched to you for distribution to your blind or partially-sighted clientele.

Challenges in Braille printing

Although producing documentation in Braille is of tremendous benefit to most organisations, there are a number of challenges you may encounter along the way. The largest of these obstacles is the size of Braille itself. Because the tactile cells that make up words and letters in Braille are bulkier than those of the traditional alphabets, documents produced in Braille are generally oversized.

A number of services will enable you to produce business cards with combined print and embossed Braille – often, it is recommended you use a double-fold format to accommodate the information in Braille as well as decreasing the overall amount of text that appears on the card. Braille menu production has similar results – often a two page menu will turn into four or six pages, or more. This is because an average page can only hold about 30 lines of Braille text.

Another challenge that those producing documents in Braille need to overcome is the overall package or document design. For some, it works well to produce a single document with Braille overprinted. This can be a time and money saving way to manage print production, however, doing it does mean that designers must use care when crafting graphical elements and choosing fonts as fine details can be obscured by the Braille dots.

A2i Transcription Services Ltd, 139a Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2NR.
Tel: 01179 70 70 90. Email: info@a2i.co.uk