1. John Metz and Jeff Potts Michigan’s A. E. R. Annual Conference 2017

2. Overview of program and how it evolved
Developed from the liblouis open source program. BrailleBlaster is a braille transcription program being developed by a joint project between ViewPlus Technologies, American Printing House for the Blind and Abilitiessoft.

3. Overview of program and how it evolved
BB is being developed to help transcribers provide blind students with braille textbooks on the first day of class.
Is aimed at hands-on production where every detail of the Braille is controlled via a graphical user interface (like the Window’s environment).
It can also be used to produce handouts, worksheets, and booklets.

4. BrailleBlaster features
Translates braille accurately in UEB or EBAE
Default setting is UEB
Different formats of braille available
Automate line numbered poetry and prose
Split books into volumes
Add transcriber notes
Describe images
Automate braille table of contents, glossaries, preliminary pages and special symbols pages
Automate a variety of table styles

5. Beta registration page

6. Reply text from
via tech.aph.org Thank you for signing up for the BrailleBlaster beta! You can find your download link below. It may be helpful for you to read the documentation before beginning. Bug reports and general feedback may be sent here. If you would like to join the BrailleBlaster beta mailing list, send an to and an automated response will give you instructions on how to sign up. Click here to download BrailleBlaster.

7. Website addresses page
Information page
Download page

8. Cool features It’s FREE! Has a spell check! 6 key entry.
Easy way to correct transcription.
BB is updated about every 2.5 weeks.

9. File Menu overview

10. Edit Menu

11. Navigate Menu

12. View Menu

13. Tools Menu

14. Spell Check Shortcut: F7
Checks for misspelled words in the text being translated into braille.
Spell check can replace a single instance of an incorrectly spelled word, replace all instances of that word, skip that instance, ignore all instances, or add the word to the dictionary.

15. T-Page Generator T-Page Generator
In BrailleBlaster, transcriber-generated pages are created using the T-Page Generator. This tool allows you to insert the necessary information and copy it to subsequent volumes as necessary. It also puts each volume's t-pages in the appropriate location by finding the volume divisions created by the user and putting the t-pages at the beginning of them.
Note: The T-Page Generator is most useful when volume divisions have already been added to the document.

16. Six Key Input Shortcut: F6
This tool opens a separate window where you may type braille directly using FDS and JKL as the 6 dots of braille.
If you find this feature doesn't work for you, it is most likely your keyboard. Not all keyboards allow more than one letter to be pressed at a time.
After the braille is typed, press enter and it is inserted into the document as direct translated ASCII.

17. TOC Builder
The TOC Builder improves the creation of the Table of Contents (TOC) by speeding up and simplifying the process. It makes available a set of tools that not only apply the necessary margins and guide dots of a TOC but also automates the process of dividing the TOC between volumes. It is located in the Tools menu and when used opens a new set of tools on the toolbar.

18. Describing images
This feature allows an easy way to insert your own description of an image if a textbook does a poor job of adding Alt Text to an image.

19. Math Hub
Shortcut for Math hub is Control + M. The Math Hub allows you to select symbols and then just insert them into the document. Transcription is editable if you don’t like it (with Control + T).

20. Settings Menu

21. Emphasis Menu

22. Styles Menu

23. Insert Menu

24. Window Menu

25. Help Menu

26. Light dependent buttons

27. Setting up the print driver
Installing the embosser requires adding a driver in Devices and Printers on the computer.
William Freeman at APH shared that prior to release Braille Blaster will have built in choices for embossers. This feature will set up the embosser driver from within the BB program.

28. Devices and Printers

29. Add a local printer

30. Choose a printer port

31. Choose a printing device for driver

32. Generic / Text Only selected

33. Windows versions experiences
Installation of BB requires Administrative level access to the computer. Both Window’s 7 and 10 follow similar install methods.

34. Duxbury / Gemini issue
The Gemini embosser uses a Duxbury driver not a Window’s driver. BrailleBlaster uses a Window’s driver. We could not find a Window’s driver for the Gemini. Duxbury has special software built into it to allow the Gemini to emboss. BrailleBlaster (in beta) does not work with a Geminis at this point. William Freeman at APH is working on getting multiple embossers to work with BrailleBlaster using embedded drivers.

35. File Types Specific to BrailleBlaster
BrailleBlaster has two file types that are specific to this software: BBX and BBZ. These files types were developed for certain explicit purposes within the software.
BBX file type: BrailleBlaster currently works with text files and XML (eXtensible Markup Language) files, such as NIMAS. When a file is opened it is converted to the BBX (BrailleBlaster XML) file type.
BBZ file type: BrailleBlaster can also work with a zipped NIMAS file set. If you save the zip file, it is saved as a BBZ (BrailleBlaster zip) file type, and all of the images in the zipped folder are maintained in the saved file set. This allows certain tools to display each image instead of just the image name.

36. Other versions of BB
Mac version: William Freeman from APH shared that APH is concentrating their time and money on the Window’s version of BB. The MAC version is not as capable at this time.
Linux version: William shared that the developers prefer the Linux version but it is the least tested.

37. Download time!

38. Thank you
Questions?