PDF and Word to braille (BRF) converter

How the converter works

1. 1. Text extraction. The PDF or DOCX is parsed and its plain text is pulled out, paragraph by paragraph.
2. 2. Braille translation. Each paragraph is translated to Grade 2 Unified English Braille by the same engine as the braille translator.
3. 3. Pagination. The braille is reflowed to 40 cells per line without splitting words, paginated at 25 lines per page with page breaks embossers recognize, and handed back as a .brf download.

What is a BRF file?

BRF, short for Braille Ready Format, is a plain text file in which every character stands for one braille cell, using North American Braille ASCII. Because it is already braille — contracted, with capital and number signs in place — an embosser or a braille display can use it without translating anything. Here is a short sentence as braille cells and as the characters inside a .brf file:

In Braille ASCII a comma before a letter is the capital sign and # is the numeric indicator, which is why a BRF file looks like scrambled capitals in a text editor. That is expected: the file is meant for braille devices, not for reading on screen.

Opening and embossing a BRF file

• Braille embossers accept .brf files through their own driver or utility software. Check that the embosser is set to 40 cells and 25 lines, the page size the file uses.
• Refreshable braille displays and notetakers open BRF files directly, so a braille reader can read the document without paper.
• Braille software such as the free BrailleBlaster from the American Printing House for the Blind, or the commercial Duxbury Braille Translator, can open a BRF file to check or edit it before embossing.

Preparing a document for braille

• Use a file with real text. If you can select and copy words in the PDF, the converter can read it. A scanned PDF needs OCR first.
• DOCX usually converts more cleanly. Word files keep paragraphs in reading order; PDFs with columns, text boxes or sidebars can come out in an unexpected order.
• Remove what a braille reader does not need. Running headers, footers and page numbers in a PDF are extracted as ordinary text and appear in the middle of the braille.
• Describe images in words. Pictures, charts and diagrams are skipped. If they carry information, add a sentence describing them to the text before converting.

What the converter does not do yet

• Headings, lists and tables become ordinary paragraphs; braille formatting is not applied.
• There are no braille page numbers or running heads.
• Maths, tactile graphics and text styling such as bold or italics are not produced.
• The output is BRF only, not PEF (Portable Embosser Format), and English only.

For exam papers, textbooks and anything where layout matters, have the file checked by a qualified braille transcriber. For a short piece of text, the braille translator lets you compare Grade 1 and Grade 2 before you commit to paper.

Frequently asked questions