Braille Transcription Software

Turn a textbook PDF into braille-ready BRF

Upload a PDF, choose the braille code, and export embosser-ready BRF for a transcriber to review. The same tool we run on our own books — built by a certified braille transcriber, for people who know what correct braille looks like.

Start with 25 free pages See pricing

How it works

Three steps, and you can check the extraction before anything is converted.

  1. Upload the PDF

    Add a textbook or document. Set a page range if you only need a chapter, add a print-page offset so braille page numbers line up with the print edition, and choose the braille code for this book. Scanned PDFs go through OCR (reading the text from the page images) automatically.

  2. Extract the structure

    The converter reads the layout — headings, paragraphs, lists, tables, page breaks, emphasis, math — and turns it into QBT markup: a plain, readable text format that describes the book rather than just its words. You can look it over before anything is converted.

  3. Convert to BRF

    Enter the book metadata for the title page, set your volume bounds and formatting options, and export. You get embosser-ready BRF — split into volumes, with running heads, print page numbers and a generated title page.

What it is — and what it isn’t

A fully correct braille translation cannot be automated. It requires understanding the content: whether a line is a heading or a caption, what a diagram is actually communicating, how a table should read in a linear medium, when a transcriber’s note is needed. No converter decides those things well.

This software does the mechanical work — extraction, code translation, pagination, volume splitting, title pages — and gives you a strong first draft to review. The transcriber still makes the braille decisions. That is how we use it in our company, and we say so plainly.

What it handles

Converter capabilities by category
Braille codes Nemeth with UEB, UEB Math/Science, and UEB Literary — chosen per book at upload.
Source files PDF, including scanned and image-based files. Automatic OCR before extraction; optional AI-generated descriptions for figures.
Structure Headings, paragraphs, lists, tables, emphasis, print page breaks and transcriber’s notes, all carried through into the braille output.
Volumes Automatic splitting between your minimum and maximum page bounds, or a single continuous file. Each volume gets its own title page and running head.
Page layout Interpoint (double-sided), running heads, print page numbers, retained emphasis, indented or block paragraph format, preliminary page handling.
Title pages Generated from the metadata you enter — title, subtitle, edition, author, publisher, city, copyright year, ISBN. Blank fields are simply omitted.
Output Embosser-ready BRF per volume, the extracted markup file, and a summary PDF you can use as a quote sheet.

Who it’s for

  • Transcription companies — subscribe to the same conversion tool we use in our company instead of building one. Upload, convert, export, without rebuilding extraction and formatting from scratch.
  • Freelance transcribers — take on longer books, because the software does the hours of mechanical work for you.
  • School districts and accessibility offices with a transcriber on staff — keep production in-house and finish work faster.
  • Publishers producing many accessible editions, who need a repeatable, reviewable process rather than a different process for each title.

Don’t have a transcriber to review the output? We do that too — see braille transcription services.

Rather have it done for you? Our certified transcribers produce and proofread braille books, textbooks and Nemeth math. Certified braille transcription

Pricing built for your volume

You choose and start a plan yourself, after a 25-page free trial — no card required to start. Every plan includes all braille codes, OCR and volume splitting.

Solo

$15/ month

500 print pages per month
or $150/year — 2 months free

Start Solo

Pro

$49/ month

2,500 print pages per month
or $490/year — 2 months free

Start Pro

Studio

$149/ month

10,000 print pages per month
or $1,490/year — 2 months free

Start Studio

Need more than 10,000 pages a month? Enterprise plans add custom volume commitments, dedicated support and annual contracts — contact us.

Frequently asked questions

Is the converter’s braille ready to emboss without a review?

It produces a strong first draft, not a finished transcription. A fully correct braille translation requires understanding the content — deciding what a graphic means, whether a heading is really a heading, how a table should be laid out. The converter does the mechanical work; a qualified transcriber reviews the output and finishes it. That is exactly how we use it on our own books.

Which braille codes does it support?

Nemeth with UEB, UEB Math/Science, and UEB Literary. You choose the code per book at upload, so a mathematics textbook and a novel can both be handled correctly in the same account.

Can it handle scanned PDFs?

Yes. Scanned and image-based PDFs are read with OCR (text recognition) automatically before extraction, so non-searchable files come through as usable text. There is also an option to generate AI image descriptions for figures.

How does volume splitting work?

You set minimum and maximum page counts per volume and the converter finds acceptable break points automatically, generating each volume as its own BRF. You can also turn splitting off entirely for a single continuous file. Title pages, running heads and print page numbers are handled per volume.

How is this different from your free braille translator?

The free translator converts a string of text into braille characters — useful for a name, a label, or learning the code. The converter handles whole documents: it extracts structure from a PDF, applies braille formatting rules, splits volumes, builds title pages and exports embosser-ready BRF. One is a character tool; the other is production software.

Do I need to be a certified transcriber to use it?

No, but the output is meant to be reviewed by someone who reads braille. The output assumes a reader who knows what correct braille formatting looks like. If you need finished braille and don’t have a transcriber, we also provide full transcription as a service.

Is there a free trial?

Yes — 25 print pages, with no card required to start. That is enough to run a real chapter through the full workflow and judge the output for yourself.

Run a chapter through it yourself

Twenty-five pages free, no card required. Upload a real document and look at the braille it makes.

Launch the converter

Our braille software

  • Quality Brailler

    Braille transcription editor: six-key entry on formatted braille pages, UEB and Nemeth translation, proofreading views and the Braille Checker built in. Windows, Mac and iPad.

  • Braille ConverterYou are here

    Upload a textbook PDF, review the extracted structure and export embosser-ready BRF for a transcriber to review. Starts with 25 free pages.

  • Braille Checker

    A quality-control report for Braille2000 .B2K and .BML files. It is also built into Quality Brailler.

  • Braille Prep (Word add-in)

    Free Microsoft Word add-in that finds what would be lost or wrong in braille, fixes it with you and sends the document to Quality Brailler.

  • Free Braille Translator

    Type text or a name and see it in UEB braille, free, in your browser.